Energy conscious fleet management – At Yale, a key purchase criterion for our corporate automotive fleet is fuel efficiency. For 2007, our fleet averaged 27.5 miles per gallon. Additionally, we select only vehicles which are E85 ethanol compatible.
Air quality enhancement – Yale has made great strides in the area of painting/coating, which is our significant potential environmental impact. Nearly a decade ago, we began using low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints. We’ve also gone a step further and have begun implementing powder coating operations, in order to eliminate VOC’s and waste.
Energy consumption management - We closely monitor our electrical and natural gas usage. Efficient energy management reduces pollution, including our carbon footprint and helps make our operations cost competitive. An example of our efforts to reduce energy consumption is our use of energy efficient LED task and overhead lighting and the use of sensors to eliminate unneeded energy consumption. Beyond measures to simply reduce energy consumption, we have initiatives to actually re-use energy. Our Berea, Kentucky plant has begun the process of eliminating electric boilers, air conditioners and natural gas heaters by re-using the heat produced in our internal painting processes.
Hazardous and solid wastes reduction - Hazardous wastes generated from our painting operations are being reduced through solvent distillation and reuse and by better transfer efficiency. Our ignitable wastes are sent to a disposal company, which includes them in a fuel blend used to heat cement kilns. Furthermore, we have various quality initiatives focused on reducing waste in our production process.
Recycling - All of our sites have focused programs for extensive recycling of wood, cardboard, plastic, office paper, metals, and electronics. We have programs to recycle lift truck batteries, tires and oil, both for our operations and for our customers.
Use of solar energy – Our Berea plant installed a solar energy system in 2008 that supplies energy for its water heating process.
Ecological/societal effects - An ecological impact assessment of our sites’ surroundings is performed in order to proactively minimize any potential impact. We use only heat treated wood in shipping our international products, to prevent transmission of pests.
Water and soil conservation - Many of our sites use storm water retention ponds to control run-off, utilizing pollution-filtering plants. These areas offer havens for water fowl. We utilize biodegradable chemicals and waste water treatment processes that far exceed discharge permit requirements. We also have multiple initiatives for water conservation, including reduction of landscape watering.
Trip reduction - Many of our manufacturing facilities operate on a modified work week structure in order to reduce the impact of employee commuting, and we coordinate car pooling at our urban locations.
