Shawn, Store Green Team Captain

It seems that no matter how hard we try to keep things clean, there’s always some dust or a smudge to take care of.  When you go shopping at Harmons there’s over an aisle of cleaning supplies to choose from to help clean your house, workplace, car, clothes, and everywhere and everything else.

Not all cleaning products are equal when it comes to being green.  To help you decide which cleaning supplies are the most earth-friendly, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, created a labeling program called Designed for the Environment.  There are thousands of items on the market that have been tested by chemists at the EPA.  Those chemicals that meet the EPA’s standards for being earth-friendly, receive the label to help consumers easily know which chemicals they can purchase if they’re trying to reduce harm to the environment.

There are all sorts of Green Labels out there; the EPA’s Designed for the Environment is only one example.  However, there is a term called greenwashing that can be applied to products that claim to be better for the environment, but in fact do less good than they say and in some cases do even more harm.  Hopefully, the chemists with the EPA and other researchers awarding products with earth-friendly labels are taking all of the issues into account before awarding a product.  The old adage “consumers beware” comes to mind.  If you’re trying to reduce harm to the environment by purchasing earth-friendly products, it’s important to be aware of misleading or false advertising. Continue Reading »

Shawn, Store Green Team Captain

Here at Harmons we do a lot of composting.  Most of the compost from the stores comes from the produce department when we need to dispose of fruits and vegetables that no longer meet out quality standards as well as the trimmings from cut fruits and vegetables. Other departments also contribute to composting including the delicatessen, meat, and floral departments.

Composting is a key ingredient for Harmons to reach its diversion rate goals.  (In case you need a refresher, a diversion rate is what we are able to divert from a landfill to a recycling facility.)  Before Harmons began composting, our total store diversion rate was around 25-35 percent.  As soon as we started composting our diversion rate went up to 50-70 percent. The Harmons Floral Design Center composts all of the floral clippings and consistently runs at a diversion rate above 85 percent.

Our compost is picked up and taken to a facility where it can be combined with other composting programs.  Often these other programs come from the county and cities that have curbside composting and therefore includes a lot of yard waste.  Because Harmons store locations composts mostly fruits and vegetables, our compost is the darling of the recycling facilities.  Composting is a complex mix of different ingredients; fruits and vegetables will help the yard waste break down better and provide essential nutrients to the finished compost product. Continue Reading »

Shawn, Store Green Team Captain

Did you know that Harmons has dietitians in some of our stores?  Our Bangerter Crossing, City Creek, and Station Park Stores employ dietitians who provide many amazing services to our customers.  The dietitian team also provides a lot of great services to Harmons Associates.  For a little over a year they have been writing “Harmons Great Health Tips of the Day.”  Recently, they took the opportunity to remind Harmons Associates about Red Air Quality and I wanted to share some of the information with you.

As most of you are aware, every winter the Wasatch Front experiences long periods of smog.  The smog is caused by particulate matter in the air.  These small particles are too small to be seen, but they can have a huge effect on our health and quality of living.  Those with respiratory illnesses like asthma are often advised to stay indoors during yellow and red air quality days.  The very young and the elderly are also advised to stay indoors for their health.

In addition to the negative health effects, no one, healthy or not, wants to breath in dirty air.  Our temperatures in the valley become colder than they would be without the smog because the warmth from the sun cannot get through the air to warm the ground.  Our beautiful views of the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains are ruined.  People who are active outdoors are advised to stay inside and they find it difficult to maintain their active lifestyle they, and so many in our state, love.

The bad air in the valley affects all of us and it will take all of us to solve this problem.  If you have a wood burning stove, avoid using it on bad air quality days.  If it’s a red air quality day, it’s actually prohibited to burn wood unless it is your only way to heat your home.

Carpooling and taking public transportation is highly encouraged all year long, but especially on bad air quality days.  Make sure when you do go out to run errands, you do it in a smart and effective way.  Try to avoid doubling back and driving all over the valley, try to use your car as little as possible.  Also, don’t idle your car.  If you have to wait in a drive-through at a bank or restaurant, turn your car off for the few moments that you are waiting.

It’s a good idea to be aware of the quality of air.  You can watch or listen to the news or you can visit http://www.airquality.utah.gov/aqp/slc.html.  This way you will know exactly what you can and cannot do.  But remember, even on green air quality days, it’s still a good idea to take action to minimize pollutants from going into the air and our environments.  If we take the right actions every day, good air or bad, we can lower the number of bad air quality days we’ll have.

Shawn, Store Green Team Captian

Another holiday season is almost past.  The question now is what to do with the tree?  For many of us that means boxing the tree back up and placing it in storage for another year.  But there are still a lot of people out there who purchase the real deal.  Disposing of a tree can be a daunting chore.  However, thanks to your garbage collectors, getting rid of the tree can be super easy.

For those who live in unincorporated Salt Lake County or in cities that use the County’s services for garbage pickup, you can leave your tree on your curb starting January 4^th running through the rest of the month.  You don’t need to place it in a garbage can, just leave it on the curb and it will be picked up.  The tree will then be turned into mulch at the landfill so you can feel good about recycling your Christmas tree.  Just make sure to take off all of your ornaments and lights.

In the city of Orem there are going to be approximately 17 different drop-off locations where you can take your tree.  Information is being sent out with your utility bills.

For those in Ogden City, if your tree is six feet tall or less you can take your tree to the Green Waste Facility located at 1845 Monroe Blvd.

Layton residents can leave their trees on the curb starting December 27^th through January 15^th to have them picked up.

Similar to Orem, residents of Roy can take their trees to a drop off location.  Many of the parks in the city will have dumpsters for trees only.  The dumpsters will be in place starting December 31^st through January 6^th.

In Washington County you can contact Allied Waste at 435-628-2821 to schedule a pickup for your tree.  This is a free service, you just have to call and plan ahead with Allied Waste.  The tree will typically be picked up on your usual trash pickup day and can be left on the curb for collection.

If you live in an area not mentioned, for example Murray City, contact the sanitation department for the city or county you live in.  Many cities and areas have drop off locations to help with Christmas tree disposal.

Recycling your Christmas tree, no matter how simple, may seem like a chore.  Just keep in mind that it’s only once per year and it’s the thing to do to Be Green.

Shawn, Store Green Team Captian

On November 15^th, Harmons celebrated America Recycles Day.  Previously mentioned on this blog, Harmons watches our diversion rate.  That’s the amount of recycling materials we are able to divert from a landfill to a recycling facility.  I wanted to share some numbers with you.

From January to August of this year, Harmons locations were able to divert over 4 million pounds of cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and paper.

Most of our stores participate in a compost program.  For the same time period listed above, those locations were able to divert 2.4 million pounds of compostable materials.

These numbers are huge and they are growing!  All of our stores have made great strides in being the best at Being Green.

There is a lot that you can do too.  If it’s available in your area and you aren’t already participating in a curbside recycling program, it’s easy to do.  In Salt Lake County, you can recycle at home the same way we do at Harmons.  It’s called comingle recycling.  That is when you are able to put all recyclable materials in to one container.  All of your plastic, paper, metal, and cardboard can go into large blue bins, similar to the large bins you use for your garbage.

For those of you in Washington County, there are many drop-off locations for you to take your recyclable materials to.  You will want to find an easy way to sort the recyclables and then drop off your recyclables to the drop off locations.  We even have them in our parking lot at the D.C. Center Harmons.

There are now many options on the market for composting containers.  In the past composting could be a dirty business—and a smelly one too.  Many of today’s composters are able to be closed up tight to prevent these kinds of problems and complaints.

You may not be able to track a diversion rate like we do at Harmons, but you will notice a marked change in where your waste is going.  At my house, we often fill up the blue recycling container but not the black garbage container.  This would be even truer if we composted.  Not only would our garbage can have hardly any waste in it, but our gardens would be full of valuable nutrients which would minimize or eliminate the need for fertilizers come this spring.

Think about what you can do to reduce, reuse, and recycle.  Little changes can add up quickly to make a huge impact!

Chef Gretchen on a visit to a local recycling facility

Thursday, November 15th is America Recycles Day. Started in 1997, America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day in the USA dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and to buy recycled products. On this day there are thousands of events held across the U.S. to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and to encourage Americans to sign personal pledges to recycle and buy products made from recycled materials.

Harmons will also be celebrating this day by hosting shredding events, using only paper and reusable bags, giving out some reusable bags, and having fun with recycled uniforms.
__________________________________________________________________

Shredding Events on Thursday, November 15th:
Rocky Mountain Document Destruction will provide Free Shredding of Confidential Documents and Hard Drives

Harmons Taylorsville – 5454 S. Redwood Rd
9:00 AM-12:00 PM

Harmons Draper – 672 E. 11400 S.
2:00 PM-5 PM

Bring your confidential documents and hard drives to be shredded on site. All shredded material will be recycled. Open to all businesses and residents, no limit to the amount of material you can bring. Visit rmshred.com/why-shred/knowledge-center/ for information on why it is important to shred sensitive documents.
__________________________________________________________________

FREE Reusable Bags
For those signed up to receive text alerts from Harmons, you will receive a special offer on America Recycles Day. Just show the text on your phone to your cashier and receive a free Harmons reusable bag. (Valid November 15th ONLY, with any purchase. Must show the text message on your phone to the cashier.) To receive this offer and other deals, text HARMONSDEALS to 45995.

Throughout the day we will be randomly giving away reusable bags in all of the stores. We will be using all paper and reusable bags on this day.
__________________________________________________________________

Reused and Recycled Uniforms
On America Recycles Day our front end associates will be practicing the second of the 3 R’s, Reuse. They will be reusing and recycling their own Harmons t-shirts to wear as their uniform for the day. They will be wearing t-shirts from a variety of past Harmons events, sponsored activities, and special days. A lot of the shirts have fun stories behind them, so be sure to ask what their t-shirt is about.
__________________________________________________________________

Over the past several years we have been working hard to improve recycling and diversion efforts throughout the company. The process is ongoing and continually having to adapt to be effective and successful. While we continue to learn and improve, there are a few things we have been working on that we are proud of:

• 6.4 million total pounds of recyclables and green waste have been diverted from landfills between January – August 2012.
•  All Harmons locations (stores, support offices, distribution and design centers) have commingled recycling programs for cardboard, plastic, aluminum, and paper. More than 4 million pounds of just recyclables have been diverted from landfills in the first 8 months of this year.
• 13 locations have green waste diversion programs. Those stores and facilities have diverted 2.4 millions pounds from landfills from January to August.
• In 2011, more than 1.8 million pounds of food was donated to the Utah Food Bank through Harmons Fresh Rescue Program* and customers donations.
• A few years ago we installed dishwashers and provided dishes in our breakrooms to decrease the amount of plastic,paper, and Styrofoam products used by associates on breaks and lunches.
• We conduct audits of our trash (yes, we literally dig through trash) to see how to improve and we give stores and departments grades based on how they are doing.
• Currently 2 stores, City Creek and Emigration Market, use only paper and reusable bags – no plastic.

*The Utah Food Bank’s Grocery Rescue program: “Building partnerships with local grocers has allowed us to receive needed food items that are nearing expiration dates. This highly effective and fast-growing program increases access to perishable foods, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy products.”

Shawn, Store Green Team Captain

Recently my family purchased a house.  This was a very exciting and stressful experience for us, as I am sure it is for anyone who has moved or purchased a home.  So far, for the most part, everything has been really great.  Our dogs have a yard to run in, we were able to move with without making any holes in the walls, and we really love our new appliances.

However, with any home, even homes that are brand new, there are things that need fixing.  Our home was built in 1983, so there are a lot of things that need fixing.  After paying more than we expected on our first electricity bill, we decided the first major upgrade would to be add insulation in our attic.  It turns out we only had about an inch of insulation instead of a nice, thick layer.  So we headed out to the nearest home improvement store.  After looking around at our options for insulation, we decided to purchase insulation made from recycled materials.  This was a great option because not only is the insulation more environmentally friendly, it is better for our health too.   We still wore masks and goggles while installing the new insulation, but we did not have to worry about breathing in fiberglass fibers or getting the fibers in our skin.  And, if as if that wasn’t enough, it was less expensive too.

We also decided to invest in ceiling fans for a few of our rooms.  That way we can keep our thermostat turned to a slightly higher temperature during the summer and still be comfortable.  We made sure to purchase fans with the Energy Star Rating so we can save on energy costs that way too.

Several other small improvements have come up as well.  I made sure to replace the light bulbs with CFL light bulbs.  They may cost more upfront but the amount of savings during the life of the bulb is well worth it.  We planted a tree in our backyard for some added shade.  It will be a few years before the tree is large enough to provide shade, but it will provide much needed relief from the sun on that side of the house.  The weather stripping around our front door has been replaced.  This was a quick and inexpensive way of making sure that the cool air being generated by our air conditioner wasn’t just being sucked out of the house.  And of course come this winter, there won’t be a cold breeze blowing through the front door either.

There are times though when a cool breeze is welcome.  Just yesterday I had screens put in all the windows.  Because the weather is starting to turn, we were able to open our windows to let in some natural airflow.  And with that, our air conditioner was turned off completely!

Here at Harmons we try to be the best at getting better.  There are always ways to improve.  So look around your house and see if you can find ways to reduce your energy costs.  Not only is it the right thing to do, it will save you money too.

Have a bunch of papers, maybe with sensitive material, that you need to get rid of safely? Bring them by Harmons City Creek today until noon and Rocky Mountain Document Destruction will shred the paper for free.

Shawn, Store Green Team Captian

One of the ways Harmons knows if we are doing well at recycling is tracking our diversion rate.  That is, how many tons of waste are we diverting from a landfill to a recycling facility.  If we did not do any recycling, we would have a 0% diversion rate.  Through our current efforts many of our stores that are able to recycle and compost are somewhere around a 60% diversion rate.  Our goal at right now is to get to 75%, and our ultimate goal is to become a Zero Waste Facility.  In order to be considered a Zero Waste Facility, we need to reach a 90% diversion rate.  So far our Distribution Center is the only part of the company to reach this amazing goal.

One of the greatest culprits preventing us from reaching our goals is contamination.  When a load of recycling materials is contaminated it can no longer be recycled and it will be taken to the landfill.  Therefore, a contaminated load does not get counted as part of our diversion rate.  To make matters worse, it costs the company extra money because we have to pay extra transportation costs to take the waste to the landfill.  And because the load is transported by truck, we contribute more air pollution too.

Contamination can be many different things.  In a recent contaminated load from one of our stores, there was a broken pallet in the load.  We have also had loads with produce, mayonnaise, and other food stuff acting as the dreaded contaminant.

The best way to prevent contamination is to make sure you throw waste into the correct place.  Have both the blue recycling bin and a garbage can near your work area so you are not tempted to just throw everything into the recycling bin.  Make sure you are aware which bags of waste are recycling and which ones are trash so you don’t throw the wrong bag into the comingle compactor.  Make sure to scrape out containers as completely as possible.  Not only will this ensure little contamination makes it into the recycling can, it will also ensure you aren’t wasting product and contributing to shrink.  In short, take an extra second to think about what you’re throwing away.  If it can’t be recycled, it’s garbage.

Also be aware of contamination at home.  These same concerns apply to recycling everywhere.  At my house I have both a garbage can and a bin (conveniently, it’s green) for recycling.  It’s important to throw the items away in the correct bin.  You may not be able to track a diversion rate at home, but the combined effect of everyone recycling properly can make a huge difference to our environment and the longevity of our landfills.

Shawn, Store Green Team Captain

My name is Shawn Davis. I am the People Support Manager at Harmons District and I am also the Green Team Captain at my store.

Green Teams can be found in every Harmons. We help make sure that information and education about our Being Green program is given to all of our associates.

As part of our responsibilities, we meet once every month to talk about what’s working and what’s not when it comes to being green. We brainstorm ideas to get more of our associates to participate, to get the word out about our efforts, and review the results for how well we have done the past month for diverting waste from the landfill to a recycling facility.

One of the most important tools the Green Team has to ensure our stores are doing all we can to recycle and compost is the Green Team Audit. We split up the team into groups and each group is assigned a department or two. Once in the department, the team members physically dig through the garbage and recycle bins. It can be a yucky job sometimes, but it’s the only way to ensure we are recycling and composting properly. Each department gets a grade and the store as a whole gets an average grade.

The Green Team Audits let us know which departments need more help to recycle and compost. They also can help encourage departments to do better by setting goals to reach for the A grade. We can even challenge departments to compete to see who can recycle better at the next audit. Can you imagine a Bakery and Delicatessen trying to out-recycle one another?

At the meetings held at District, we always end by conducting our R-Card Drawing. R-Cards are given to those associates who are caught “Being Green” by recycling, composting, turning off lights, doing the dishes, and other helpful Being Green initiatives. The associate who received the R-Card wins $25.00 and the manager or Green Team Member who gave the card receives $5.00. It’s one of the ways we can thank associates for helping Harmons be the best at getting better when it comes to Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling.