Toledo businesses take green initiative
Written by Brandi Barhite | Special Sections Editor | bbarhite@toledofreepress.com
Several area companies are making environmental responsibility part of their business plans.
From flooring to light bulbs to tankless water heaters, the options are available if the consumer is willing to go green.
“Just with fuel prices constantly on the rise and people growing more and more concerned with the environment … people are wanting to be more environmentally conscious,” said Michelle O’Dell, marketing specialist for Stark Inc.
Last year, Bryan-based Stark Inc. launched Green by Design in Bowling Green.
Customers have been especially receptive to the tankless water heater, O’Dell said.
“It is a concept that people can grasp,” O’Dell said. “It heats water on demand when you need it instead of heating and reheating the same water.”
Helping the environment comes with a cost. Tankless water heaters range in price from $1,800 to $2,500 installed. A typical water heater goes for $300 to $900.
“Right now, the products are a little more expensive” because of the technology involved in producing the products, O’Dell said.
Typically, customers will see a 1 to 5 percent price increase, but usually people are willing to pay extra because of the long-term savings, she said.
O’Dell said with the tankless water heaters, consumers can save on gas costs, depending on consumption and owning a spa, for instance.
While some people come to the Bowling Green showroom specifically because they want to do something good for the planet, others are buying because of the cost benefit, she said.
“We thought there was a good market for it here,” O’Dell said. “We knew there would be a lot of well-educated people who were concerned.”
Gross Electric
Gross Electric is also committed to providing environmentally friendly options for consumers, according to Sue Sweeney, director of marketing.
The company has started an incentive program so consumers can fill their homes with energy-efficient lighting. Gross Electric stores will buy back any incandescent bulbs, new or used, and give customers credit toward buying the comparable compactable fluorescent bulb.
“I am not sure there is any other retailer in town who does that,” Sweeney said.
While fluorescent bulbs are more expensive, they use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, and will last up to 10 times longer.
Fluorescent bulbs range from $3.95 to $25 each, while a standard light bulb costs 50 cents, said JoAnn Cook, commercial lighting sales specialist at Gross Electric. It’s the material fluorescent that make the bulbs more energy-efficient, she said.
Compact fluorescent bulbs will also save about $30 or more in electricity costs in each bulb’s lifetime. They also produce about 75 percent less heat, which makes them safer to use and cut energy costs associated with air-conditioning.
Sweeney said Gross Electric has made a commitment to being environmentally friendly. While people are beginning to pay more attention to saving the Earth, it’s also about the money, she said. The Environmental Protection Agency has designated light bulbs as a hazardous waste product.
“There is such a need for awareness … people who haven’t started switching to fluorescent bulbs,” Sweeney said.
The EPA estimates that if every household in Ohio replaced just one of its incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving designs, the reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases would be equal to removing 31,000 cars from Ohio’s roads.
Gross Electric is based at 2807 N. Reynolds Road, and has a store at 2521 Woodville Road, as well as a location in Ann Arbor.
Legacy/Lathrop
One-hundred percent of what Legacy Commercial Flooring of Toledo takes off the floor is going to be put to good use, according to vice president Chuck Rajner.
In October, the company began participating in floor recycling and carpet reclamation. According to Carpet America Recovery Effort, an estimated 5 billion pounds of carpet is dumped into landfills every year.
Through this program, no useful part of the old flooring goes to waste, coming back in the form of new flooring products, consumer and industrial parts or converted into energy, Rajner said.
“We don’t make any money,” he said. “We do it because it is the right thing to do.”
Rajner said carpet is in a landfill forever. Modern carpets contain petrochemicals and nylon, which are not biodegradable.
“It takes up a lot of space,” Rajner said. “The other question, of course, ‘what good can come from petrochemicals?’”
Legacy Toledo recently completed its first reclamation project with The Lathrop Company in Maumee. The corporate office renovation led to 18,297 square feet of carpet diverted from a local landfill.
Deb Stout, marketing manager for Lathrop, said many green elements went into the renovation, including: 35 percent water-use reduction by changing flush valves and faucets; established a recycling program for glass, plastic, paper and metal; designated space for carpoolers; and commitment to long-term tenant space.
The renovation of the 19,000-square-foot office building is also pending Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, according to Stout.
Other LEED projects Lathrop has constructed or are constructing include O-I world headquarters (LEED silver certification), Lucas County Multi-Purpose Arena and Hospice Residence at Flower Hospital.
The proposed Lathrop Green program consists of construction- site recycling on all projects; ensuring all Lathrop field offices are green-friendly; and instituting a major green-training program for employees, Stout said.
