Going Green at MBF Bioscience
From two-sided printing to computer servers cooled by Vermont’s naturally cold air, MBF Bioscience incorporates a variety of eco-conscious initiatives in its day-to-day operations. In recognition of Earth Day, MBF Bioscience President Jack Glaser shares some of the ways the company encourages an environmentally friendly atmosphere and minimizes its ecological footprint.
What are some of the biggest ways MBF Bioscience makes their office more environmentally friendly?
We encourage recycling and have recycling bins for paper in every office. In the kitchen, we have recycling for cans, bottles, and plastics. We recommend that everyone try to work paperless if possible. When we do print, our printers are set up to print on both sides of the paper. Our office lights are set up so that people can chose to work in a low light setting with task lighting for desks when needed. We reuse all of our shipping material, when possible. We purchase recycled paper and boxes. We print our brochures and flyers on recycled paper. We encourage people to shut down their computers at night so they save electricity when not necessary.
Out of the ordinary, and my favorite–we set up a ventilation system to bring cold air into our server room to cool down the servers. In the past, we ran an air conditioner all winter long to keep the servers cool. For the past few years, we have taken advantage of the cold Vermont winters to dramatically reduce our electricity consumption. This innovation came about when one of our employees said, “It seems strange that it is below zero outside and yet we have to run an air conditioner to cool the server room down.” After a little brainstorming, we developed a ventilation system to bring that cold air inside. When we looked at our electric bills, we saw a huge effect.
When did MBF implement its “green policy”?
We officially implemented our green plan this year. Before that, however, we certainly had a number of environmentally conscious practices and policies in place.
How do the employees help to maintain an environmentally conscious environment?
Being located in Vermont, a very environmentally consciousness community, many of our employees already have a culture of doing what they can to reduce our impact on the environment. In fact, this is one of the reasons that MBF is a good business fit for Vermont. We have a low impact on the environment. At MBF, our practices and polices enable people to implement the environmental consciousness that they bring to the work place. We listen to the employees ideas to implement even better practices.
Does MBF have any plans to incorporate more “green” elements/environmentally friendly initiatives?
We are looking into a windmill to generate some electricity used in our offices.
