We’re now definitely in the throes of Spring. It’s getting warmer out. Days are definitely getting longer. The robin that smacked into my bedroom window at 7am every morning for the past month must have made itself a nest somewhere else and is likely raising a brood of window-smacking offspring. It’s the magic of this time of year. As for us, it gets us in a “green” mood—one that’s enhanced by the spirit of Earth Day, which was this past Sunday, so we figured it was a good time to bring you up-to-date on some of our “green” initiatives.
In case this is your first exposure to OWC, or you haven’t read about founding principles here on the blog, Team OWC is very “green” minded. From our LEED Platinum Certified headquarters to our Vestas V39 Wind Turbine, and just about everywhere in between, we do our best to keep our operation as Earth-friendly as possible 365 days a year. Not being ones for just resting on past accomplishments, here’s just a sample of some of our newest initiatives and results.
- Through our company-wide recycling efforts, we have reduced what it would have otherwise added to the solid waste stream by approximately 96%.
- We’ve upgraded our warehouse automation system to one that’s 50% more energy-efficient.
- We’ve installed seals on our shipping dock doors that completely eliminate “cold air infiltration.”
- We’ve replaced our old “petroleum-based” foam cushioning with Green Cell Foam that’s naturally anti-static, moisture-absorbing, biodegradable, and compostable. This brings OWC’s usage of curbside-recyclable shipping materials to nearly 100%.
- From January to April, we’ve consumed 282,335 kWh of electricity while our wind turbine has produced 291,719 kWh, which is 3% more than we consumed. That makes OWC a net energy producer, even factoring in the substantial growth in operations we’ve had since we installed the turbine.
- Our latest monthly Energy Star efficiency rating resulted in OWC scoring a whopping 94%, which is not only great for the kind of building we have, but is especially impressive when you also consider we’re operating a data center in this same building.
For more information on OWC’s corporate campus, which is one of less than three hundred worldwide to achieve the Green Building Certification Institute’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum standard since the program was introduced in 1998, visit our “Green” page.
And we encourage you to make your own Personal Difference to the environment today. Every little step makes a softer imprint on the world we all share.
