PIERRE SENIZERGUES’ GREEN TIPS
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Pierre Senizergues’ 10 tips to green your life
Senizergues aims to make his company carbon neutral by 2020 – and he's got some tips to help you go green, too.
Pierre Senizergues is a leader in the action sports apparel business, manufacturing the etnies, Emerica, Altamont, ThirtyTwo and éS brands through Sole Technology. And he’s a leader in the green movement, having garnered recognition from Global Green USA and serving as an executive producer for “The 11th Hour,” a documentary aimed at boosting awareness about how human actions affect the environment.
But perhaps even more notable is what he’s doing to make his company carbon neutral by the year 2020. You can read about those efforts in the OC METRO's January 2009 cover story. Here, though, are Senizergues’ 10 Tips To Green Your Life.
1. Create a Green Movement from the inside out. I wanted to make an impact and inspire the people around me, so I started with my company, where I felt I could reach a large group. I created an environmental committee, known as the Blue Bin Brigade, to empower my team to get involved and be a part of the process in making positive changes that will benefit the environment inside the company and beyond.
2. Know your eco number. To lighten your eco footprint, you first have to know where to start. To do this, you have to give yourself and your business an eco audit to measure what impact your actions and business practices are making on the environment. Once you have this information, you can implement a plan of attack.
3. Ride instead of drive. I know not everyone skateboards or can ride a bike to work, but when you can, use alternative transportation. When grabbing lunch or running a quick errand close to home, take out the bike and it give it a whirl. Here at Sole Technology, we have implemented a bicycle fleet for employees to use during lunch and breaks rather than driving short distances.
4. No more bottled water. Plastic bottles wreak havoc on the environment. Fill up your water bottle straight from the tap, or if you prefer, through a filtered system. I installed these water filter systems in my company and always encourage my employees to bring their mugs and water bottles.
5. Conserve water. To cut back on our water consumption, we implemented California-friendly landscaping, in addition to retrofitting our sprinklers. We also installed dual flush toilets and waterless urinals. You would be surprised how much water is saved and at the cost savings.
6. Vote GREEN every day with your green. Remember, every time you buy something, you are voting. Vote for products that last, that use green materials and that are manufactured in a responsible way. Buy Sole Technology brand shoes (shameless self-promotion). But, seriously, there’s nothing worse that a pair of shoes can go through than to be skateboarded in. So when we say our shoes are built to last, we mean it!
7. Show by example: Design it eco. Incorporate eco products into your space. When you surround yourself with natural products, it puts you closer with nature and sets the example for others to follow your lead.
8. Go payday paperless. Make sure that your employees have the option to get their paychecks electronically and save some trees!
9. Double your pleasure. When you must print multiple pages, always opt for double-sided to use less paper. Since we’re on the topic of office supplies, did you know you can buy office products that are eco-friendly? Last year, more than 50 percent of the office supplies we purchased were eco-friendly.
10. Use an eco car service. Instead of calling a taxi or shuttle when you travel, use transportation services that promote the use of hybrid vehicles, or pay the few extra bucks to get a hybrid when renting for business travel. You’ll save on gas, and it’s the whole economy of scale – the more people who do it, the better pricing will get.
Check out our annual Green 15, notable O.C. businesses that are going earth-friendly.
Watch OC METRO's video: How "green" is YOUR company?
Take a look at more tips to help you go green.
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But perhaps even more notable is what he’s doing to make his company carbon neutral by the year 2020. You can read about those efforts in the OC METRO's January 2009 cover story. Here, though, are Senizergues’ 10 Tips To Green Your Life. 1. Create a Green Movement from the inside out. I wanted to make an impact and inspire the people around me, so I started with my company, where I felt I could reach a large group. I created an environmental committee, known as the Blue Bin Brigade, to empower my team to get involved and be a part of the process in making positive changes that will benefit the environment inside the company and beyond. 2. Know your eco number. To lighten your eco footprint, you first have to know where to start. To do this, you have to give yourself and your business an eco audit to measure what impact your actions and business practices are making on the environment. Once you have this information, you can implement a plan of attack. 3. Ride instead of drive. I know not everyone skateboards or can ride a bike to work, but when you can, use alternative transportation. When grabbing lunch or running a quick errand close to home, take out the bike and it give it a whirl. Here at Sole Technology, we have implemented a bicycle fleet for employees to use during lunch and breaks rather than driving short distances. 4. No more bottled water. Plastic bottles wreak havoc on the environment. Fill up your water bottle straight from the tap, or if you prefer, through a filtered system. I installed these water filter systems in my company and always encourage my employees to bring their mugs and water bottles. 5. Conserve water. To cut back on our water consumption, we implemented California-friendly landscaping, in addition to retrofitting our sprinklers. We also installed dual flush toilets and waterless urinals. You would be surprised how much water is saved and at the cost savings. 6. Vote GREEN every day with your green. Remember, every time you buy something, you are voting. Vote for products that last, that use green materials and that are manufactured in a responsible way. Buy Sole Technology brand shoes (shameless self-promotion). But, seriously, there’s nothing worse that a pair of shoes can go through than to be skateboarded in. So when we say our shoes are built to last, we mean it! 7. Show by example: Design it eco. Incorporate eco products into your space. When you surround yourself with natural products, it puts you closer with nature and sets the example for others to follow your lead. 8. Go payday paperless. Make sure that your employees have the option to get their paychecks electronically and save some trees! 9. Double your pleasure. When you must print multiple pages, always opt for double-sided to use less paper. Since we’re on the topic of office supplies, did you know you can buy office products that are eco-friendly? Last year, more than 50 percent of the office supplies we purchased were eco-friendly. 10. Use an eco car service. Instead of calling a taxi or shuttle when you travel, use transportation services that promote the use of hybrid vehicles, or pay the few extra bucks to get a hybrid when renting for business travel. You’ll save on gas, and it’s the whole economy of scale – the more people who do it, the better pricing will get. Check out our annual Green 15, notable O.C. businesses that are going earth-friendly. Watch OC METRO's video: How "green" is YOUR company? Take a look at more tips to help you go green. |
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