Part II
RISMEDIA, February 14, 2009-Last week, we began our latest Viewpoints series by talking about something that just about everyone’s talking about-going green. Continuing on, Anna Bourland, Web Marketing and Public Relations manager for Advanced Access, says “As concerns about global warming, pollution and other environmental issues increase, consumers are looking to businesses to reduce waste and increase efficiency to better the environment.”
Anna Bourland
Web Marketing and Public Relations Manager
Advanced Access
www.advancedaccess.com
It seems that everywhere you turn, individuals and businesses are doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint. As concerns about global warming, pollution and other environmental issues increase, consumers are looking to businesses to reduce waste and increase efficiency to better the environment. We are doing our part to “go green” by using the latest eco-friendly technology and promoting programs that encourage employees to pitch in and make a difference.
Advanced Access is committed to running a clean business and has invested above and beyond the industry standard to be as eco-friendly as possible. We have been leveraging IBM Blades and VMWare, which allows us to consolidate our number of servers with virtualization. What previously would have taken 10 servers to operate, now runs on one energy-efficient server.
In addition to energy conservation, we have significantly reduced our use of paper in the office. Before “going green” was the latest buzz phrase in the mainstream, we discontinued our paper filing system for order forms and contracts. We have implemented an electronic confirmation system that allows clients to sign orders electronically and obtain an electronic receipt. Incoming faxes are converted to e-faxes that are distributed to our customer service team, further reducing our paper use. If printing is necessary, pages are reused for reprinting on the opposite side, and white space is used for note taking.
Employees are encouraged to contribute through our office recycling program. Each workstation has a paper recycling container, and our break rooms have recycling bins for bottles and cans. We no longer purchase disposable cups, plates or utensils, but promote reusable materials for meals.
Finally, where appropriate, the office is run on reduced lighting. Many of our employees choose to turn off or dim their lights, taking advantage of the natural Southern California sunlight to brighten their day.
-Mike Wilton contributed to this article.
