January 2015 - Sustainable Waste Solutions

CUstomer spotlight
KNOLL
Our focus this month is on Knoll, the internationally acclaimed furniture maker whose headquarters are located
just up the road from us in East Greenville, PA. Knoll is a design company whose works are highlighted in
museum collections around the world, including over 40 pieces in the MoMA collection in New York City. In
addition to cutting edge designs, they are also on the cutting edge of environmental sustainability.
Knoll’s commitment to the environment runs much deeper than just being Landfill Free. The Knoll 8 is a series of
specific principals designed to show the corporation’s commitment to the environment, including:
• Protection of the biosphere
• Sustainable use of natural resources
• Waste reduction and disposal
• Conservation
• Risk reduction
• Safe products and services
• Environmental restoration
• Informing the public
Sustainable Waste Solutions is helping Knoll with several of these principals, including waste reduction, Landfill
Free disposal, risk reduction, and safe services.
“Today, Knoll continues to focus on three key environmental areas: climate change, third-party certification
and design for the environment, which set standards for environmentally-responsible materials, products,
and processes. And we are continuing to set industry-leading standards for sustainable design.”
-Andrew Cogan, Knoll CEO
“Going Landfill Free was part of a natural progression for
Knoll,” according to Scott Woodrow, COO. “SWS is honored
to be of service to this company whose concern for the
environment has proven to be an industry inspiration.”
Services provided to Knoll include disposal of residual
waste, beneficial re-use, recycling, and right-sizing of
containers, storage, and transportation equipment.
For more information about SWS, please
go to www.landfillfree.com or call 215-723-7723.
LANDFILL FREE
SYMPOSIUM
On September 22nd, SWS held its first Landfill
Free Symposium at the Hotel Fiesole in Skippack,
Pennsylvania. The event was geared towards
showing our customers and prospective customers
how obtaining a 3rd party Landfill Free verification
through NSF International can help them grow
their business.
Our guest speaker was Michelle Boney from West
Liberty Foods in West Liberty, Iowa, which was
the first company to receive NSF’s certification.
Michelle walked us through the steps required
to receive this certification and most importantly,
explained how it has helped obtain new customers.
Also in attendance were representatives from
NSF International, along with Facility Managers
and Sustainability Professionals from some of the
region’s leading manufacturers.
For more information about SWS, please
go to www.landfillfree.com or call 215-723-7723.
BUSINESS STORY
TEN TIPS FOR A GREEN(ER) HOLIDAY
With the holidays right around the corner, what seems to be on everyone’s minds right now is gift
lists, office parties, and spending a little time reconnecting with friends and loved ones.
So we thought, why not add Mother Earth to this year’s gift list with tips for making it a
greener holiday at the office.
1. Give rechargeable batteries and a charger
with electronic gifts
Over 1/3 of batteries purchases are made
over the holidays.
2. Use LED holiday lights
LED lights use about a tenth of the energy
that conventional holiday lights do — and
last a lot longer, too.
3. Have a green company dinner
Choose a restaurant that uses foods
sourced from local farms.
4. Eco-decorate
Instead of single-use party decorations
like fancy streamers and balloons, go oldschool and use pine cones, ornaments and
evergreens for centerpieces.
5. Buy green gifts
Try shopping at green businesses listed in
the National Green Pages.
6. Wrap company presents in gift bags
Once you rip off wrapping paper, it’s really
no good for anything else. Gift bags, on
the other hand, can be used over and over
again for years.
Clemens
Food
For more information about SWS,
please
Group,
visit www.clemensfoodgroup.com.
go
to www.landfillfree.com
or call 215-723-7723.
7. Go tagless
No, we don’t mean guessing-game gifts:
instead of buying fancy holiday tags, write
names on leftover wrapping paper and tape
it to the gift.
8. Re-think holiday cards
Given that most holiday cards head straight
for the landfill, consider sending eCards
whenever possible. Better yet, a holiday
video – Holiday wishes sound even better
when you sing them!
9. Carpool to holiday parties
Suggest employees go to the party
together instead of driving separately
– it saves resources and builds team
spirit!
10. Turn off the holiday lights!
Make sure the sparkles are
switched off when you leave
for the holiday party... save
that energy for the new
year ahead!
Peter PoweRhouse Foundation
On November 4, the Peter Powerhouse Foundation, founded by Peter Zucca (age 11) of Harleysville, PA,
donated 50 wagons to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. The sturdy wagons are a common
sight around the hospital, convenient for transporting patients, siblings, and belongings. When Peter, a
cancer survivor, saw on Facebook that more wagons were needed, he approached his parents about wanting
to raise money to buy 100 of them for the hospital where he has been a patient since infancy.
• The Zucca family established the Peter Powerhouse
Foundation in June 2014. They held mini-golf outings,
worked with a local book store to donate 20% of
proceeds for a day, and initiated ‘Hats On for Childhood
Cancer Day’ at Peter’s school, where students made
a donation for the privilege of wearing a hat. In just a
few months, they had raised enough money – about
$7,000 – to fulfill half of Peter’s pledge and purchase
50 wagons.
• Peter was treated as an infant for a rare
rhabdomyosarcoma, which is a cancer of the
connective tissues. He later developed a desmoid
tumor, which led to an above-the-knee amputation of
his right leg. Peter and his family have spent a great
deal of time at duPont Hospital for Children and other
treatment centers.
• The Foundation had the wagons, but needed to get
them from Souderton to duPont Hospital, located in
Wilmington, DE. That’s where Sustainable Waste
Solutions got involved. SWS donated bags to package
the cleaned wagons. Lead SWS tractor trailer driver,
Kent Fisher, picked the wagons up and delivered them
to the hospital.
• At the wagon presentation, Peter’s mother, Dawn
Zucca said, “Our hearts are here. There is no warmer
place, no place where everyone consistently went the
extra mile … for our family.” On hand to receive the
wagons were many of Peter’s doctors, nurses, and
therapists.
• The Peter Powerhouse donation was the first such
ceremony to be held in the newly expanded duPont
Hospital for Children.
To learn more about Peter’s Foundation and
help him reach his goal of donating another
50 wagons, visit The Peter Powerhouse
Foundation on Facebook.
For more information about SWS, please
go to www.landfillfree.com or call 215-723-7723.
EMPLOYEE PROFILE
ERIC WELLS - THE MAN BEHIND THE WHEEL
We hear about Eric from our customers all the time, and they’re always complimenting,
never complaining. You just have to see the smile on his face to understand why. It’s easy
to see the genuine passion he has for his job, and as someone who’s worked in the waste
industry for over 12 years behind the wheel of a trash truck, he feels right at home doing
what he does here.
Eric considers himself a front load driver and we’ve had the pleasure of working with him for
just over 2 years. He, his wife, and two daughters live in Ambler, where his hobbies include
cooking, home improvement and reading the Bible. He also
loves going on vacations with his wife and family,
as well as spending time with his parents
who have always played a pivotal role
in developing the outgoing character
we’ve come to know and love.
Standup people are hard to
come by these days, but Eric
sure fits the description and
is more hard-working than
many. We love that his
passion for his work comes
across to our customers,
because it’s a direct reflection
of our company values.
For more information about SWS, please
go to www.landfillfree.com or call 215-723-7723.