Editor's Note
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The environmental economy
From the model efforts of Sole Technology to the green practices in place at John Wayne Airport, Orange County is home to a slew of companies that have pledged to go green.
By Tina BorgattaPublished: January 01, 2009
By the time I arrived at OC METRO a year ago, I’d already heard so much about Pierre Senizergues – the genius behind Sole Technology. Not only had he founded a wildly successful action sports shoe and apparel empire, he had become an icon in the green movement – an example of how big business can thrive, and not at the expense of the planet. (The company’s revenues hit close to $200 million, and its brands are available in more than 70 countries. Yet its 75,000-square-foot headquarters in Lake Forest is completely powered by the sun. It never pays an electricity bill.)
It’s an effort he committed to back in 2000, when he began researching the effects of global warming and made a pledge. He wanted his new Windrow Drive campus to be eco-friendly, and he hoped to become an environmental leader in his industry.
He did more than that. He became an authority on the issue. And by 2004, he’d become an executive producer of “The 11th Hour,” a documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, with appearances by Stephen Hawking and famed architect Paolo Soleri, aimed at boosting awareness about how our actions – the way we live – affects the environment. Since then, he’s implemented numerous green practices at the company, and his commitment to preservation has been recognized with a Corporate Environmental Leadership Award from Global Green USA.
You can read more about Senizergues’ efforts in this issue online; it's part of our Economics Report Cover Story featuring “The Green 15” – OC METRO’s annual list of companies that are doing their part to preserve the environment. Sole Technology isn’t one of the 15. Rather, it serves as the model. Senizergues’ company sets the bar to which other companies should aspire.
Don’t get me wrong, though. We reviewed dozens upon dozens of nominations for this year’s list and learned that a lot of companies are doing great things.
Take Ricoh Electronics, for example: Its “5 Rs” philosophy – refuse, return, recycle, reuse and reduce – saved the company $2 million in one year alone. Perhaps best of all, it produces zero waste to landfill.
Then there’s Borrego Solar. Its installations offset hundreds of thousands of carbon emissions. And for every tree it destroys in a project, it plants 25 in its place.
We applaud the efforts of all the companies that made it onto this year’s list. And we offer up their stories to you in hopes that you are as inspired by them as we are.
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It’s an effort he committed to back in 2000, when he began researching the effects of global warming and made a pledge. He wanted his new Windrow Drive campus to be eco-friendly, and he hoped to become an environmental leader in his industry. He did more than that. He became an authority on the issue. And by 2004, he’d become an executive producer of “The 11th Hour,” a documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, with appearances by Stephen Hawking and famed architect Paolo Soleri, aimed at boosting awareness about how our actions – the way we live – affects the environment. Since then, he’s implemented numerous green practices at the company, and his commitment to preservation has been recognized with a Corporate Environmental Leadership Award from Global Green USA. You can read more about Senizergues’ efforts in this issue online; it's part of our Economics Report Cover Story featuring “The Green 15” – OC METRO’s annual list of companies that are doing their part to preserve the environment. Sole Technology isn’t one of the 15. Rather, it serves as the model. Senizergues’ company sets the bar to which other companies should aspire. Don’t get me wrong, though. We reviewed dozens upon dozens of nominations for this year’s list and learned that a lot of companies are doing great things. Take Ricoh Electronics, for example: Its “5 Rs” philosophy – refuse, return, recycle, reuse and reduce – saved the company $2 million in one year alone. Perhaps best of all, it produces zero waste to landfill. Then there’s Borrego Solar. Its installations offset hundreds of thousands of carbon emissions. And for every tree it destroys in a project, it plants 25 in its place. We applaud the efforts of all the companies that made it onto this year’s list. And we offer up their stories to you in hopes that you are as inspired by them as we are. |
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