Going Green

What does “going green” mean to you and your practice? 

Probably more than you realize. Even during an economic downturn, the business community has realized that the benefits of becoming environmentally responsible are more than just a trend. The benefits include increased profitability, increased positive consumer opinions, and a healthier workplace environment.
Cindy Olson, VP at Eco-Coach, Inc. offers 10 strategies that will help you decide where and how you can begin to “green up.”

1. Measure your energy use. If you don’t measure, you can’t change. Lighting, for example accounts for about 30% of electricity used in office buildings. You’re probably already using fluorescent bulbs in your overhead lighting, but there may be other light sources where CFL’s (compact fluorescent lamps) can be substituted. Are you using a bead pan in your lab, or a hot-air frame warmer? Bead pans need to be heated all day, air-warmers are “on demand.” Are you tinting in-house? Tinting units need to remain at a constant temperature to be effective, yet leaving them hot all the time can cause the dyes to break down and compromise quality and consistency. Are there rooms that do not need lighting all day, such as stock rooms, break rooms or rest rooms? Installing motion sensing light switches allow the lights to remain off until someone enters the room.
   

2. Green your IT. Shut down computers when they’re not in use and change settings so that they can enter “sleep” modes when inactive for a significant length of time. When purchasing new computers, consider ones that are EPEAT-certified (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) and give some serious thought to replacing desktop computers with laptops. Laptops use 90% less energy than desktop units.
   

3. Keep your cool—and warmth—with maintenance. Schedule regular maintenance on your HVAC systems, including new filters on a regular basis. Replace old equipment with newer Energy Star rated units to help reduce your energy bill.
   

4. Save water and money. Remind employees to conserve water when possible and consider installing motion sensor water faucets on every sink. At the very least, every faucet should be fitted with an aerator.
   

5. Recycle and use recycled products. Products made from recycled glass, plastic, paper and metal reduce carbon emissions because they take less energy to manufacture. Scour your office supply catalogues and stores for recycled office supplies. Are recycled ink cartridges available for your printers/copiers? Consider using a recycling service to dispose of everything from shredded records to old electronics. And always follow the manufacturer’s directions when disposing of any and all waste material from the lab. You’ll feel better and won’t be bothered by those pesky OSHA inspectors.
   

6. Use less paper and recycled paper. 85% of all office paper is discarded annually. 85%! I thought this was the dawn of the paperless office! Use “print preview” when possible and purchase recycled printer/copier paper. Better yet, keep a tray next to printers and copiers to hold single side printed paper to reuse and if what you’re doing requires more than one printed page, use the double sided printing option. Holding a big staff meeting or training? Project the agenda electronically.
   

7. Buy less and reuse. Purchasing supplies and inventory with recycled content not only encourages the recycling industry, it conserves energy and natural resources, saves energy and reduces solid waste, greenhouse gasses and air and water pollution, while creating new jobs.
    

8. Cut down on office transportation and business travel. Incentivize carpooling or using public transportation to get to the office. Consolidate those trips to the bank with other trips, like “breakfast/lunch/snack runs” or talk with your banker about electronic bank services that will allow you to deposit checks electronically along with your credit card payments. That may allow you to reduce trips to the bank to only those times when you must deposit cash.
   

9. Get staff involved. Your employees know best where savings can be made, so encourage and reward their efforts. Start in- or inter-office competitions to maximize savings and increase the impact of recycling on your bottom line.
   

10. Provide leadership for “going green.” Nothing signals your commitment to going green than appointing an executive or senior level staff member to oversee your program. Keep everyone from staff and patients informed on your efforts and your progress in reducing costs and saving our planet.

How does the optical community address environmental responsibility? Here are a few of the companies who have made a significant commitment to the green movement.

Vision-Ease Lenses— Though the finished product is a small lens, the eyewear industry as a whole makes a large impact on the environment. Vision-Ease Lens is reducing its carbon footprint, maintaining its operating principle to be a good corporate citizen and setting new sustainability standards for lens manufacturers.

As of March 1, 2008, all VEL products manufactured in its Ramsey, Minn.-facility are being made with 100 percent renewable energy. Beyond setting a new standard in the lens industry, VEL commitment to sustainability marks one of the largest industrial companies with 100 percent renewable energy in Minnesota.

This effort builds on significant conservation and recycling efforts that VEL has had in place over the past several years, and sets the stage for a long-term, corporate-wide initiative…

Each pair of lenses produced at Ramsey using renewable energy eliminates 10.5 pounds of CO2 emissions. With renewable energy, the production of VEL lenses delivers the following comparable CO2 reductions:

• Each pair of lenses is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by one tree seedling for one year

• Two pair of lenses avoids the carbon release of one gallon of gasoline consumed

• 100 pair of lenses is equal to the carbon release of one barrel of oil

• 1,000 pair of lenses is equivalent to the reduction of one passenger vehicle for ten months

• 10,000 pair of lenses equals the reduction of carbon release of the electricity to power six homes for one year

Link Eyewear—Linkskin debuted in early 2008, and received the Silmo d’Or 2009 Special Prize, Environment for its use of recycled materials and its recyclable frames. Linkskin uses recycled plastic files and boxes made from .5 to .6mm translucent polypropylene, a thermoplastic polymer noted for its lightness, durability and resistance to chemicals to form the frame fronts and stainless steel or beta-titanium as a supporting structure for the fronts and temples. View the collection and read their story at www.linkskin.com.

Nouveau Eyewear—The Global ReLeaf Collection is designed for men and women using lightweight zyl and stainless steel materials in soft earth toned color themes. For every Global ReLeaf frame purchased, Nouveau will plant a tree through American Forests (www.americanforests.org) an organization formed in 1875 as a non-profit citizen’s conservation organization. See the collection and read their story at www.nouveaueyewear.com.

Why go green? According to the Environmental Management Assistance Program (www.askemap.org) the benefits include:

• Saving money

• Earning consumer and community trust

• Complying with government regulations

• Creating new market opportunities

• Increasing efficiency and productivity

• Cultivating employee trust and loyalty by creating a safer, healthier workplace

• Reducing your carbon footprint by lowering greenhouse gas emissions

For 2011, add this commitment to your strategic plan and watch your practice flourish!

Judy Canty
ABO/NCLE