MaryBeth Matzek: GreenTier program honors Wisconsin businesses for environmental efforts

This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion.

Kermit the Frog may have sung, “it’s not easy being green,” but businesses and organizations in Wisconsin’s Green Tier are showing it can be done – while not hurting the bottom line.

Administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Green Tier program recognizes and rewards organizations with superior environmental performance who voluntarily exceed legal requirements. Statewide, there are 83 companies representing 247 facilities who are in Green Tier 1 and 7 in Tier 2. Tier 1 is the program’s entry level while Tier 2 is for organizations with a history of superior environmental performance and have an effective Environmental Management System (EMS). There are also four associations who are charter members and looking to help its member companies meet environmental objectives.

Service Litho-Print, a printer, graphics and creative packaging company in Oshkosh, is the latest business to join the program. In its application, the company shared how it conducts annual air-leak audits, installed energy efficient lighting, has a strong recycling program and uses local suppliers as much as possible. For example, 86 percent of production waste was recycled in 2014.

Chief Operating Officer Dan Clark says Service Litho’s commitment to sustainability includes its relationships with customers, suppliers and other business partners. The company also participates in Wisconsin Public Service’s NatureWise program where it purchases energy from cleaner sources, such as locally-sourced wind power and biogas generation.

“Sustainability is not something we do. It’s something we are,” he says.

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