Green Frontier Blog

My blog last week focused on one of the top energy users in a manufacturing environment – compressed air.  This week I will focus my attention on a utility that gives compressed air a run for its money in respect to the amount of energy used and wasted during its operation – HVAC.

I plan on devoting my next few blogs analyzing the four primary energy consumers in a typical manufacturing environment. Obviously, every facility relies on different utilities to run their operation depending on processing needs, but the majority would see compressed air, HVAC, production machinery/equipment, and lighting as the big four energy users.

On January 17^th, I posted a blog about the importance of reporting sustainability goals from both a normalized and absolute perspective. In summary, companies can report one result instead of the other to paint a picture they are making tremendous strides to reduce their impact, when in fact, they haven’t made any progress or have even gone in the opposite direction. This leaves consumers feeling uncertain as to whether companies believe in changing their ways to preserve the environment, or they are egocentrically piggy-backing on the green movement to increase sales.

Is Lawn Irrigation a Good Use of Our Drinking Water? 

I’ve always wondered how homeowners can continue watering their grass during a drought with a clear conscience. Sure, a nicely manicured green lawn is appealing, but is it worth depleting valuable drinking water to attain such a trivial asset?

Being Transparent and Truthful With Sustainability Results. 

I’ve never liked how companies report their progress either as a normalized or absolute result depending on the spin they can put on the numbers. Why not report both?  Too often companies skew the underlying cause of how certain environmental goals were attained to paint a positive picture for the consumer, when in fact, they might have been neutral or actually increased their impact. This often contributes to consumers believing companies are “green washing” to increase sales.

The following article is a good entry step into conserving energy in a manufacturing environment for those in the initial stages of reducing their footprint. Although some manufacturers may not utilize all of the utility equipment described in the article, it should present most not just some opportunities but a way to think about how to analyze their own facility to identify areas to save electricity...

Finding Innovative Alternatives Rather Than Junking the Steel Containers

Each year more than 10 million shipping containers arrive in the United States ports, with more than 3 million being left to rust in salvage yards. The excess inventory results from the trade imbalance with China in which our country continues to import more material goods than export. Although stackable, the containers are typically either twenty or forty feet in length and take up significant amounts of space in salvage yards, landfills, or whatever alternate dumping grounds are being used to amass the boxes.

Sports Apparel Manufacturer Looking to Compostable Merchandise

In 2007, the EPA reported there were 3091 active landfills and over 10,000 old municipal landfills in the U.S. They also estimated there were over 10,000 private landfills. We are all familiar with the harm landfills pose to the environment and human health, so why do companies continue to sell products that will ultimately end up in one?

More than 60 million plastic bottles are diverted to landfills in the United States every single day! My gut reaction would be to ban plastic bottles indefinitely, although playing devil’s advocate, there are many times where filling a canteen or water bottle to satisfy one’s thirst just isn’t practical. So how can we minimize the quantity of bottles being sent to landfill?

Plum Waste Converted Into Gardening Accessories

We’ve all used the slogan “one person’s waste is another’s treasure”, and environmental pioneers are taking this phrase to heart in every aspect of their lives.  

I sometimes feel like I'm unsympathetic towards my family's needs during the late fall and winter months in my household. Why? I don't believe in cranking up the furnace to achieve Caribbean-like temperatures so we can all sit around in shorts and T-shirts drinking Margaritas...

I was pleasantly surprised the other morning when I received an email from my youngest daughter's school – Davis Drive Middle School - asking if anyone would be interested in volunteering to join a newly formed "Green" team. I jumped at the opportunity for several reasons.

To become knighted by the royal family means an individual has achieved excellence in several facets of their life.  Richard Branson was bestowed the honor in 2000 for his “services of entrepreneurship”, and has recently partnered with two companies to innovate a technology that can be his best creation ever -this one focused on preserving the environment.

There's no denying that we are fully immersed in the age of technology.  It seems like a new innovation or the next generation of an existing product is being launched every other month.  Computers, televisions and stereo equipment use to dominate the electronics market, but now they are being rivaled by MP3 players, smart phones, tablets and ERDs.

The Latest and Greatest in Packaging & Processing Equipment

Next week I'm off to Las Vegas to attend Pack Expo 2011 being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from September 26-28.   I will be working at Oden Corporation’s booth #C2011. Please stop by to learn about the equipment they offer, from their mass/blend processing technology to their in-line fillers.

When most companies and individuals speak about sustainability, they typically focus solely on environmental sustainability.  The economic and social aspects of sustainability complete the triad, but some experts also like to include education as a fourth lever.

During these times of depleting natural resources and financial uncertainty, companies continue to overlook their excessive use of packaging.

A small start-up company in Michigan, named GreenSand, has potentially identified a way to recycle almost a half billion pounds of mining tailings on Lake Superior that have been an ecological nightmare for the waterways, shorelines and surrounding areas.  Although several challenges remain, the finished material remaining after a four step process could be utilized by shingle manufacturers to eliminate algae growth on traditional shingles and cut material costs associated with fabrication while resolving an existing environmental problem.

Webster defines a leader as “someone that shows the way” and “an important, influential person”.  Can anyone dispute that Ray Anderson was a “leader” in the field of sustainability?

Is it just me, or when you think of Starbucks don’t you envision a company committed to social responsibility.  I don’t know if it’s because their headquarters is located in the “green” city of Seattle, the rustic ambience of their coffeehouses, or their extensive global responsibility initiatives, but I’ve always considered them a pioneer in the area of environmental stewardship.