During the last couple of years, Clark Seif Clark, Inc. (CSC) has made efforts to implement a sustainability program called Going Green. The program was not in writing, but was communicated verbally to the employees during our monthly meetings with the managers. It included recycling of paper and aluminum cans, purchasing of recycled printing paper, and sending reports to clients via electronic transfer file system. The program has not been very successful because we failed to follow through with it.

In order to participate in a global effort to sustainability, we have created this document as our first step to a complete and comprehensive sustainability program. It is for the exclusive use of CSC and its employees. Copies of the program will be communicated to all employees via email.

During the last couple of months, I have spent numerous hours researching the industry for information on sustainability and greening, have attended seminars on carbon footprint reduction, and have participated in meetings with company employees to gain as much information on the subject matter as possible. Based on the information I gathered, I was able to create the program.

The program consists of four parts: Energy and water conservation plan, paper conservation plan, transportation plan, and education plan. Each plan may contain several elements for example, the energy plan contains light conservation, HVAC system usage, equipment usage, etc. The purpose of the plan was to include as many areas of conservation as possible. In addition, please notice that some plans are extensive and lengthy, while others are brief. My intent was to focus on the elements that are important in our daily business operation and the areas where we can conserve the most.

Finally, I expect all of us to comply with this sustainability program. If you have any questions, or feedback, please feel free to contact me. Also, Hila Wright, Tim Kirk and Kirsten Shaw are available to assist anyone or to work with you on the proper implementation of our Going Green program.

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Introduction

Every workday, each one of us makes many decisions that affect the environment, global warming, water quality, air pollution, and landfills. Many of these choices are tiny—whether to toss an outdated report in the trash or in the recycling bin. Others are more substantial—whether to keep your current car or to replace it with a more fuel-efficient hybrid. In every case, though, these decisions make a difference for better or for worse.

This manual is created to help CSC promote decisions that address most of our daily choice problems. In part, we all have a responsibility to deal with these issues, because as an environmental consulting company, we are obligated to take the lead in participating in the management of natural resources. Our participation to these far-reaching environmental problems benefits our reputation with our clients, private and public. In addition, using fewer resources not only reduces global warming and pollution, but also reduces our costs, making our business more profitable.

Simply stated, energy-efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation, and other resource-efficient practices are better for the environment and for our bottom line. Considerable cost savings can be achieved by using resource-efficient products and practices. By taking advantage of these practices and using products with the ENERGY STAR® label, for example, we can avoid resource waste and save money on our utility bills. Also, using water conservation products with WaterSense labeling will save us money on our water bills. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is building WaterSense as a national brand for water efficiency.

This manual is easy to use and its application is mandatory. Please review it, familiarize yourself with its requirements, and apply it accordingly. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me.

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Current Use of Resources

Our offices consume significant amounts of energy, water, and paper. Paper is the most obvious resource consumed in CSC’s office operations. Offices also use energy for lighting, heating and air conditioning, and powering office equipment. Water usage is high too. We use water to wash our hands, to flush the toilets, and to wash our office utensils and cups. Transportation is needed to travel to and from the office, which requires energy resources too.

Careless use and disposal of office paper and office supplies is rapidly clogging landfills, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, depleting natural resources, contributing to air and water pollution, and wasting energy. The amount of copy paper alone used in the United States in one year consumes 15.8 million tons of wood, enough to build 1 million US homes . Only about half of the more than 83 million tons of paper thrown away each year in the United States is recycled. Much of that wasted paper is generated by businesses. In fact, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of copy paper per year —that is one sheet every 12 minutes.

Every use of energy is an opportunity for savings. This includes office lighting, heating, cooling, hot water, and office equipment. We can make changes without compromising the function of the equipment or the comfort of occupants. Current technology offers better heating, lighting and office systems that are more energy efficient. Savings of 25 percent or more on energy are typical.

Every year, almost half the world’s population lives without a steady supply of clean drinking water. In the United States, many sources of freshwater are being depleted faster than they can be recharged by natural processes. The Colorado River, for example, often runs dry before it reaches the sea, hurting farmers, residents, and aquatic life. Water conservation is especially important in light of the looming pressures of global warming, which threaten to significantly increase evaporation as well as the frequency of droughts. Water conservation strategies such as water meters, low-flow fixtures, and more efficient landscaping techniques, can help ensure that future generations have access to the water they need, while saving our company money.

Finally, transportation is one of the main sources of global warming pollution, smog, carbon monoxide, and harmful particles that can cause asthma and other respiratory illnesses, cancer and other health problems. By reducing the need for automobile transportation and promoting environmentally friendly forms of transportation, our company can reduce its contributions to these harmful effects.

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Green Opportunities

The main resource conservation opportunity areas for our offices are:

I. Energy Conservation Plan
  A. lighting,
  B. water,
  C. paper product,
  D. heating & cooling,
  E. office equipment,
  F. transportation, and
  G. other

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Green Opportunities: Energy

I. Energy Conservation Plan

A. Lighting: When performing the actions listed below, please use ENERGY STAR® labeled products:

1. Use T8 fluorescent lights to replace T12 fluorescent lights to T8. Make sure that the energy efficient T8 are the standard four-foot lamps.

2. Use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to replace incandescent lamps in down-lights, sconces, table lamps, task lights, and wall washers.

3. Replace all outdoor lighting by the high intensity discharge lamps (HID). The basic types of HID lamps include mercury vapor, metal halide, and sodium, but mercury vapor lamps are an old, inefficient technology and should not be part of the upgrade plan.

4. Install occupant automatic sensing system in all offices, conference rooms, and bathrooms. Occupancy sensing system lights are turned on and off or dimmed according to occupancy.

Cost Analysis: CSC spends approximately $36,000 on energy annually. The proposed changes to the lighting system will save us 20% on our energy bill.

Table 1: Payback Analysis

Year	Initial Investment	Yearly Savings	Cumulative Cash Flow
1	$18,000	$3,600	$3,600
2		$3,600	$7,200
3		$3,600	$10,800
4		$3,600	$14,400
5		$3,600	$18,000

It takes about five years to recoup our investment, not accounting for future energy cost increases.

B. Heating & Cooling: Heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) accounts for 39 percent of the energy use in a typical business office. Its usage is a part of large energy bills. The purpose of an HVAC system is to heat, cool, control humidity, and to bring fresh air into our buildings. Employee and customer comfort is the main priority. But saving energy doesn’t mean colder spaces in the winter and uncomfortably warm spaces in the summer. As with lighting, it is generally possible to get better comfort while using less energy.

With greater energy use come greater opportunities for savings. For that reason, please use the following procedure for best HVAC energy-saving option:

1. Turn your heating and cooling off when it’s not needed is a simple way to save. Just as lighting is frequently left on when no one is around, the same happens with our HVAC systems. Having someone responsible for switching off the system can work, but introduces the possibility of human error. A better option is to set the automatic setback thermostat to the desired temperatures. Setting the setback thermostat automatically adjust the settings up or down for evenings and weekends, thus eliminating the uncertainty and waste of manual control.

2. Adjust the temperature settings to avoid overheating or over-cooling.] An adjustment of only a degree or two can cut heating or cooling bills by two to three percent. Extending that to three or four degrees can produce savings of 10 percent or more. Try making small changes to find the optimal settings that maintain comfortable conditions for employees and customers. Sometimes dressing in the climate-appropriate clothing will make a big difference too. Please note that ASHRAE recommends setting the thermostat between 750F to 770F in the summer and 700F to 750F in the winter.

C. Office Equipment: According to the Department of Energy (DOE), office equipment accounts for 16 percent of an office’s energy use. Years ago, a six-person office would have had one electric typewriter and one photocopier for a connected load of about 600 watts. Today, that same office could have six computers, six monitors, two printers, one larger photocopier, and one fax for a connected load of more than 7,000 watts. More and more powerful equipment has been added to nearly every office. However, there are energy-efficient options for virtually all of our office equipment. Here are four areas to look at:

1. Computer and Monitors: Shut off (power off) all computers and monitors at the end of the day. According to Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, it is estimated that one workstation (computer and monitor) left on after business hours is responsible for power plants emitting nearly one ton of CO2 per year. That could be cut by 80 percent if the workstation is switched off at night and set to go to “sleep” during idle periods in the day.

2. Printers: Shut off (power off) all printers at the end of the day. Use the printers when you are 100% sure that the document you are printing has been reviewed and edited. When purchasing a new printer, please buy an ENERGY STAR® printer. According to the DOE, ENERGY STAR® printers can cut printer’s energy cost by 65%.

3. Copiers: Shut off (power off) copiers at the end of the day. Use copiers as necessary. When feasible, make double sided copies. Making double sided copying will cut on our paper and electricity usage. When leasing or purchasing a new copier, please get an ENERGY STAR® copier. ENERGY STAR® labeled copiers are equipped with a feature that allows them to automatically turn off after a period of inactivity. According to DOE, ENERGY STAR® copiers can cut electricity use by over 60 percent.

4. Faxes: Fax machines operate like copiers and printers. They use energy even when “just sitting there.” For some infrequently used fax machines, the standby energy use can be 10 to 20 times more than when operating. Unlike printers and copiers, the fax machine isn’t something you typically turn off at the end of the workday. ENERGY STAR® models have a sleep feature that can cut energy costs by almost 50 percent.

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Green Opportunities: Water

II. Water Conservation Plan

Water heating in an office can account for nine percent of the total energy load. While the energy costs alone are modest, we usually pay for our water more than once. It costs to buy water, to heat it (for hot water), and then to get rid of it (sewage charges). Saving water can have a compounded benefit. The following are five water savings opportunities:

1. Inspect and report water leaks to program manager immediately.

2. Replace lavatory faucets from the existing 5 gpm to 2.5 gpm faucets with aerators.

3. Install new faucets with automatic shutoff.

4. Replace toilet flush system from the existing 5 gpf to 1.6 gpf.

5. Avoid using hot water when possible. . Thousands of gallons of water can be wasted every year when employees let lavatory water run while waiting for hot water.

Cost Analysis: Installing low-flow fixtures and aerators saves water and money. Aerators for faucets require an initial capital investment, but they often pay back the investment in less than a year, especially when they are used often. It is estimated that our water usage will decline by 35%. The savings in dollars are estimated at $450/year, which is based on 10% savings on our current yearly water cost of $4,500/year.

Table 2: Cost Analysis

Year	Initial Investment	Yearly Savings	Cumulative Cash Flow
1	$2,200 (10 faucets & 8 toilets flush system only)	$450	$450
2		$450	$900
3		$450	$1,350
4		$450	$1,800
5		$450	$2,250

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Green Opportunities: Paper

III. Paper Conservation Plan

Paper Reduction Plan:

1.Use e-mail, Local Area Network or voicemail instead of distributing hard copy documents.

2. Communicate with customers and clients by email as much as possible.

3. Provide customer incentives for those who elect to receive their reports via our electronic file transfer program (EFT).

4. Proof and preview documents on-screen before printing. Make sure your computer preferences are set to maximize the comfort level of on-screen viewing. Documents may be easier to read if you change the default display to 125%, and change color displays to show blue text on a white background.

5. Use your word processing program’s “edit” and “comment” features instead of printing.

6. Rather than using fax cover sheets, incorporate fax headers into documents or use a removable-adhesive fax transmittal label. Alternatively, use a half-sheet of paper for a cover sheet, and then reuse the back. You may also be able to send and receive faxes directly from your computer without printing out a hard copy.

7. Avoid copying by circulating or posting memos, documents, periodicals, and reports.

8. If possible, leave less "white space" and use smaller fonts or compressed print messages to save paper (this is not recommended for long documents due to increased eye strain).

9. Make double-sided copies and set copier and printer defaults to double-sided. Ask for future documents to be double-sided if you receive a one-sided document.

10. Don't overbuy items with preprinted information that may become outdated (e.g., stationery and envelopes). If a change occurs, purchase labels with the new address in order to use up the old stationery. Consider keeping only blank stationery paper and envelopes in stock, and configure computer programs to print out letterhead and address information as needed.

11. Save and collect 8½” x 11” paper that’s been printed on one side, restack it neatly, designate a paper drawer on each printer (or as many printers as practical) and use it to print drafts. If drawer space is in short supply, designate an appropriate number of printers for “drafts only” and fill them with reusable paper.
As printers and copiers need to be replaced, purchase units that can print on both sides of a sheet of paper. Then set all computers and copiers to default to double-sided printing.
When working with printing companies to print brochures, annual reports, promotional materials, etc., print just what you need, plus a reasonable margin for safety. (Check to see how many boxes of the old brochure are still in storage before ordering!)
Work with your paper vendor, printer or mill to adjust design specifications that work better with standard paper sizes, reducing waste from cutting. Ask for lighter weight paper for print jobs such as newsletters, brochures, and reports.

12. Use network printers instead of desk-side printers to discourage unnecessary printing.

Paper Recycling Plan:

1. Use reusable mailers such as interoffice envelopes for all internal mailings.

2. Reuse envelopes by crossing out or placing an adhesive label over the original address (completely cover old printed bar codes).

3. Keep mailing lists current to avoid duplication and remove those who no longer need your mailings.

4. Make scratch pads or draft documents (if only one side has been used) from used paper or outdated documents (especially colored paper).

5. Save documents electronically rather than in filing cabinets.

6. Use reusable shipping materials and take back shipping containers when possible. Ask your vendors to do the same.

7. Assign each workstation separate bins for trash, paper to be reused and paper to recycle.

8. Put recycling and reuse bins near printers and photocopiers and in central and convenient locations on each floor. Make sure they’re all clearly labeled.

9. Post signs in centralized areas to encourage reuse and recycling, and to educate staff on proper recycling/disposal methods for the office building.

10. Discourage the use of paper plates and paper napkins (as well as plastic utensils), by providing washable plates (and utensils), and encouraging employees to bring a cloth napkin to the office.

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Green Opportunities: Transportation

F. Transportation:

Transportation plays an important role in reducing our carbon footprint and emissions of green house gases. Each office manager should apply the following guidelines to his/her sustainability plan:

1. Public Transportation: Encourage employees to use public transportation. Enter those who arrive via public transportation into a monthly raffle. Also, it may be cost effective for us to pay employees their public transportation fees.

2. Bicycle Friendly Environment:

Install secure bicycle racks.
Provide shower facilities. All of our offices have showers; so make sure that they are clean and ready for use. Provide shampoo and soap.
Offer incentives, such as free bike tuning.
Arrange discounts at local bicycle shops.
Disseminate information about bike routes and bicycle-friendly public transportation connections.

3. Employee Car-Pool:

Provide preferential parking for carpoolers.
Actively match employees who live near one another.
Circulate tips for effective and enjoyable carpools.
Offer incentives for carpoolers.

4. Hybrid Vehicles: CSC will provide its employees with incentives to invest in the purchase of a hybrid car. This plan include the following:

Provide each employee who works in the field with a $1,500 down payment to purchase/lease a Toyota hybrid.
Provide monthly payments of up to $250 for each field employee who leases a hybrid vehicle.

In exchange for this purchase plan, employees will not be reimbursed for mileage or gas purchase. Also, the cars will be registered in the employee’s name and not the company’s.

Cost Analysis: CSC spends approximately $450.00 per month on mileage reimbursement payments to field employees. Our initial investment is $1,500 per vehicle. A monthly payment to the employee is in the amount of $250. CSC will recoup the initial investment in 7.5 months, which is the $1,500 investment divided by the $200 monthly saving ($1500/$200). In the long run, the $200 monthly saving can add up to thousands of dollars. At the same time, the employee is using less gas, which saves him money and decreases the carbon footprint.

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Education

Education is an important element to our sustainability program. It helps us to better understand the issues of greening and sustainability, and, at the same time, will allow us to help our customers become green too. CSC encourages its managers to become approved professionals in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

A LEED certification has big advantages to our bottom line. It opens the door for big business opportunities to CSC. Current industry trends requires LEED certified personnel to perform energy audits and indoor air quality studies on newly constructed buildings that seeks LEED points for accreditation purposes. With our LEED certifications, we are able to provide these services for a fee.

Certainly, our accredited employees can assist our clients identify green opportunities in recycling construction materials, purchasing green products, and building green businesses. This way, we become one of the few small companies sustainability to its fullest.

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References

1. United States Environmental Protection Agency: Green Power Partnership

2. United States Green Building Council (USGBC)

3. GreenBiz.com

4. Department of Energy (DOE)

5. E Source.com

6.Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC)