- What We Are Doing -

• One councilmember is receiving large council documents electronically in order to reduce paper and minimize waste.

• Turning off computer screens at the end of the day

• Double sided print outs • Full recycling bins galore• Now that we can check

these tasks off as “completed”, on to bigger and better things. Solar panels perhaps?!

Entire staff participates in our efforts and projects such as:

•Staff invested in a group CSA for fresh veggies

•Log all printing to track how much and what we print

• We have significantly reduced waste by replacing paper towel rolls in the employee restroom with personal, color-coded hand towels…each of us are responsible for our own laundry!

• Take advantage of wonderful southern exposure

• Turned off all office lighting except when necessary

• Installation of automatic temperature controls on our HVAC

= Reduced our energy consumption by almost 30%. It was so easy.

TRICKS• Sending a automated power down

reminder to staff at the end of the week

• Stealing docs from others like a temperature survey and

• Stealing an Energy Star policy and sharing it with our IT guy

• Through the GBC, we discovered that we were paying for 5 day a week pickup at our main headquarters.

• Thanks to reducing, reusing and especially recycling we are able to cut out one garbage pickup during the week.

• Saving almost $3,000 a year

Automated weekly emails reminding all 90 employees to power down on Fridays are being sent out.

Learned this idea from Meadors!

power down before you leave

turn off lights (overhead and desk lights)turn off monitorsturn off printers/copiers or place on standbyshut down computers for the weekendProud Participant of the Charleston Green Business Challenge

Advertising Successful Participants

Business License now recycle approximately two 90 gallon bins of paper every two weeks that was going in the trash

OCRM’s Recycling Program• Always had an active program

for paper, plastic, newspaper and cardboard, as well as printer ink cartridges

• Recently, we have arranged to recycle a large amount of outdated computer/electronic equipment…and we get paid for it!

• Several patients had inquired about the waste produced by daily disposable contacts, so we decided to offer a recycling program to

minimize the waste.

• We collect used soap for the Global Soap Project!

• Over 1000 pounds were collected from 12 local hotels including King Charles Inn.

• “From the very beginning, the hospitality community has shown us nothing but enthusiasm and kindness. We are especially moved by the housekeeping teams at all of our partner hotels, who tell us time and again that they are excited and proud to be part of the project,”

“Going into 2011, we had already planned a ‘refit’ of the restrooms at our HQ on Daniel Island. Spurred on by the Charleston Green Business Challenge, we decided to install hand dryers as a part of the work. With 32 restrooms in the building, this change is already helping us cut back on paper waste in a big way.”

Rachel Hutchisson, Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy

We are now all much more diligent about:

• two-sided printing,

• scan and e-mail instead of fax,

• recycling everything we are able (including batteries, e-waste),

• turning down the thermostat when we leave and

• making sure computers and all lights are off. 

Someone left a table lamp on over the weekend and it was brought up this morning. 

• Divided initiatives into 4 groups with 4 people taking responsibility for leading the charge for a select group of

initiatives.