Tag Archive for: green

How to Leverage Sustainability to Boost Profits

We live in an era where sustainability is one of the most important practices with businesses. Millions of companies around the world have gone paperless. Several buildings are being designed with sustainable practices and materials, and natural and sustainable energy are making a huge impact on businesses around the world. The threat of climate change has enacted entrepreneurs and innovators to explore greener alternatives, and with the green movement and sustainability are on the rise, they aren’t going away anytime soon. What Makes HDPE Sustainable

Businesses that make sustainability more than just a practice have seen their efforts pay off with their profits. Your business can make efforts to implement a sustainability plan that will not only help the green movement, but will help grow your business.

The Importance of Sustainable Practices

No matter what type of business you’re in, you can always take steps to make it more sustainable. Whether it’s implementing a thorough recycling program, replacing your light fixtures with LEDs, using green building materials, or even going solar, these sustainable practices are only meant to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere, but lower the costs of unnecessary expenditures. By taking these steps to make your business align with the green and sustainability movement, you’ll be able to do your part, lower your costs, and even inspire others.

How Sustainability Can Boost Your Profits

There are several ways where sustainability pays off. It helps reduce your energy costs when you go solar or install LED light fixtures. There are various programs out there that offer incentives to companies that recycle properly. Basically, going green and using sustainable technology will help lower your overhead costs.

Sustainability can also improve your actual profits. Whether you’re in a direct-to-consumer or a business-to-business industry, customers and clients love to see business that they partner with on the upward trend. Being a sustainable business can actually attract customers and clients with a similar mindset towards the green movement.

Getting Started on Becoming Sustainable

When you’re looking to improve your sustainability with your current facility, there are a few things you can go to lower your energy costs and help reduce any emissions. While recycling is important, it’s an on-going practice. You’ll want to set things in place now, so they can begin to pay off.

The first step is choosing lower-energy lightbulbs and motion sensors, so the lights can automatically shut off when they’re not needed. If you’ve got it in the budget, consider installing solar panels, which will show a huge decrease on your energy expenses. You’ll also want to incorporate some green building materials in your facility. Consider replacing your toilet partitions and vanities in your restrooms with HDPE, a durable, recyclable, and sustainable building material. By implementing a plan of sustainability, you’ll see your facility and energy costs go down and your profits rise.

Want to learn more about how to become more sustainable? Check out this eBook, Sustainable Building Products: How to Make Your Facility Eco-Friendly from Top to Bottom, from your friends at Scranton Products.

 

How Architecture & Sustainability are Working Towards a Greener Future

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Sustainability is one of the most important aspects to building managers, whether you’re about to break ground on a new facility, or you’re looking for ways to make your current facility more efficient. Green architecture has become increasingly popular since it helps reduce carbon emissions, as well as show a massive drop in energy consumption. The goal is to leave as little of a carbon footprint as possible, so finding ways to make your facility more sustainable is crucial.

The Importance of Sustainability & Green Architecture

Most buildings, skyscrapers, and high-risers you see that are made of glass and steel may appear alluring and awe-inspiring, but those buildings certainly use up a lot of energy, which maximizes their carbon emissions. Tall glass and steel structures require significant energy to keep the interior of the building at the optimal temperature, depending on the weather and season. According to The Economist, “In America, buildings account for 65% of electricity consumption, 36% of total energy use, and 30% of greenhouse-gas emissions.”

The ultimate goal with green architecture is to drastically reduce these numbers to a more manageable and sustainable level. By getting started now, we can work towards a greener future with less emissions and energy use collectively. Using these different materials is the first step towards a green and sustainable future.

Utilizing the Best Green Building Materials

The first step towards making a green facility is by utilizing sustainable materials. You’ll want to sort through materials that can help your building maintain its optimal temperature without having to kick the HVAC system into high gear. Certain woods and rock types make for ideal construction material due to their thermal mass. Utilizing recycled material can also have its benefits because it’s reducing waste while getting more use out of a previously discarded material.

How to Make Your Current Facility Greener

If your facility was already constructed before the idea of green architecture really caught on, don’t fret. There are still steps that can be taken to increase the sustainability of your facility. A major area that you can focus on is your facility’s restrooms. More importantly, replacing your standard partitions with a more sustainable material, like HDPE plastic.

These green building materials can help retain the heat in your restroom while combating the elements, such as humidity and moisture. They’re durable, scratch-resistant, and non-absorbent, so you won’t spend a lot of time and money on maintenance. They’re made from recycled material and they’re backed by a 25-year warranty, so you won’t have to shell out a small fortune to replace them.

Getting Started on Making Your Facility Sustainable

By using HDPE plastic in your facility, you can start small and work towards a greener future for your building. This plastic will outlast your current toilet partitions in your restroom, and they’ll incur less damage and won’t have any mold growth due to their strong and reliable structure. If your facility has lockers or storage compartments, you can replace the metal with HDPE plastic lockers, which will provide secure storage and durability while increasing your buildings sustainability.

Want to learn about how HDPE plastic and other materials can help make your facility more sustainable? Download this eBook, Sustainable Building Products: How to Make Your Facility Eco-Friendly from Top to Bottom, from your friends at Scranton Products.

10 Ways to Make Your Existing School a Greener Facility

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Do you ever try to come up with new ways to improve your school’s efficiency? Making a pre-existing school facility greener can be a frustrating concept; but it’s not that hard to take the building in a greener direction with a few implementations and additions. Here are 10 ways that you can make your existing school a greener facility.

 1. Use Green Cleaning Products.

One of the best ways you can take a step toward making your school greener is by using green cleaning products. These products are free of harmful chemicals and leave very little effect on the environment.

 2. Improve Recycling Programs.

Getting behind a more thorough recycling program is essential. Make sure that your facility is executing these practices. You can also use it to educate students about the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling.

 3. Use Green Building Materials.

If you’re considering any remodels or renovations in the coming year, you may want to utilize green building materials that’ll not only last, but will make your facility more efficient. Materials like HDPE (high-density polyethylene) not only provide high durability due to being impact-resistant, but they’re also recyclable and require very little maintenance due to being power-washable.

 4. Open the Windows.

If the weather’s right, you may want to consider opening the windows, rather than relying on the HVAC system. It helps by providing fresh air to students and faculty, and it helps you save energy costs.

 5. Get Plants for the Classroom.

Placing a plant in each classroom has numerous benefits. A plant can help reduce dust and carbon dioxide levels while preventing the growth of pollutants. It can also help improve humidity.

 6. Find Weaknesses in Your HVAC and Water Systems.

There’s nothing like a flaw in your energy systems to prevent your school from entering the green realm. Conduct an audit of your HVAC and water systems to find out if there are any repairs you should make in order to avoid wasting energy.

 7. Improve Your Air Quality.

Improving your air quality is one of the benchmarks for greening your facility. While air fresheners can be effective, seeking out the culprit that’s reducing the quality of your air is far more effective. Oftentimes, the stalls and partitions in the restroom and locker rooms of your school are sprouting mold. Consider replacing them with the previously mentioned HDPE, which is resistant to moisture and humidity.

 8. Consider Going Solar.

A lot of schools and commercial buildings have made the jump to solar energy. With just a few panels, you can reduce your energy costs while having your facility run on clean solar power.

 9. Test Your Water.

It’s always smart to ensure that you’re supplying your students and faculty with the cleanest drinking water possible. Check the quality of your water supply to make sure it’s in good standing.

10. Reduce Your Energy Use.

While the classrooms and hallways should be well-lit, there are other ways that you can reduce your energy use. One of the best and easiest ways is by turning off all the computers before leaving for the day, rather than setting them to sleep mode.

 

By implementing a few of these practices, you’ll see a noticeable difference, and your school will become greener every day. Do you want to learn more about how to make your school greener? Download the Sustainable Building Products: How to Make Your Facility Eco-Friendly from Top to Bottom eBook, courtesy of Scranton Products.

Where School Facilities Are Falling Behind: Improve Your Infrastructure Report Card

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How’s your school facility holding up? Does it meet the standards of the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card? There are a variety of factors that can attribute to a school falling behind based on its infrastructure and overall safety. The Infrastructure Report Card assesses the current state of your facility and how it’ll last over the years.

Getting an A is easier said than done. It requires your school facility to be in exceptional shape and have the capacity to handle its growing student body. However, a lot of schools fall behind because of the lack of maintenance or renovations to help keep the facility prepared for the future. Usually, these schools all suffer the same drawbacks that can affect their Infrastructure Report Card. Here are a few tips to get started and to improve your grade.

Finding Weak Areas in Your Facility

Before you try to improve your grade, you need to figure out what’s holding your facility back. While your school may not be in shambles, it’s important to consider all the factors with not only the structural integrity, but also with the various systems and components inside. Have an audit of your facility so you can have a manageable list of things to work on in order to bump up your grade on the Infrastructure Report Card.

Testing Your Air Quality

One of the most common contributors to a less than adequate grade of a facility is its air quality. This is a huge factor because not only does it have a negative effect on your grade, but it can also put your occupants’ health at risk. If you begin to search for areas with weak air quality, you should start with the restrooms.

Restrooms are a hotbed of mold growth due to the overwhelming moisture and humidity. While the walls and surfaces can be cleaned extensively to combat the threat of mold, the battle may be useless if it’s begun sprouting in your stalls and partitions. It’ll greatly reduce the air quality, as well as emit foul odors. A great way to reduce the risk of mold growth is replacing your stalls and partitions with a stronger material like HDPE (high-density polyethylene). This plastic material is not only resistant to scratches and dents, but due to its solid construction, mold won’t find a way to sprout inside.

Choosing Sustainable Products

One of the biggest contributors to the A grade on the Infrastructure Report Card is that the facility is long lasting. One way to help keep your facility in long-lasting shape is by utilizing sustainable materials that’ll last the years without any signs of damage or wear. The previously mentioned HDPE is one of the best materials to use for this. While it can help boost your bathroom’s air quality, HDPE can also be used for lockers. The lockers will outlast traditional metal or coated steel because they won’t dent, and will even resist graffiti.

Using HDPE materials wherever you can will benefit your school greatly. Not only will this material improve your air quality and resist any damage, but it’s also very low maintenance. You can save on maintenance costs because HDPE only needs routine cleaning—no repainting or adjusting.

 

Want to learn more about how you can improve your Infrastructure Report Card grade? Get the Sustainable Building Products: How to Make Your Facility Eco-Friendly from Top to Bottom or The Ultimate Guide for Facility Maintenance & Property Solutions eBooks, courtesy of Scranton Products.