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Geared up for restrictions
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New North businesses prepare for greener guidelines
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By Rich Redman
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While more New North businesses are taking seriously their responsibilities to reduce and recycle their own waste materials, thousands of tons of resources are lost each year when people place items in the trash that should be recycled, according to the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin.
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Count the cost
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Companies decide whether LEED certification can justify cost
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By Rich Redman
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When Lawrence University in Appleton built its newest residence hall in 2003, it built to sustainable guidelines, but did not seek LEED certification. But by 2007, as it planned what has now become the Warch Campus Center, LEED certification was a part of the equation from the very beginning.
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New life from old stuff
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Urban Evolutions rescues and resells construction materials
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By Rich Redman
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Their sign says “Made in America. Again.” And whether you call it reclaiming, repurposing, restyling or simply recycling, Jeff and Robin Janson of Urban Evolutions Inc. in Menasha bring their creativity, imagination and vision to the art of giving old materials new life.
The Jansons got their start when fire nearly destroyed their 1890s Appleton farmhouse about 15 years ago. They set out to find architectural materials that would restore the house to its character and integrity. Along the way, they began to collect doors, beams, moldings, flooring, tin ceilings and other fixtures. As friends and local business people started asking for help with their own restoration projects, Urban Evolutions was born.
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Green Rollout
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Heartland Label Printers, Appleton find strong interest in BPA-free products
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By MaryBeth Matzek
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It’s no secret consumers are seeking out more “green” products. Being more environmentally friendly also carries over to the workplace as more companies seek out “greener” products. This trend – and it will only continue to grow now that the federal government requires its offices to purchase environmentally friendly products – is good news for New North companies who manufacture green office supplies.
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Beyond energy savings
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Studies show workers feel healthier and more productive in green workspaces
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By MaryBeth Matzek
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Gary Kusinerz has seen the benefits of building “green” firsthand. Yes, there are lower utility costs, but there’s also something else: improved worker satisfaction and a lower turnover rate.
“We researched linkages between green design and employee productivity as well as patient design through the Center of Health Design and really saw that the green design creates an environment of less stress, which translates to healthier, more productive employees,” says Kusinerz, vice president of performance excellence for Affinity Health System.
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Generating power from food
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UW-Oshkosh to have first dry biodigester in U.S.
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By MaryBeth Matzek
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By this fall, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will be turning food and yard waste into energy in the nation’s first-of-its-kind biodigester. UW-Oshkosh is working with BIOFerm Energy Systems of Germany to build a dry fermentation anaerobic biodigester in a new building located on Dempsey Trail, Read More...
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Backing the future
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Business coalition advocates for energy policy change
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By Rich Redman
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It didn’t take long for eco-startup Greenwood Fuels to see the value of joining forces with other like-minded companies. The Green Bay-based company, which opened last year, converts non-recyclable paper waste into fuel pellets. It’s also the latest member of the Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE) business coalition, which advocates for meaningful change in energy policy consistent with the Governor’s 2008 Task Force on Global Warming report.
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Prayer on the prairie
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Benedictine monastery reflects ‘care of the earth’
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By Rich Redman
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The mission of the Benedictine Women of Madison proved both a challenge and an opportunity as the planners, architects and construction managers worked on plans for Holy Wisdom Monastery:
Weaving prayer, hospitality, justice and care of the earth into a shared way of life as an ecumenical Benedictine community.
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Where even giving is green
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Goodwill considers sustainability from racks to recycling
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By Rich Redman
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Goodwill Industries International and Levi Strauss & Co. partnering to protect the planet? That’s exactly what was announced last October. Each new pair of Levi’s sold in retail stores will sport a care tag encouraging the wearer to save energy by washing it in cold water, line-drying it when possible and eventually donating it to Goodwill.
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Engaging spaces
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Miron’s new expansion showcases energy efficiency
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By Nikki Kallio
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When the price of gas hit $4 a gallon last year, it was hard to imagine an upside.
But it did make people think about energy consumption a little differently, and some businesses began to look a little more closely at ways to reduce energy costs.
“I can’t think of a project that we’re involved in right now where people don’t want to at least talk about or understand how they can be good stewards of the environment or as sustainable as they can, or look at the efficiencies of their systems,” says Craig Uhlenbrauck, vice president of marketing for Miron Construction. “It’s such a huge part of our business now.”
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Up on the roof
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St. Mary’s Hospital looks up to earth-friendly features
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By Pam Pirman
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A vegetated “green roof” installed recently at the Regional Cancer Collaborative at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Green Bay will further the facility’s mission of healing and is a natural extension of its decades-old environmental ethic, according to the hospital’s director of environmental services.
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Turning brown to green
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Brown County partners look to make waste pay
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By Pam Pirman
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A public-private partnership looking for better ways to manage manure and other bio-wastes has cooked up a possible alternative: process the materials, then sell the mixture worldwide as a nutrient-packed fertilizer.
The Brown County Waste Transformation Initiative was conceived by Brown County officials in 2008, bringing together a variety of stakeholders interested in exploring the idea of a regional facility to handle local agricultural, industrial and municipal wastewater solids.
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Gaining ground on green
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Nine New North companies join innovative DNR program
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By Pam Pirman
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Nine New North companies have been recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for their environmental innovation with entry into the Green Tier Program. Green Tier is a collaborative system of contracts and charters crafted jointly by participating businesses and the DNR. The contracts and charters streamline environmental requirements and encourage the use of new environmental technologies.
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Easy as 1, 2 ... 3
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Earth-friendly apparel company takes business plan honors
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By Pam Pirman
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Jim and Sandy Martin didn’t set out to reinvent a dying segment of the U.S. manufacturing economy. Sandy, a former Kohls Corp. executive and stay-at-home mom, wanted a source for interesting, well-fitting, environmentally-friendly women’s clothing. She launched Green 3 Organic Apparel, a small home-based business. It was something she believed in, had the skills to manage and could fit in between soccer carpooling and PTO meetings.
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Eco promos
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Appleton company touts ‘green’ promotional products
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By Sharon Verbeten
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Part of the fun of attending trade shows is picking up a stash of freebies such as pens, magnets and bags. Trouble is, after the novelty wears off, scores of those trinkets end up in the back of a desk drawer or, worse, in the trash. That conundrum is beginning to be an issue for the promotional products industry, but one local company is finding a way to combat that troublesome image and offer options that are both functional and eco-friendly.
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A strapping idea
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Green product ties local and global economies
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By Pam Pirman
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After he was rejected eight times for a patent on his earth-friendly industrial strapping product, Ed Dever requested an in-person meeting with the patent examiner. “I knew if he saw the product, he would quickly realize it met the criteria and was patentable,” says the owner of SDF Strapping, Brillion. “Thank goodness my wife encouraged me to bring a sample along to the meeting.”
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A natural fit
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The Apple Creek YMCA was designed with the environment in mind
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By Pam Pirman
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For generations, Fox Cities children have learned to love nature and the outdoors by attending YMCA summer camps in northern Wisconsin. In June, the YMCA of the Fox Cities will bring the outdoor experience closer to home with the opening of its Apple Creek Program Center on the north side of Appleton.
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Reclaiming ‘Eco-U’
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UWGB to launch Environmental Management and Business Institute
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By Pam Pirman
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The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will launch its newly developed Environmental Management and Business Institute on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a symposium, “Green Innovations 2009: Connecting Natural Capital to Economic Competitiveness.” The all-day event will take place on April 22 in the University Union. Read More...
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Recycling prices hit the skids
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Demand for cardboard, plastic, paper and metal plummets
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By Pam Pirman
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Auto manufacturing, banking ... now even trash has crashed. The slumping economy has sent the market for recycled materials like cardboard, plastic, newspaper and metals plummeting in recent months.
In the New North and across the country, recycled materials that would ordinarily be turned into car parts or packaging are selling at rock bottom prices, or accumulating in stockpiles. As materials prices drop, recycling becomes less cost effective. Will the weak markets cause businesses and communities to scrap recycling altogether?
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Smart solutions
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Focus on Energy helps companies save energy – and money
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By Pam Pirman
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Despite the current slowdown in spiking energy prices, businesses in the New North are still actively looking to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. Many turn to Focus on Energy, a Wisconsin collaborative of investor-owned utilities and energy efficiency experts, for technical and financial assistance.
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