2 Kane Businesses LEED Illinois Sustainability
Leaders in Illinois business, industry and cutting-edge science, right? The Illinois organizations you might think of first when it comes to energy efficiency, green initiatives and environmental responsibility.
And you’d be right. All of these icons are among the elite 19 to be selected receive the 2015 Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award.
But two additional names on that list might surprise you. And while they might not be as well-known nationally, their efforts to create and sustain innovative, healthy environments here in Kane County have put them in the ranks of the state’s environmental champions.
Hoffer Plastics Corp. of South Elgin, a third-generation, family-owned plastics injection molding company, and Clarke, the St. Charles-based mosquito control and aquatic habitats innovator were both recipients of this year’s 2015 Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award.
Kane County elected officials and staff recently toured Clarke’s facilities to learn more about Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the most widely used green building rating system in the world. LEED certification provides independent verification of a building’s green features for more efficient, high-performing, healthier and cost-effective buildings.
Back in 2012, Clarke employees started to envision “the campus of the future,” and in 2014 Clarke’s headquarters and research labs to St. Charles, became a a model for sustainable business practices.
- The 27,000 square foot building was renovated to LEED standards and is awaiting Silver level certification.
- An amazing 95 percent of the building’s demolition waste was diverted from landfills.
- Clarke replaced 225 fluorescent lights with just 80 highly efficient, daylight harvesting light fixtures and space design that optimized the use of natural light.
- Concrete was recycled back into a local, commercial cement mix product
- An electric car-sharing program for employee carpooling was established.
- Recycling and compost stations are thoughtfully placed in the building helping all of the company’s Illinois locations achieve Zero Waste Certification this year.
“Our mission is to make communities around the world more livable, safe and comfortable,” Clarke says on its website. “We do this by pioneering, developing and delivering environmentally responsible solutions for public health mosquito control and aquatic habitats.”
This year marked the second time Clarke won the Governor’s Sustainability Award.
Hoffer Plastics was a first-time Sustainability Award winner, chosen over hundreds of corporate entrants representing a wide range of industries, scale and operational scope.
Sustainability initiatives have been at the heart of Hoffer Plastics’ injection molding operations since 2007, when the company released its first Sustainability Report documenting its best practices.
In its entry submission for the award, Hoffer Plastics included a snapshot of its published Sustainability Report, which highlighted the company’s longstanding achievement against its many environmental goals. Key highlights include:
- Initiating a facility-wide 100 percent recycling program in 2007. By 2010, less than 1 percent of the 24 million pounds of resin used in manufacturing ended up in landfill.
- In 2012, replacing facility lighting with high-efficiency fluorescent lighting resulted in annual savings of approximately 1.7-million kilowatt hours of electricity and 1200 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- Implementation of a high-cycle water-treatment program in 2014 saved an estimated 1.2 million gallons of water annually.
The award submission also previewed the company’s ambitious goals for the year 2020, which include a 50% reduction in overall water usage and a further 20 percent reduction in energy consumption per unit of production.
“We’re honored to receive the 2015 Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award” said Gretchen Hoffer Farb, vice president of Value Creation, who also serves on the industry-wide Plastics Environmental Council. “Environmental sustainability was instilled as a core value in our company when it started 60 years ago with our founder, my grandfather, Robert Hoffer. Inspired by his example, we set ambitious goals, involve all employees in the effort and keep the vision of an environmental and socially responsible company alive in our culture.”
About the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award
Since 1987, the Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award has recognized private and public Illinois organizations that have implemented outstanding and innovative techniques or technologies that demonstrate a commitment to sustainable environmental, social and economic health.
According to the award website: “Governor’s Sustainability Award winners are an elite group of committed leaders reducing environmental impact, contributing to the growth of a more sustainable Illinois economy. By prioritizing sustainability throughout their operations, programs, technology, products and company culture, they serve as a model within their industry and community.”
Nineteen Illinois companies and organizations were honored Oct. 27 at the Chicago Sheraton Hotel and Towers for their demonstrated leadership in implementing sustainable principles and practices. The Governor’s Sustainability Awards, the “Emmy Awards for Sustainability,” were presented by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. ISTC is a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Additional information on the Governor’s Sustainability Awards program, lists of previous winners, and information on technical assistance for Illinois companies and communities is available from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, One Hazelwood Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, phone (217) 333-8940, http://www.istc.illinois.edu/
2015 Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award Winners
- Abbott Laboratories — Abbott Park
- AbbVie Inc. — North Chicago
- Argonne National Laboratory — Lemont
- Caterpillar — Morton Parts Distribution Center
- Clarke — St. Charles
- ComEd — Oak Brook Terrace
- Cook County — Chicago
- Golden State Foods Chicago — McCook
- Griffith Laboratories — Alsip
- Hoffer Plastics Corporation — South Elgin
- Illinois Tollway — Downers Grove
- J.L. Clark — Rockford
- John G. Shedd Aquarium — Chicago
- McHenry County Government — Woodstock
- Public Building Commission — Chicago
- Saratoga Food Specialties — Bolingbrook
- Silgan Containers Manufacturing Corporation — Rochelle
- University Housing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign * Western Illinois University — Macomb
