A few weeks ago this popped up on our Facebook page:
(Thanks, Illoana!) And it got me started thinking. Um… Wow. I’ve personally never even heard of Earth Hour (but you should check it out!). Heck, I’m not even sure what our stance is on Earth Day.
Don’t take that the wrong way – I’m not implying that conservation and recycling aren’t important here at Creative Memories. Quite the opposite, actually. Truth be told, it’s in our DNA.
Our original parent company was founded in 1926 as the Antioch Bookplate Company. Ernest Morgan and his partner, Walter Kahoe, recycled the paper scrap from the campus print shop where they worked. And, with permission from the school to use the machines and ink after hours, they began printing bookplates.
That kind of ongoing awareness has always been part of who we are at Creative Memories. Not specifically on Earth Day, but just kinda every day.
Maybe the fact that we don’t make a point of celebrating Earth Day is a blind spot or an oversight for us. We’re certainly not perfect in this area. We haven’t converted our flagpoles to a wind farm yet.
And there are still more SUVs
than Priuses (Prii?) in our parking lot.
But, in case you’re interested, here are some fun facts* about the things we do to make sure we’re being (fairly) responsible with the Earth’s limited resources!
Product Standards
1. Creative Memories plastic products are typically PVC free. PVC is not readily recyclable and emits chlorine while being manufactured and, worse yet, often incorporates either lead or cadmium (up to 20 percent by weight).
2. Creative Memories metal products are lead and cadmium free. We use steel and zinc for strength and cutting applications, avoiding nickel and chromium.
3. Our albums and papers are inert and 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable. They are also free of mercury (common in cheaper papers).
4. The corrugate we use is 100 percent recyclable and meets CONEG (I’ll save you the trouble of looking it up. That’s the Coalition of Northeastern Governors, who developed model Toxins in Packaging legislation in the early 1990s.) requirements for the absence of lead, mercury and cadmium.
5. The packaging pillows we use are 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable.
6. Our inks and dyes use organic porphyrins for colorants, free of heavy metals and VOCs.
7. All of our adhesive products are VOC free and 100 percent biodegradable.
Systemic Controls
1. All of our tier 1 suppliers are audited for compliance to applicable environmental laws.
2. All of our products are actually tested (we don’t just trust a certificate from our suppliers) to be free of heavy metals.
3. VOC-containing products are not allowed in our manufacturing facility.
Manufacturing Processes
1. Scrap, rework and excess inventory are all actively discouraged so we can minimize energy and material consumption.
2. Equipment and processes are selected, at least in part, based on energy consumption and are designed for peak efficiency.
3. No processes in our facility require PPE or ventilation for VOC removal.
4. We use a four-day work week (250 cars x 3 gallons x 50 weeks = 37,500 gallons of fuel per year! And roughly 1,000,000 pounds of CO2.)
Last year we recycled 85 truckloads of paper, cardboard, plastics and metal.
Early in 2010 we wrapped up a complete lighting retrofit in our plant. Almost 650 light fixtures were replaced with energy-efficient fluorescent high-bay fixtures. Of those, 363 have motion sensors installed on the fixture (which are totally fun to play around with –– check this out –– as long as you don't do it often enough that you're wasting a lot of electricity).
These light fixtures only turn on when someone is under the fixture in that particular warehouse aisle. In addition to that, 56 of our 67 nightlights are now on motion sensors. After these areas are free of motion for 7 to 15 minutes, the lights turn off automatically. And, just so you know, all the old fixtures were dismantled and recycled responsibly.
All told, our green initiatives have lowered our energy use by 1,834,000 kilowatt hours annually. That’s $209,000 a year, in case you’re wondering. And it’s enough to power over 100 households a year.
Congratulations! Wow, check you out -– reading all the way to the end of this post. You’re quite the little eco-trooper, aren’t you? How about a couple of Earth Day-themed digital freebies to salute your sticktoitiveness? (Honestly, that’s one of those made-up words that sounds okay spoken out loud but really looks awkward when you type it out.)
*All fun facts courtesy of Joe Ohman, our Manager of Equipment and Facilities.
PS: One thing that Earth Day DOES mean to a bunch of us here in the Creative Memories Home Office is the chance to get out and enjoy the fresh, spring air in the Earth Day 5k and Earth Day Half Marathon.
And, since this is Minnesota, Earth Day is still fair game for snow.
Sondra ran the 5K this year and her sister, Wanda, was there to cheer her on.
Then Wanda went on to run the half marathon. Here she is getting ready with Mandy.
Erin and her whole family ran. (The kids ran the 1K and the grownups ran the 5K.)
This is Brittany providing evidence that she actually RAN the half marathon, unlike the others who just sent in smiling photos NEARBY the races. I'm not questioning, I'm just pointing out.
There were lots of other brave Creative Memories souls who ran this past weekend, but these are the only ones who would provide me pictures. So congratulations to everyone who ran, and happy Earth Day to everyone, everywhere!
