Mike Lasco has a big job as our Facilities Manager here at Mountain Rose Herbs, where he oversees our offices, herb warehouse, production areas, and more! He's in tune with our daily power and water usage, waste reclamation program, mechanical repairs, and all other aspects of the company to ensure that we are adhering to strict green building standards. Thanks to Mike for sharing the exciting news that we are now RE:think Certified!
A few weeks ago, Mountain Rose Herbs was presented with a plaque naming the company the newest member of the RE:think Certified Business program!
The RE:think program is a creation of Bring Recycling, Eugene's premier used-goods marketplace and recycling center. RE:think Certification is awarded to companies in Lane County that are committed to reducing waste and conserving natural resources.
In order to become certified, the program requires all businesses to use paper products that contain a minimum of 30% recycled content, use biodegradable and non-toxic cleaners and to complete 50% of the required actions in the following categories: Recycling, Waste Prevention, Operation, Energy, Water Conservation and Water Quality.
Program Director Carolyn Stein presented the RE:think Award to Mountain Rose Herbs and said, “In 14 months RE:think has certified 21 businesses and Mountain Rose Herbs is truly in a league of it's own. Your business' score is the highest we have seen.”
We moved into our spacious new facility in July of 2010. Our building, erected in 1995, was an award-winning energy-efficient facility when it was built. One function of my job as Facilities Manager is to see that the elements of the building function well, keeping everyone comfortable, productive and happy while doing all we can to reduce energy usage and minimizing our carbon footprint. A team consisting of an architect, energy specialist, and myself recently concluded a year-long audit of our facilities and were thrilled to find that although technology has improved significantly over the past sixteen years, our building still functions in the very top strata of environmentally designed buildings.
Although a building shell and equipment are designed to be energy-efficient, that efficiency will not happen by itself. A well-designed building will fare no better than a substandard one if the occupants don't follow through by using energy-efficient practices. That being said, I'd like to offer congratulations to all my co-workers here at MRH. This award belongs to all of them! It is because of all our employees' efforts that our facility scored as high as it did.
And I'd like you, dear reader, to take a bit of this home with you. YOU can make a difference by turning that light off when you leave the room. RECYCLE that catalog. REPURPOSE that old blanket. DONTATE those old shoes. A small, seemingly insignificant action repeated over time will add up fast. We recently changed out our faucet aerators (on 22 sinks!) from 2.2 gallon per minute flow to 1.1 gpm. I am projecting this small, quick, and easy action to generate a savings of 60,000 gallons of water annually!
There are many exciting things underway here at Mountain Rose Herbs, and I'll be sure to jump online and keep you updated as they happen....I'll also be happy to pass on significant ideas that you can use in your life to help ease the burden on our first Mother, Mother Earth.
I'll close with another quote from Carolyn Stein...
“Mountain Rose Herbs is the yardstick for how success should be measured, 'People and planet before profit.'. Your practices are an inspiration to all businesses.”
