How to Go Green While Keeping Your Business in the Black

For some people, "going green" means living a life-style that does not endanger the health of people or animals, and to others it means recycling and choosing environmentally friendly products that reduce the negative impact on the planet. For this ecologically sensitive company, going green involves nearly every aspect of their bedding business from the materials they use in their products to their delivery methods.

"Going green absolutely governs the way we do business because we don't think of NuRem as just a company, we believe that we're part of a cause - one that deserves our very best efforts every day," said Nack. He offers these ten tips for businesses trying to become more eco-friendly.

1.  Use Renewable Resources: Renewable resources are those that can be replaced by natural processes at a comparable or faster rate than their rate of consumption. "We incorporated renewable resources throughout our mattresses and bedding products like activated charcoal made from coconut husks (to reduce odors and moisture), eucalyptus pulp (a renewable resource to make Tencel ticking), bamboo, and cotton and silk (fast growing, renewable resources used in our fabric). We also used Castor oil rather than petroleum and green tea instead of toxic chemicals to cure our memory foam mattresses."

2.  Choose Recyclable Packaging: It is estimated that about half of what we throw away is packaging materials. Using less packaging and more recyclable packaging alternatives can help reduce the mountains of trash overwhelming our landfills. "We slip our compressed foam mattresses in reusable bags and then ship them in recyclable corrugated cardboard boxes."

3.  Rethink Delivery Methods: Considering alternative delivery options can reduce shipping costs and shrink a company's carbon footprint in the process. "By compressing our products prior to shipping, we have reduced our packaging by 70%. By reducing the size of our packaging we are able to ship our mattresses straight to the customer using UPS and FedEx. This allows our customers to schedule deliveries and it eliminates NuRem's need for additional shipping facilities and delivery trucks."

4.  Green Cleaning Products: Green cleaning products include such common kitchen ingredients as water, white vinegar, baking soda and castile soap. Because they use no harsh chemicals they can increase safety, health, productivity, and return on investment of our facility. "Choosing green cleaning products for the workplace is a good first step for any company to take. It's easy, doesn't increase expenses and helps raise awareness."

5.  Go Paperless: The nature of the office and the type of work has a lot to do with the degree to which you can reduce or eliminate the amount of paper you use. Today's technology makes it easier than ever to go paperless. "Be innovative and try new things," Nack encourages. "Our offices are almost completely paperless. Even our NuRem product instruction manuals are paperless - they're actually on a YouTube video."

6.  Recycle Office Waste: Waste has become an increasingly difficult environmental and economic problem that affects us all. Recycling can help substantially. Nack says his office recycles everything they possibly can. "Finding the right community resource is the key. Boulder Colorado is a very easy city to be green in. We are even able to recycle #6 Styrofoam and old office equipment like computer monitors through Boulder's Eco-Cycle and their Hard-to-Recycle Materials program."

7.  Consider Composting: The idea of composting at the office might seem a little bazaar, but the fact is composting is the latest office buzzword. That's because anything made of organic (carbon-based) materials can be composted. That includes food scraps, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, napkins, paper plates and towels, wax-lined containers and even gum, all of which are frequently found in an office environment. "We compost all non-protein based food through Western Disposal's composting program that here started in the Boulder area last year."

8.  Seek Alternative Energy Resources: The NuRem corporate office is 100% wind powered. "We switched from being coal powered to 100% wind-powered. We pay a premium to be wind powered but we felt the cost was well worth it. The program is through Excel Energy's WindSource program and we're thrilled with it!"

9.  Conserve Energy: Even though NuRem uses sustainable wind power the company remains energy conscious. "We use only fluorescent bulbs at our facility," Nack said. "In addition we power down all non-essential computers and equipment at night, and use a computer scheduled thermostat to reduce consumption during off hours."

10.  Transportation: To help save money and energy, many companies are taking steps to cut down on transportation costs. They buy and sell more locally, use direct deposit and online banking, cutting down on company travel and encouraging their employees to car pool to work. Nack says, "All of our employees receive a free bus/RTD (Regional Transportation District) pass to get them to and from our offices to anywhere in the Denver/Boulder metro area including the airport. As the owner of the company, I walk or ride my bike the 8 blocks to work everyday."

From the raw materials they use in manufacturing their memory foam mattresses to their mattress delivery system, every aspect of the business is designed to be part of an environmental solution. To learn more about how NuRem is making a difference, visit http://www.NuRemMattress.com.

Nack is proud of the "green" strides his eco-friendly mattress and bedding company is making. "Of course, we know there's more to be done, and we're committed to keep doing everything we can to improve the health of our environment and protect the world we all live in."

Resource:  http://www.NuRemMattress.com

Resource:  http://www.Mattress-News.com