2009 Tenant Recycling and Eco-Awareness Competition Winner
Kennedy/Jenks Consultants:
Kennedy/Jenks Consultants is an award-winning full-service, multidiscipline engineering and environmental sciences consulting firm with 24 offices in the western United States. Specializing in civil, environmental, architectural, mechanical, electrical, structural, and construction engineering, Kennedy/Jenks offers our clients expertise in all phases of project planning, design, construction management, startup, and operation.
Green Achievement Highlights
Kennedy/Jenks has implemented the following green practices as a part of the Tenant Recycling Competition and the San Francisco Green Business Program recertification process.
Recycling/Compost
- Introduction of compost program in our kitchen
- Identification of recycling and compost bins using color-coded labeling similar to color-coding of bins that many employees have at home (green = compost, blue = recycling)
- Participation of building e-waste program
Water
- Distribution of metal water bottle to each employee to discourage personal use of one-time-use plastic water bottles
- Replacement of company-purchased individual plastic water bottles (for meetings or events) with permanent pitchers and glasses for tap water
- Placement of water conservation posters near sink and showers
Energy
- Phased-in replacement of new energy-saving flat screen computer monitors
- Encouragement of the use of computer sleep settings instead of screen savers (which use 28% more energy)
- Adjustment of refrigerator temperature to between 38ºF and 41ºF and freezer to between 10º F and 20ºF
Carbon Footprint
- Purchase of four hybrid cars for use of SF employees (phased-in replacement of older, higher-emission vehicles as they break down)
- Requirement of all new company cars to have minimum fuel efficiency of 26 miles per gallon
- Encouragement of use of alternative transportation by providing showers, locked bike area, and bike pump and spare lock
- Availability of commuter pre-tax reimbursement program
Office/Kitchen Supplies
- 100% recycled content 8.5 x 11 copy/print paper and 11 x 17 paper
- 70% post-consumer recycled content 3-ring binders
- Correction tape made from 72% recycled materials
- Phased-in replacement of toxic permanent ink markers/pens with water-based permanent markers
- Permanent kitchen ware
Printing Practices
- More obviously labeled designated areas for previously-used paper (to be reused for scratch paper or internal draft documents) in main copy/print room and at all other print stations
- Copier default setting for double-sided printing
- Purchase of recycled ink cartridges and return of empty ink cartridges to supplier for further recycling
Employee Education (about 110 employees in Kennedy/Jenks’ San Francisco office)
- Participation of seven SF employees in company-wide Sustainability at Work educational series (possibly rolled out to more employees in future)
- Monthly educational email to office regarding compost, printing/paper use and other sustainable practices
- Spare-the-Air email alerts to office
As a firm, Kennedy/Jenks continues to seek opportunities to incorporate sustainable practices into our everyday office lives as well as into our client’s projects. We plan to implement additional green achievements to this list in the future.
Kennedy/Jenks was awarded the SF Green Biz of the Month by the San Francisco Department of the Environment in July 2007 and, following the office relocation to 303 Second Street in December 2008, is currently reapplying for Green Business Certification. For more green ideas, please visit: http://www.sfgreenbusiness.org/. |
