GreenBuzz - Free Weekly E-Newsletter Read Current Issue
GreenerDesign Event

Our New Event! Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools, and Markets for Product Innovation

This two-day, hands-on event focuses on the greening of mainstream products by combining first-rate speakers and panelists with a unique approach to innovation called Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT).

Participants will hear from leading companies large and small, as well as the top green product designers and participate in innovative techniques that combine the best elements of a traditional conference and an experiential workshop.

> Sign up at GreenerByDesign.com today!

Joel Makower

Welcome to GreenBiz 2.0!

We've been working long hours behind the scenes to make GreenBiz.com and our sister sites even more useful and information-packed. At last, we're ready to unveil it.

We have redesigned the look and feel of GreenBiz.com and all our sister sites to make it easier for you to navigate and explore. All the same great news and resources are still here, and here is a short overview of all the new additions and changes to the sites.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the new design, send a note to Carlie Peterson at carlie@greenerworldmedia.com.

Thanks for reading!
Joel Makower
Joel Makower, Executive Editor

Raymour & Flanigan Goes for the Green

  • Email
  • Print
  • Share
  • Single
  • RSS

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Neil Goldberg, CEO of furniture retailer Raymour & Flanigan, noticed in 2006 that recyclable materials and Styrofoam were being thrown out at a loading area.

Goldberg instituted a recycling program because he knew the company’s trucks returned empty after delivering furniture to Raymour & Flanigan’s 81 stores. Since June, the company has diverted roughly 16 million pounds of waste from entering landfills and plans to hire as many as a dozen workers to manage the recycling program.

The company recently announced it was undertaking several initiatives to soften its carbon footprint, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported.

For instance, sensors throughout its stores control energy use, cutting consumption by as much as 15 percent. It added white heat-reflecting roof membranes to cut down energy consumption related to cooling. The company buys renewable energy credits from Juice Power to satisfy about 10 percent of its energy needs, which also triggers a tax credit.

Raymour & Flanigan replaced about 17,000 incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, as well as swapping 2,500 computer monitors with liquid crystal display monitors. Showroom carpeting will be replaced with carpeting comprised of plastic bottles and other post-consumer waste. The company used oil from its fleet to heat a 12,000-square-foot garage at one of its transportation centers, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

The green initiatives have helped the company offset higher energy costs, which have risen about 30 percent.

  • Email
  • Print
  • Share
  • Single
  • RSS

Post a Comment »

Charter Sponsor

Document Management Sponsor

Work Environment Sponsor

Innovation Sponsor

Environmental Services Sponsor

Technology Sponsor

See GreenerComputing.com

Energy Management Sponsor

See GreenerBuildings.com

Climate Sponsor

See ClimateBiz.com

Public Relations Sponsor

Legal Sponsor

Greener World Media offsets its carbon footprint provided by Green Mountain Energy Company.