Over the years as our country and all others around the world have developed, it has become very apparent that economic growth and industrialization are directly associated with damaging our environment. To break it down, every decision made by every single person on our planet affects our environment every day. Each decision carries a lot of weight, and this is especially true on a larger scale for businesses whose daily operations impact the environment. There are many businesses in the Lincoln community that are very aware of how they affect our environment, and work very hard to ensure they become more efficient and leave less of a footprint—or effectively “GO GREEN.” Combining ecological and economic efficiency is the key to finding success in these endeavors, and we have compiled some local businesses that are doing just that as well as those who are helping others achieve these types of goals.
Servicemaster Professional Building Maintenance (PBM) is GS-42 certified by Green Seal (www.greanseal.org), and is the only cleaning company to achieve this certification in Nebraska. Their green cleaning service utilizes products and equipment that are certified green by many different organizations, and they feel very proud of this accomplishment and their dedication to utilizing green cleaning measures. Jon Paolini, owner of Servicemaster PBM, states, “It is very important to understand what being certified as environmentally friendly truly means. If something isn’t certified as environmentally friendly, how do you know it really is? There are a lot of products and services that claim they are green but really aren’t. We are the only Green Seal certified cleaning company in Nebraska. Our green cleaning services speak to the level of importance and dedication our business places on environmental responsibility. True green cleaning services have been shown to reduce indoor air particles and create a better indoor air quality. Also, our products have no VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds, or dangerous chemicals that are emitted into the air and can be hazardous to human health or cause harm to the environment) and greatly reduce known allergens so occupants of the spaces we clean can feel safer about what is in the air they breathe. Finally, by using these green certified products, equipment and processes we are reducing the amount of waste we generate in the cleaning process and the waste that is generated by those processes is much more environmentally friendly.” She adds, “We also work with clients on setting up recycling programs, provide introductions to resources where we can’t help directly, and help them with their recycling process as part of our service–often times at little or no additional cost to them. Obviously the only way we can help in this process is to meet with them and let them tell us what their goals are in this area, but we find this to be not only helpful to our clients but very rewarding.”
Integrated Controls provides and installs Honeywell controls to run their clients’ HVAC equipment and card access/video systems to promote comfort, safety and energy efficiency. Hannah Ahlstedt of Integrated Controls explains, “Every client has different needs and expectations. Our goal is to listen to their concerns and customize our solution to meet their needs. Whether we install programmable thermostats or install sophisticated Direct Digital Controls (DDC) for multiple buildings, we can save our clients’ energy while still maintaining a level of comfort to enable a productive workplace. Clients can use their card access and temperature control systems as one, to occupy spaces in their building based on the patterns of employees’ entry and exit. On average, our energy management solutions cut costs by 10 to 12 percent. Our products effectively help reduce greenhouse gases and shrink carbon emissions as we help limit energy usage, especially during peak hours when there is a high demand on utility power.” She adds, “Our goal is to keep up to date with the latest technology development by providing our clients with an easy to use interface to their control system. In doing so, our clients have access to the building’s temperature control system from their smart phones and tablets, both at the workplace and at home. We automate tasks to make maintaining a building at an optimal level simple, by emailing weekly reports on trend data and sending out alarms before the owner even realizes there is an issue. Whether a client is responding to government mandates or simply being a green citizen, we help our clients cut energy consumption and even gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status in some cases. This not only has monetary benefits, but gives those involved a sense of being good citizens by helping to preserve this earth for future generations.”
Pat Killeen of Engineered Controls (ECI) adds that it is very important for building managers to be aware of the technology available to them regarding improving their efficiency. He says, “Todays building managers need to understand the importance of having a Building Energy Manager that is responsible for the optimization of the building technologies. They also need to know how companies like Engineered Controls can assist with their long-term goals of minimizing energy usage and still maintain comfortable building environments. Far too many building owners or managers know that they have an energy problem, but do not know what direction to turn to help solve their problems. Engineered Controls can provide building control technology that plays a big role in assisting commercial buildings (and homes) in monitoring, measuring and controlling energy costs, while still maintaining comfortable building environments. Taking into account that lighting and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) accounts for nearly 80% of a home or building’s energy usage, you want to make sure you are maximizing the energy options available. Engineered Controls can providing lighting control systems that automatically adjust the electrical output to lighting fixtures based on the amount of natural daylight a building might have. ECI can monitor and control energy usage of heating and cooling (both air and water distribution) loads in order to maintain a desired level of energy usage and still maintain a comfortable building environment. These are just a few examples of how Engineered Controls can help provide a healthier and more energy efficient environment for occupants.”
WasteCap Nebraska is a nonprofit organization working with businesses and communities to support economic, environmental and social priorities. Julie Diegel of WasteCap Nebraska states, “Our perspective is that ‘waste’ in any one of these priority areas negatively affects the other two spheres. That is why we spend a lot of time providing learning opportunities to generate ideas about how to reduce or eliminate waste of all kinds- waste of energy, water, material resources and the waste of people’s capacity to meet their basic human needs. We find that businesses and communities are eager to learn how to measure what is important to their financial bottom line, their brand reputation and their environmental impact, whether it be energy consumption/GHG emissions, waste and recycling, employee and customer satisfaction or community service, as examples. Simply learning which activities generate the largest impacts is a great place to begin. Waste is frequently identified as a high impact area. WasteCap offers business waste assessments and audits that often reveal opportunities for savings in employee time and trash handling fees. For example, a recent waste audit conducted at a data center revealed that approximately 80% of the waste being landfilled was recyclable, and that if other recommendations made in our assessment report were adopted, they could easily reach “zero waste”, a goal that many companies are eager to achieve.”
She advises, “As the world’s population expands and the pressure on natural resources increases, environmental efficiency is a good strategy for adapting to the emerging threats and opportunities of our time. In nature, the most adaptable species are also the most resilient in the face of adversity. Common sense tells us that a society that depletes or degrades its natural resources will run out of them, a society that doesn’t manage synthetic, non-biodegradable substances will likely experience an undesirable concentration of them over time, and a society that fails to meet the basic needs of human beings will experience social upheaval. None of these outcomes is without precedence in human history, and neither is our capacity to avert them. Equipment and standard operating practices will continue to evolve over time due to advances in technology, regulations and new market opportunities. Improvements in HVAC and lighting technology and the benefits of renewable energy have encouraged forward-thinking businesses to consider retrofits, especially when government and utility-sponsored incentives shorten the ROI. Waste assessments often reveal that simple physical modifications and minor process changes can have a profound effect on employee behavior and financial savings.”
Early this year, WasteCap launched a new program called Strive Towards Sustainability (STS) to recognize businesses that have begun to apply sustainability strategies in their organization and provide training for additional improvements. The program encourages businesses to take responsibility for how they impact the environmental and social concerns, and provides public recognition for their efforts, no matter how small. It starts with a half-day workshop that introduces sustainability strategies and a step-by-step process for ranking impacts, selecting, ranking and measuring data for improvement projects. Related to the STS program, WasteCap offers water and waste audits, Energy Star Portfolio Manager data entry, green team consultation and technical research on materials handling. Their online guide of recycling providers is the most comprehensive listing in the state, and their popular Green Team Roundtable meetings provide peer to peer insights into successful, proven strategies for sustainable development. Additionally, during WasteCap’s 2013 Sustainability Summit held November 5th and 6th, six Nebraska businesses were presented with Sustainable Business Awards to recognize their environmental and social achievements. Recognition, training and real-life examples benefit businesses and communities that understand the value of sustainable development. Another project, called the Zero Waste Community Education and Planning Project, has begun working in five Nebraska communities to begin a conversation about what it might mean to become a zero waste community and the impacts, challenges and opportunities it might create for small communities in Nebraska.
Black Hills Energy is also helping business owners manage their expenses, increase their profits, and be kinder to the environment through their efforts to promote Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV’s). They offer expertise and incentives to qualifying businesses transitioning to NGV’s, and encourage business owners and fleet managers to contact Black Hills Energy NGV experts who walk them through the process and help find additional incentives and cost savings. Paul Cammack, a Customer Relations Manager for Black Hills Energy, states “We work with businesses of all sizes to understand the benefits and value of natural gas vehicles. The Lincoln Airport has an NGV fueling station and we have one near 14th Street and Old Cheney Road. A third Lincoln station is being constructed at N. 66th Street and Cornhusker Highway. The difference in paying approximately $3 a gallon for gasoline compared to approximately $1.92 for the equivalent amount of natural gas makes a big difference in costs for businesses long-term in addition to the benefits to the environment.” You can find more information about NGV’s on the Black Hills Energy website, www.blackhillsenergy.com/ngv.
The Tint Shop offers a full line of 3M window films designed to suit every situation a building owner, renter, or architect, may have an issue with his/her building. According to Keith May, owner of The Tint Shop, “3M Window Films not only make your building a more comfortable place for your employees to work, but WILL also IMPROVE energy efficiency of the building and protect expensive furnishings, floors, artwork, etc. along with providing 99% UV rejection. Most of the films in the 3M line have earned Energy Star Rating as well as the endorsements of The Skin Cancer Foundation, The US Green Building Council, and The Clinton Climate Initiative as well as the American Society of Interior Designers, and have passed all indoor air quality testing. The 3M Night Vision line of window films offers an attractive natural or “neutral” tan color in either 35%, 25%, or 15% shades with the potential of gaining up to 75% heat reduction and over 85% glare reduction. At the same time the Night Vision technology eliminates the interior glare, or ‘reflection’ on the inside of the windows, at night when lights are on. Other films claim to have low interior reflection, but 3M has THE LOWEST interior reflection. The Prestige line of films was designed to be practically clear and unnoticeable from the outside, but reduce heat coming through the glass by over 70%. This film does not assist in glare reduction much, but if heat is your problem and changing the exterior aesthetics of the glass is not an option, The Prestige line will solve your problems. The heat that is rejected by 3M window Films, can save enough on your air conditioning costs that it can pay for itself in 2-5 years, depending on usage, square footage, and a few other factors. It will also even out the hot/cold spots in the building that you may experience in the summer and winter.” The role of the professionals at The Tint Shop is to assess the needs of the building and the concerns of the buyer, and suggest a few options of 3M Window Films that will achieve, or comes as close to achieving their goals, as possible. Which means they won’t simply show you a ‘tacky’ mirrored silver film and tell you that will solve all your problems. To see just a few of their installs on buildings all over Lincoln, and the surrounding communities, search The Tint Shop on Facebook, or email them at tintshoplincoln@windstream.net.
Sustainability is based on the concept that creating more goods and services while using fewer resources and creating less waste and pollution leads to greater eco-efficiency. The reduction in negative ecological impacts combined with adopting green products, services, procedures and training translates into an increase in resource productivity, which in turn can create a competitive advantage and is a win-win for everyone involved. Look for more information about businesses that are doing great things for our environment in the second part of our Environmental Efficiency feature next month! If you are a local business who is environmentally friendly and would like to be featured next month, contact us at (402) 466-3330.