Awards appreciate efforts to preserve the environment
Rochester Business Journal
April 9, 2010
Ten businesses and organizations will be honored next week for being good stewards of the environment.
On April 13, the Rochester Business Journal Environmental Leadership Awards will recognize steps taken toward conservation and sustainability at a luncheon event.
The award presentations are part of an environmental leadership symposium that begins with breakfast at 8 a.m. at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
Kevin Surace, president and CEO of California-based Serious Materials Inc., will deliver the keynote address. The Rochester Institute of Technology alumnus is widely known for his talks on climate change and his efforts to push energy efficiency. He was named Inc. magazine's 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year.
The symposium, which will feature other speakers and experts as well, will focus on issues related to being environmentally conscious.
Here is a closer look at the 2010 honorees for the Environmental Leadership Awards, presented in four categories:
Long-term commitment
Bausch & Lomb Inc.
Bausch & Lomb's Optics Center and research and development complex knows waste disposal is no simple task.
The eye-care company, with 11,500 employees worldwide, has been involved with recycling and sustainability in Rochester since the early 1990s, says Charles Conway, director of environmental health and safety for Bausch & Lomb's Americas/Asia region.
Some 11 years ago, Bausch & Lomb's Optics Center on North Goodman Street began implementing the internationally recognized ISO 14001 standards for environmental management. It has been ISO-certified for more than nine years now.
Through the certification process of the International Organization for Standardization, Bausch & Lomb identified 50 separate waste streams that have evolved into reuse or recycling streams. These streams generated more than 1.74 million pounds of material in 2009.
Two of the largest sources of waste are plastics, used in manufacturing contact lenses, bottle caps and after-market lens storage cases, and isopropanol, used to extract impurities from contact lenses. Other streams are office paper, scrap metal, wood, cardboard and glass.
Contact lenses are formed between two precision plastic molds. The plastic from this process now is collected daily and sent to a recycler for reuse in home exterior finishing products such as shutters. Last year, 1.23 million pounds of this type of recyclable plastic was generated.
Plastic from the manufacturing of bottle caps and storage cases can be reground and placed back into the manufacturing process for remolding.
Isopropanol has a predetermined number of extractions, after which it is considered spent and no longer useful for lens manufacturing. The site has been selling the spent isopropanol as raw material for use in furniture stripping chemicals and window washing fluids. In 2009 the site resold more than 211,000 pounds of isopropanol, eliminating a hazardous waste.
The company also is studying other conservation measures. Various teams are working with engineering staffers to identify how to handle future waste streams.
"We're not waiting until we already generate the waste streams," Conway says.
He adds: "It is a way of life for employees. It is humbling for me and my team to receive this recognition."
Monroe Community College
Monroe Community College's newest building, the PAC Center, is an illustration of the college's commitment to sustainability.
"I think one of our main environmental impacts has been the PAC Center," says Anne Kress, president of MCC, which has 1,567 full- and part-time employees.
In the fall of 2009, the PAC Center, an athletic, fitness and recreational facility, earned a certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating.
Since its inception, the 56,000-square-foot site has incorporated sustainable building design and construction strategies. Officials focused on five key areas during construction: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
During construction of the $12.6 million PAC Center: 52 percent of construction waste was diverted away from landfills and 30 percent of construction material contained recycled content. Also, 10 percent of all materials came from within 500 miles, supporting local suppliers and cutting down on the impact of transportation on the environment.
Currently, the PAC Center has produced a 30 percent saving in both energy and water usage.
The college has been conserving energy for a while. In 2007, after auditing its energy use, MCC created a conservation plan that aims to save $263,635 over 13.6 years.
MCC's computer-controlled central energy management system is one of its innovative initiatives. It allows more efficient control of lighting and indoor climate based on occupancy levels, operating hours and external weather conditions.
MCC also established a complete preventive maintenance system, including a repair and replacement schedule. Energy-inefficient windows are scheduled for replacement throughout the college. A co-generation plant installed in 2004 does its part. The combined heat and power plant on MCC's Brighton campus can provide all of the college's electricity, independent of the local utility, and it runs on natural gas.
MCC's conservation measures will take the school into the next century, Kress says.
Zotos International Inc.
Zotos International Inc. is on track to be the largest manufacturer in New York State-and the first in the beauty care industry-to generate its own sustainable power at its facility.
"Our 2010 goal is to generate 60 percent of our power needs on site by year-end, culminating with a 100 percent renewable energy plan by the end of 2011," says Anthony Perdigao, vice president of manufacturing operations at Zotos, which has been certified under ISO 14001 since 1998.
Zotos manufactures a full line of hair care and styling products for salons and stylists. It has approximately 700 workers worldwide, including 336 regular and 110 long-term contract workers at its 650,000-square-foot Geneva plant.
The cornerstone of Zotos' renewable energy plan is investment in wind energy. The firm plans to install wind turbines at its location by the end of summer.
"We are serious about reducing our impact (on) the environment and are taking actions today for a cleaner, brighter and greener tomorrow," Perdigao says.
The company has initiatives in process to consolidate freight, strategically using rail shipments. It has significantly reduced its transportation footprint, officials say.
"Rail is more efficient than trucks," Perdigao says.
Flexible manufacturing processes have eliminated waste by "right-sizing" production. The impact in 2009 was equivalent to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 300 tons or 50 percent. The ultimate goal is to offset that by 100 percent, Perdigao says.
Packaging material uses significant resources in consumer products. Zotos introduced an innovative, multilayer process that incorporates up to 70 percent recycled material in the production of its plastic bottles without affecting package appearance or product integrity.
The company also optimized bottle weights. Zotos has switched to recycled cardboard for package boxes, with a transition toward 100 percent recycled paper for packaging.
It also has done away with paper inserts by printing instructions directly on the packaging. Plant upgrades last year reduced the energy used for compressed air by 40 percent and cut plant energy requirements for lighting by 30 percent.
Next, Zotos will be transforming old warehouse space into a LEED-certified office space optimizing natural lighting and using geothermic and co-generation energy for heating and cooling.
Pollution prevention
Gates Automotive Center
Gates Automotive Center has been making incremental improvements to its business for several years with a goal of protecting the environment. The company now has built a second location in Henrietta that has made a complete transformation in pollution prevention.
"We own the property we operate, and it's always been a concern of ours to protect our investment. But beyond that we want to have a healthy environment for our employees as well as a sustainable property for years to come," explains James Fonzi, president of the company.
The automotive shop does repairs, body work and towing. There are 50 full-time employees, and 30 of them work at the new facility in Henrietta, where many new energy-saving and health-conscious measures have been put into effect.
"Mechanics typically have to clean parts with toxic solvents, which means they breathe in chemicals and get them splashed on them," Fonzi says. "But we installed a new Kuda parts washing system with a giant 'dishwasher' that uses a biodegradable soap.
"The workers load the parts, set a timer and never have to touch the parts or the solvents."
In addition to reducing exposure to harsh chemicals, Fonzi says, his firm is increasing productivity, since the mechanics can continue working while the machine cleans the parts.
He spent $8,000 for the parts cleaner. Fonzi also invested $20,000 for a re-engineered paint booth that increases productivity and reduces natural gas consumption by 40 percent. The booth uses a special air pulsation system that cuts paint drying time on a car in half and uses a lower temperature.
Gates Automotive Center boasts it is the only East Coast user of 97 percent solvent-free waterborne paint. This paint uses water to transfer paint onto the vehicle instead of volatile organic compounds. The paint booth for waterborne paint cost $30,000.
Fonzi also invested in a hybrid tow truck, the first in his fleet and the only one in the Northeast for an independently owned towing company, Fonzi says. It is a Kenworth hybrid vehicle that cost $135,000, compared with the $87,000 conventional diesel version Fonzi typically buys. He expects to see 30 percent better fuel consumption with it and receive a return of his investment within five years.
"When it comes to saving the environment, we always have our eyes open for what's on the horizon," Fonzi says.
LPA Systems Inc.
LPA Systems has discovered a way to unearth potential pollution problems in runoff invisible to the naked eye.
"Eco-View is a tool that points out problems and lets analysts know if they need to bring in specialists early on," says Katrina Adams, co-owner and vice president of the Fairport company.
Eco-View combines the diagnostic power of near-infrared technology from LPA Systems with high-resolution oblique aerial images of another local company, Pictometry International Corp. Together they create a remote sensing tool for assessing vegetation, watershed problems and other environmental changes.
"The idea is to bring imagery to everybody and to use it to monitor what's happening to our environment," Adams says.
She believes one of the most significant sources of pollution is rainfall and snowmelt moving over and through the ground, carrying pathogens, pesticides and other pollutants picked up along the way. Identifying how this runoff damages vegetation is the first step in stopping it.
Another major source of ground surface contamination is septic systems. They can have an alarming rate of failure, depending on their maintenance.
"I was surprised to find 23 percent of all U.S. households rely on septic systems for their wastewater," Adams says. "They have varying degrees of age and proper function. Eco-View, the tool we use, allows us to view the signs of distress in a septic system."
Left untreated, septic discharges contribute to high levels of pollutants in the ground and storm drains, which have a direct impact on water systems, wildlife and human health. Eco-View identifies degradations in vegetative health around the septic system to detect failures early. It is a tool that helps municipalities save money as well as the environment.
LPA Systems has been in business since 2002. It has 35 full-time employees.
SUNY College at Brockport
SUNY Brockport has a long history of environmental conservation. This year a coordinated effort brought together everyone on campus with several programs of the Managing Environmental Safety and Health initiative.
"We really brought the entire campus together," says Louis Spiro, vice president for administration and finance at SUNY Brockport. "We have made energy conservation a campuswide, coordinated effort."
The college, which has 8,500 students on the Brockport campus and an estimated 1,400 full-time and part-time employees, implemented a number of sustainable practices under the MESH initiative. Included was a sustainable video contest for videos produced by students to show best green practices on campus.
Also, the college's parking services staff offers a Rideshare program online for those who want to carpool, and the Fast Trac bike-borrowing program is available for students as a way to reduce the carbon footprint on campus.
"One of our most popular and highly visible programs is Recyclemania. It's our second or third year in this national program, and students are very actively involved," Spiro says.
SUNY Brockport competed against other area colleges in a 10-week recycling competition that diverted nearly 70 million pounds of recycled material away from landfills. The campus annually recycles more than 280 tons of materials, including electronic waste.
Energy conservation is another major campuswide effort, Spiro points out, with more than $10 million in project investments.
"We have put quite a bit of focus on our buildings with current projects through the New York Power Authority. We are reducing consumption and saving energy," Spiro says.
Electricity use on campus was reduced by some 5 percent from 2008 to 2009. Plans for renovation of a dormitory call for rainwater to be used for toilet flushing, and construction of the new Special Events and Recreation Center, set for this spring, will use an underground storage system for air conditioning. Also, this summer the college will investigate wind-power projects and solar-powered heating for its swimming pool.
Recycling/reuse
Hammer Packaging Corp.
Hammer Packaging, a packaging printer in Rochester, has for years based its strategic business planning on three pillars: technology, quality and customer. In 2007 the company added a fourth pillar-sustainability, committing to recycling, reducing and reusing for materials, supplies, waste and energy.
Two years ago, Hammer Packaging created a team to help the company adapt to the growing need for sustainability in the packaging industry. Instead of waiting until regulations forced companies to be more sustainable, Hammer Packaging took the initiative in changing its operations.
Doug Wegman, director of marketing and strategic planning at Hammer Packaging, says that this early adoption coincides with President and CEO James Hammer's motto: "We lead; we don't follow."
"The packaging industry is extremely visible; so it made a lot of sense that we'd be one of the first to look at creating packages that are more sustainable," Wegman says.
Currently Hammer Packaging recycles almost 85 percent of all waste, materials and supplies. It also reuses 100 percent of residual inks and 99 percent of residual coatings. Hammer Packaging has the first press in the Rochester market to use electron beam inks and coatings, which require only half the energy for drying that traditional inks and coatings need. The firm also offers paper options that include post-consumer waste, helping customers to meet their own sustainability needs.
Hammer Packaging has a number of projects in the works. This year it plans to finish installing high-efficiency lighting in its press room. This project will cost roughly $250,000, but its energy saving is estimated at 52.7 percent.
Another ongoing effort is Hammer Packaging's partnership with a startup company that will produce and sell high-efficiency, clean fuel made from Hammer Packaging's wet-strength paper waste, a type of paper used for beverage labels that can be very hard to recycle.
"The use of waste material as a renewable energy source is a very positive step for us," Wegman says.
Hammer Packaging plans to use this fuel to power its own operations as well.
Established in 1912, Hammer Packaging employs some 400 people in Rochester. It is currently consolidating five locations into two to reduce energy consumption and transportation costs.
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester's eco-friendly efforts are often encouraged by its students.
They demand a more sustainable school, says Amy Kadrie, UR's recycling coordinator.
"Whenever the students want something, we try and accommodate that," she adds. "I think the students are really the driving force, and they keep us on our toes and always make us look at what can be better."
Kadrie is evidence of UR's focus on being an environmentally conscious organization. She was hired in 2008, a year after the university established a task force to identify specific sustainability initiatives. The University Council on Sustainability was then formed to oversee implementation of these ideas, which ranged from the purchase of green energy to introducing hybrid vehicles into the UR fleet.