By inournature on January 12, 2012
Environmental Initiative’s (EI) 2012 Legislative Preview was held this week at the Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul, MN. The annual sneak peek into current hot topics at the Capitol covered the environment, energy and transportation as ten Minnesota Senators and State Representative committee chairs shared their insight during panel discussions.
EI's Policy Forum Series: 2012 Legislative Preview
Topics ranged from aquatic invasive species to transportation challenges. But the topic creating the most buzz revolved around the representatives’ 2011 visit to Germany regarding the similarities and differences among our long term energy strategies.
Minnesota has greater renewable energy resources with wind and solar, yet Germany is further down the technological journey around energy conservation and implementation. Their ambitious goal of achieving 24 percent less green house gas (GHG) emissions by 2020 (based on 1990 levels) dwarfs the U.S. commitment of 19 percent below 2007 levels. That commitment was made two years ago in Copenhagen, according to Representative Kate Knuth (District 50B, New Brighton). Although many critics argue whether this is realistically attainable, these are impressive goals and could no doubt result in great gains.
Legislative Preview - Networking Break
While the options for solving these issues varied as much as the topics, what’s refreshingly different among this group of EI supporters is the ability and willingness to find common ground and implement creative, win/win solutions. This collaboration is a welcome change from the increasingly common trend these days for parties to hold that line in their opposing views, which leads to gridlock and halts productive action. Perhaps the EI staff and supporters should take their show on the road!
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By inournature on January 4, 2012
Andersen’s award winning combined warm-water recovery and bio-mass steam plant was featured in the December issue of Green Manufacturer. Read about the journey that converted our coal generated steam power source to biomass here!
Green Manufacturer - December 2011 issue
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By inournature on December 21, 2011
The window industry, with help from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is currently in the process of defining product category rules (PCRs). These rules ensure an even playing field and help define the scope of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Product category rules are developed collaboratively and openly with all stakeholders at the table.
Our last post addressed Product Stewardship. One way to accurately measure a product’s impact on the environment is to conduct an LCA. An LCA is a mass balance of all inputs and outputs of a product; it includes the mining of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, and energy required to use the product as well as the impacts after its original intended use has ended (the product is either land filled or recycled back into a new product).
Once product category rules are in place and LCAs are conducted, manufacturers can place Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) on their products. These are factual labels and differ from single-attribute green certifications in that they don’t declare superior “greenness” of the product. They simply state data about the product’s environmental impacts. For example, they would indicate “XX” amount of water consumed and/or “XX” amount of energy used. The labels will help reduce confusion and allow customers to make purchases best aligned with their values. Additionally, EPDs foster transparency and will ultimately promote product stewardship.
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By inournature on December 2, 2011
Environmental Initiative’s Business & Environment Series wrapped up this year with their third and final program – Practicing Product Stewardship: Drivers, Challenges and Strategies.
Best Buy hosted the event at their headquarters in Bloomington, MN. A panel of experts addressed drivers ranging from customer demand to regulatory mandates, and discussed challenges facing manufacturers. Additionally, strategies were offered to minimize a product’s overall environmental impact.
Some common themes arose throughout the presentations and breakout sessions. Product stewardship is one contributing factor to the overall sustainability efforts of successful companies. Integrating it into the vision is key to ensuring it’s engrained in all processes and not perceived as extra work. Regulatory efforts can be effective, however industry-leading companies tend to stay ahead of looming governmental mandates as their core values guide them towards long term success.
Next year’s topics are in the works and will continue the theme of covering issues relevant to organizations, NGO’s, governmental agencies and individual citizens alike. Environmental concerns like water consumption, energy use, air quality and others know no boundaries. The consensus is that solutions addressing these issues require collaboration. We commend Environmental Initiative for their successful work in bringing all parties together and implementing solutions that work for all.
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By inournature on November 18, 2011
Employees at Renewal by Andersen’s headquarters in Cottage Grove, MN, take protecting the environment seriously! So much so, they’ve formed a volunteer group they call ECO3 Warriors. Their mission: reduce waste, conserve energy and improve the environment.
The five core ECO3 Warriors meet twice a month for an hour. They work on and around the production floor and continually look for ways to reduce waste and/or improve efficiency. They also receive suggestions from co-workers. A recent project redesigned a material sequencing process that resulted in a 24.5-ton annual reduction of cardboard waste. Another project partnered with the neighboring 3M facility 1.5 miles away. Over a 1½-year period, Renewal sent more than 127 tons of sawdust for use as fuel by 3M.
ECO3 Warriors: Denise Filler, Toni Harvey, Justin Kunkel-Smith, Sara Anderson, Amanda Guerin.
“Every project that is completed is another step closer to helping the community and saving the environment,” said Amanda Guerin, site safety coordinator and an ECO3 Warrior. Of course, what companies are learning is that sustainability efforts, like those of Renewal’s ECO3 Warriors, save money as well.
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By inournature on November 9, 2011
Andersen Corporation is pleased to be among 110 Minnesota businesses awarded Xcel Energy Efficiency Partner. Together the winners saved enough energy to power more than 5,500 homes and 29,000 tons of carbon dioxide was prevented from entering the air – equating to 5,700 cars off the road for a year!
This is the third year in a row Andersen has been awarded Energy Efficiency Partner. Many of the conservation efforts made to achieve this award are done behind the scenes and not easily seen by those not directly involved, according to Karen Rhodes, Xcel Energy efficiency marketing manager. Therefore these awards are a way to congratulate these businesses and help give recognition and bring awareness to their employees and customers for what’s happening behind the scenes.
Read the news release here.
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By inournature on November 4, 2011
Last week a small crew from our Minnesota based corporate headquarters traveled to the southeastern U.S. to join volunteers from our storm door plant in Luray, VA in building a duplex. Andersen is a long-standing supporter of Habitat for Humanity (HfH), donating materials, skills and time as part of the company’s support of affordable housing. However, Andersen efforts are just one part of the whole volunteer story.
Each day during the build in Luray, coffee was donated by Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company (CBRC) – not your run of the mill coffee shop. Like Habitat, CBRC is committed to making the world around us a better place to live for everyone. Modern roasting technologies lower their carbon footprint by nearly 80 percent and 2 percent of sales support their H2O Initiative – dedicated to restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and ecosystem.
Habitat site in Luray, VA.
Kudos to Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company for their efforts! Habitat for Humanity job sites host collaborative efforts among companies who share common values and goals. While the rewards of building a Habitat home are reason enough to volunteer, rich experiences and relationships are gained even when sharing a simple cuppa joe.
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By inournature on October 27, 2011
It’s ENERGY STAR® Week here at Andersen Corporation. Most of us are familiar with the blue logo found on appliances, indicating greater energy efficiency, but what does it mean for windows? This week’s celebration was designed to bring awareness and clarity of the program to employees and dealers.
Our own Corporate Training group developed an educational module called “Learning on the Go”. It’s a fun, interactive way to engage and educate employees about ENERGY STAR. Participants learn how responsible shipping, renewable energy, efficient manufacturing and energy efficient products play a part in the overall ENERGY STAR program.
ENERGY STAR Week at Andersen Corporation
Along with the “Learning on the Go” booth, we hosted representatives from Xcel Energy and The Home Depot, each offered helpful hints on energy saving products and practices.
In 2010, with the help of ENERGY STAR, Americans avoided the equivalent of 33 million cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions and saved $18 billion in utility bills! Look for the blue ENERGY STAR logo and help save energy and money!
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By inournature on October 19, 2011
We have a long-standing tradition at Andersen Corporation of supporting the communities in which we live and work. Fall kicks off our annual United Way campaign.
Current economic times are challenging for many; so this year it’s about “what we can do”. Employees across the enterprise pledged $236,000 in just the first week of the campaign! Combining that with the company’s match of fifty cents on the dollar makes for a good start to the year.
Efforts by employees to raise awareness for this year’s campaign resulted in fun and creative ways to celebrate giving. From penny wars to an airplane toss, bingo
Andersen Corporation's IT Group - Jungle themed mini golf putt putt hole
to putt-putt golf, and of course food! Pizza, popcorn, flapjacks, caramel apples and more all raised money and awareness for those in need, which could, and has been, any one of us.
Social responsibility is a part of how we’re measuring success. Profitability and environmental stewardship take into consideration societal impacts to maintain a healthy and sustainable business. Employees at Andersen Corporation understand the value of all three and it shows in what we can do.
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By inournature on October 14, 2011
In an industry-first licensing agreement, Andersen’s Fibrex® material will be used within the photovoltaic (PV) market. SOLON Corporation is one of the largest providers of PV products in the U.S. Andersen’s General Manager of Fibrex Strategic Operations Group, Scott Koenig said, “We’ve used Fibrex material with great success in our window products for nearly 20 years and we’re proud to be incorporating Fibrex material into proven renewable solutions by SOLON.” Read the full news release here.
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