The Refinishing Touch Blog

You might not realize it, but today’s a pretty significant milestone for organizations with a commitment to carrying out business in an eco-friendly fashion. Today is Earth Day, and this year it’s the 40th Anniversary of the annual event.

Since it began in the US in 1970, this celebration of all things environmental has become a rallying point for concerned citizens of all nations. From its position on the fringes, Earth Day has become a mainstream event, an opportunity for politicians and companies to show off their green credentials. And as a business with a genuine focus on recycling, reusing and upgrading, we like to mark the event. As we, amongst others, have shown, green business is good business. It makes sense to reuse and upgrade, whether we’re talking about computers, waste materials or land. The savings in terms of cost and resources are significant, and it’s an opportunity to do both the right thing and the smart thing.

Labels: Earth Day 40th Anniversary, Environmental Protection Agency

2010 budgets have been unveiled by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which outline goals and objectives for the upcoming fiscal year. These outline details that commit to a stronger economy with the promise of new 'green' jobs, and a better environment.

With a $38.7 billion budget, from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and an EPA budget of $10.5 million, there are varying responses to the different elements and line items within the budgets. We plan to offer some of our thoughts on specifics over the coming weeks.

At a more basic level, what about everyday sustainability within government departments? As departments of the federal government are planning spend for the coming year, do they find themselves thinking of everyday items that are within their offices, reach, and internal budgets?

From what we can see, yes. How do we know this? From the contacts within the government who we have worked with over the past three decades as well as those that we work with today, we know that there are a number of internal discussions taking place along these lines; and from feedback and interest in our analysis and findings which we published in a government-related whitepaper: "Government Employees with a Sustainable Future."

This whitepaper outlines how a more sustainable view of government furniture assets improves quality of life, cuts pollution and slashes expenditure by up to 80%. Interest has come from senators and government officials we have met both in Georgia and in D.C., as well as from a large number of government contacts that have downloaded it from our website.

As an organization that has prioritized smart spending and has modeled our business around environmentally sound practices, it's good to know that there’s a shared commitment on all levels to save money and the environment. In these economic times, everyone is struggling to meet the demands of agendas that aim to implement cut budgets with the ever important focus on green practices. There's an environmental groundswell, and it's building.

Labels: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, budget constraint, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency