Green Greetings from Chaos

If you could see my desk this week you would begin to get some idea of just how much paper this publishing company can go through putting together a single issue of USGlass. In the four days that I’ve been back in the office since the end of Glass Week and the BEC Conference, I’ve managed to carpet my office and plaster my desk with discarded notes and edited papers, manila folders and silver paper clips camouflaged against the carpet. Folks, it is not a pretty sight.

As I’m more of a neat freak than this image conveys, my skin crawled for a minute this morning as I sunk into my chair (once I could find it), but within seconds I was caught up with the work at hand. It’s amazing how easy it is to spend the few minutes set aside for carting papers to the recycling center instead finishing one more email; to finally give in and replace the burnt bulb with a cheap light bulb in the storage closet rather than taking the time to pick out a few energy-efficient bulbs during the next lunch break.

I’ve always made an effort to reuse the manila folders until they disintegrate, and aim to print on both sides of each sheet of paper before discarding it, but up until a few weeks ago our office’s efforts at recycling wasn’t a priority. However, like many of the companies that we write about, Key Communications is pushing its employees to go greener. At a recent staff meeting, Key’s vice president of business development, Tara Taffera, put on another hat, that of Green Officer. Like many of us, Tara has gone green at home, but now she’s helping to remind us all of ways we can be more environmentally responsible at work as well—like taking those twice-used papers and sticking them in a box to be carted weekly to a nearby recycling drop-off location rather in than the conveniently located circular file.

Let’s face it, green is no longer a trend, it’s an economical approach to making the world a better place. It’s become not only an accepted way to do business but a priority for many companies—as was evident during the recent Glass Association of North America (GANA) sponsored events mentioned above.

For example, during the Glass Week Decorative Division meeting, GANA technical director Greg Carney encouraged all of the association’s divisions to focus on ways to contribute to green and LEED research. “If you have resources focused on this, share them,” he told the members. The decorative division agreed to form a task group on this topic.

The Building Envelope Contractors Division heard the plea. They agreed to develop a green construction task force as well.

“Daylighting is one of the biggest things out there and a lot of people don’t have a clue,” noted chairperson Max Perilstein.

Likewise, the Flat Glass Manufacturing Division explored the possibility of creating a climate change committee, a suggestion that grew into a green committee that would examine climate change among other factors.

As GANA executive vice president Bill Yanek pointed out during that division’s meeting, now is a prime time to start aiming to affect green legislation. “You’re going to have new administration, new Congress, new legislation,” Yanek said. “If you don’t act soon, you’re going to leave the playing field and you might have to live with what comes out of Washington.”

True enough. I’ve mentioned in this blog before the energy-related legislation coming out of Washington. Look out for the magazine’s March issue and its energy-focused article for more on that, and why what we now consider green may soon just be the way it is.