In Business, Creating Sustainable Enterprises & Communities

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

In Business, July-August, 2004, Vol. 26, No. 4, p. 8

BUILDING NATURAL PLAYGROUNDS IN CHINESE ORPHANAGES
From Spencer, New York, business owner Rusty Keeler writes: “Seven years ago, I started my

company called Planet Earth Playscapes that designs holistic, environmental playgrounds for children. Built by volunteers from the community, these playgrounds are not typical monkey bars and swing sets. Instead, they include sculpted landscapes made from trees, herbs, grassy hills, pathways, sculpture, and water - all with a variety of sounds, smells, textures and tastes.”
Along with his letter, Keeler sent a CD with details about an ecoplayscape he designed and built at two orphanages in China. He was commissioned by an American nonprofit group, Half the Sky Foundation, to design and build the playscapes in Chongqing and Chouzhou. “Surrounded by a variety of textural plants, the children now have hidden gathering nooks, huge sand and water construction areas, a climbing wall and Chinese-styled playhouses for dramatic play.” Continues Keeler:
“With a small 'prep crew' of five including my wife and parents, we arrived two weeks early to begin searching for materials, plants, sculptures and workers. Thanks to the hero of the project, Mr. Ji - our beloved translator, negotiator, comedian, friend - we were able to track down, visit, hire and order almost everything we were dreaming of. ... What a team! The most rewarding part for many of us was the moment the children from Chouzhou were first introduced to the freshly completed playscape. ... After watching the first adventurers, first one child then another began to make their own way to the yard, searching, looking, wondering. ... Soon sand was being shoveled and sifted and brought into the playhouse on trays. Children were pulling on wind chimes, looking at the song birds in cages, and sliding down the slide. The project was hard work, but it felt so good.”
Rusty Keeler's website can be visited at: www.earthplay.net.

BRAZIL FIRMS RECYCLE TOOTHPASTE TUBES INTO CONSTRUCTION AND FURNITURE INDUSTRIES
At a Unilever plant in Vinhedo, Brazil, the waste trim of toothpaste tubes made out of low density polyethylene are diverted to produce items for the construction industry as well as in furniture manufacturing. The program now includes postconsumer packaging. Three companies - Reciplac and Ecotop of Sao Paulo and Ibicunha of Parana - utilize the residue as raw material for manufacture of PET tiles and sheets, tables, chairs and other office furniture. The program is now diverting over 17 metric tons annually of Unilever's toothpaste tube packaging volume. “The process is an example of sustainability, as well as creating new products; it allows savings in raw material and stimulates job creation,” observes Juliana Nunes, president of Cempre, a Brazilian organization that promotes recycling in integrated waste management. Cempre reports that there are now 237 local governments in Brazil that operate separated waste collection programs, up from 81 in 1994.

WISCONSIN COMPANY MARKETS SYSTEM FOR RESTAURANT RESIDUALS
A system that collects and liquefies food residuals for composting or digestion (Rothenburg Wet Waste Recovery), is being marketed by Ecology LLC. Supported by a grant from the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, a unit has been installed at Pandl's restaurant in Bayside, Wisconsin. From a kitchen input station, waste is transported by vacuum to a mechanical device where it is chopped and slurried, then hauled to recovery sites. Contact Linda Ivarson, Ecology LLC in Glendale, Wisconsin at (414) 351-4250; www.ecologyllc.com.

BOOK PRINTER USES METHODS THAT PROTECT WATER QUALITY, REDUCE POLLUTANTS AND BOOST RECYCLABLES
McNaughton & Gunn is the first printer in Michigan to be recognized for environmentally friendly practices by the Michigan Great Printers Project, a statewide program to promote pollution prevention in the printing industry. Over a ten-year period, while the company - based in Saline, Michigan - experienced 40 percent growth, the firm decreased landfill waste from 1,660 cubic yards to 120 cubic yards. Specific initiatives include the following:
Eliminating use of 20,000 pounds of isopropyl alcohol annually in the dampening systems on all presses; Replacement of chemical additive processes with aqueous subtractive plates on all presses; Modifying film processors to reduce amount of wash water used and increasing amount of silver recovered; Recycling aluminum printing plates; Use of Cyclone Scrap Removal System which picks up paper waste and trimmings for transport to baling room where it goes to paper mill for recycling; Returning scrap pallets to manufacturer for refurbishing and reuse; Going directly from computer to plate, thereby reducing film being used; Use of vegetable or soy based inks.
As an example of its continual search to “fulfill its environmental commitment,” McNaughton & Gunn executives cite the example of switching to a reusable absorbent product to soak up oil around their printing presses: “Rather than throw away the saturated materials, an industrial laundry company gathers the soiled product, launders it and returns it to the plant for reuse. These products can withstand 40 to 70 launderings, thus reducing the amount of waste generated. In addition, the laundering company has the ability to trap potential contaminants and reroute them away from landfills and sewer systems while oil is captured and sold as usable fuel.

ELECTRONICS RETAILER, SIX MANUFACTURERS TEAM UP IN NATION'S FIRST TV RECYCLING PROGRAM
A retailer called Good Guys and six electronics manufacturers are teaming up with government agencies in northwest Washington to collect and recycle TV sets. Residents there generate more than one million units of obsolete electronics per year, including 463,000 televisions. The TV sets contain hazardous materials like lead, cadmium and mercury, which can contaminate air, land and water if not properly disposed.
To help consumers properly dispose of old televisions, local Good Guys stores and participating manufacturers offered a four-week pilot that will subsidize the cost of recycling by 50 percent. Good Guys stores accepted TVs made by any manufacturer for a $10 recycling fee; $25 for consoles. Consumers received a 10 percent discount on the purchase of any television sold by participating manufacturers: JVC, Phillips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and Sony.

SEATTLE AREA CONSTRUCTION FIRM GOES FOR THE GREEN
Bennett Homes has become the latest member of King County, Washington's Construction Works program, which provides free assistance to area builders to recycle and use recycled content building materials. The company joined the program for its Puget Sound Energy Built Green Idea Home in Issaquah Highlands, completed earlier this year.
Bennett Homes used 100 percent recycled content materials in its construction, including finger jointed studs, cellulose insulation, composition roofing, and gypsum board. Other partially recycled-content products used include ceramic tile, carpet, and floor and roof sheathing. The company also recycled 85percent of its waste on the jobsite by recycling asphalt shingles, drywall, metals, wood, land clearing debris, and cardboard. Bennett took pride in using engineered wood products, products with longer life, and used building materials, and has promoted its recycling ethic to suppliers and customers.

MAKING THE TRANSITION TO GREEN PRODUCTS
At age 50, J. Stanley Pepper decided it was time for a career change - to leave a family construction company (second largest in the Chicago area) and launch a firm called Green Products. According to a report in the Chicago Daily Herald, the sole product of the Romeoville, Illinois company is a soy-based polymer, mostly used for commercial roof repairs. Since soy is a renewable resource, the product is useful for green builders. “The green building movement is really growing,” Pepper told the newspaper. “It intrigues me to be part of a change in the building process.” Part owner and chief operating officer of Green Products, he notes that his new business “will be lucky” to have annual sales of $800,000. Meanwhile, the family company - Pepper Construction - where his father is chairman and his younger brother the CEO who replaced him, expects revenues to be between $850 million and $900 million this year.
Green Products now sells to 25 commercial roof contractors in 15 states and is part of the steadily growing green construction field. Its soy based product costs about the same as petrochemical-based roofing materials ... and lasts longer. “My daughter just graduated from college and has joined our firm,” adds Stanley Pepper.