Going Green Has Set the Bar High For Manufacturing Companies.

I heard a story about a manufacturing company the other day that made me set up & take notice. Could it be true, yes some of biggest manufacturing companies have actually decided to raise the bar where personal accountability is concerned. This is a great idea & I think should be implemented for all manufacturing companies greater accountability is something that most companies will have to be pushed into because it takes considerable efforts, time as well as money.

The long term benefits for our environment are well worth it.

SC Johnson's largest manufacturing plant in Wisconsin is powered by two green turbines they utilized cogeneration technology to reduce its carbon output or carbon footprint as it is called. This is like taking 5000 cars off the road. Basically they have used the emissions from a land fill to convert to energy that power their plant. At their plant in Michigan, the company gets 46% of their electricity from a wind farm that is like taking another 2000 cars off the road. Other similar things have been implemented at sites around the world to help make a difference in the world.

SC Johnson is a member of the EPA's Climate Leaders program; the company regularly sets itself goals for reducing their carbon out put or emissions. Between the years of 2000 and 2005, they reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 24%. Going in to the future the company plans to cut carbon emissions by another 12% by 2011.

The company has also set a goal of getting 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2011.

The company has also set a great example on recycling, where most of their products come in recycled packaging & they recycle 93% of their solid waste from their manufacturing plants.

SC Johnson Co scientists have devised what they call the Greenlist, a system that classifies more than 95% of raw materials used in its products based on the material's impact on the environment and human health. Each product must earn an acceptable rating before hitting the market, which makes this system a powerful tool for reducing harmful compounds while promoting healthy, effective alternatives.

There are a lot of people out there who would say they are still not doing enough. To those negative people I say give some credit where credit is due & stop talking about everything people are not doing & take notice of what they are. For every company who is there are thousands who are not doing anything to reduce their impact on our environment! Go bang on their door & point a finger at them then you may be changing the situation or an opinion to better impact our world but being negative about the companies that are making an effort & a difference in our world is counter productive if you ask me. I say way to go to all the companies not just talking about changes but the companies that are actually doing what they say they are going to do.

I am curious what the next ten years will bring in the way of manufacturing companies who produce products for home & business alike. We may see a lot more windmill farms out side of large cities. More land fills used for energy conversion & more self sufficient practices for companies to producing their own energy for their consumption. Either way I feel the Green movement is a good step in the right direction. One of the most important things I believe will be keeping our focus on the big picture not nit picking on the small ones. This seems to be the biggest set back in our country not only concerning our environment but of political platforms as well. I am very hopeful that the future will bring about some very positive & well as productive changes in both areas as long as we keep in mind we must all work together & leave the negative attitudes behind.