Press Release
Contact:
WI Sustainable Business Council
Tom Eggert
Executive Director
sustain@bus.wisc.edu
608 267-2761
Rockwell Automation.
Troy Pfaff
Environmental Manager
tmpfaff@ra.rockwell.com
414-382-2000
Madison, WI—January 26, 2012
Rockwell Automation is one of the oldest Wisconsin firms to earn Green Professional status under the WI Sustainable Business Council’s Green Masters Program. As a Green Professional, Rockwell Automation has performed actions in each of nine “sustainability areas”, and has earned more than 100 points.
Rockwell Automation has entered the Green Masters Program as one of the highest scoring companies in the state of Wisconsin. “It’s inspiring to see an industry leader remain focused on the principles of sustainability,” says Tom Eggert, Executive Director of the WI Sustainable Business Council. “They’ve installed a green roof at their headquarters, created environmental and corporate responsibility plans, and they’ve achieved high health and safety standards for their employees. By implementing these changes, Rockwell Automation has demonstrated the value and importance of the triple bottom line.”
Rockwell Automation global headquarters is home to the largest green roof in the state of Wisconsin. The roof is a layered system consisting of soil and plant life designed to not only reduce storm water runoff, but also save on energy costs and extend the life of the roof. Storm water continues to be a challenge for the City of Milwaukee. Large storm events cause the local sewerage district to experience overflow events – where untreated sewage is discharged into Lake Michigan. The Rockwell Automation green roof is part of the solution. Preliminary calculations predict the green roof can help eliminate at least 1.3 million gallons of storm water annually from the district system.
Matt Howard City of Milwaukee, Director, Office of Sustainability, added, “This is an outstanding example of community leadership in action to address sustainability challenges. We have to partner and collaborate.”
Employees in Wisconsin learned more about environmental initiatives and had opportunities to recycle batteries and unwanted medicines in an environmentally friendly way. The company hosted more than 15 organizations who promoted their initiatives at an Earth Day showcase, including a series of educational sessions. A Household eCycling Event collected old electronic materials that employees brought in from home. The event lasted just two hours but resulted in the collection of more than 5,100 pounds of electronic scrap including laptops, TVs, keyboards, hard drives, fax machines, VCR’s DVD players and DVRS.
One Rockwell Automation corporate goal is recycling or reclaiming at least 80 percent of solid waste generated while reducing overall solid waste generation. For international shipping loops, the company has switched from wood to reusable plastic pallets, which can last for more than 100 trips compared to only 1.5 trips for a wood pallet.
“We are proud to participate in a program that recognizes the connection between sustainability and competitive business practice,” says Troy Pfaff, Environmental Manager at Rockwell Automation.
The Green Professional designation is the second highest tier in the Green Masters Program established by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Candidates are judged on a comprehensive range of sustainability issues from energy and natural resource use to education outreach and purchasing. 92 Wisconsin businesses participate in the program where the top twenty percent achieve the highest “Green Master” designation. For more information, or a complete list of Green Masters Program participants, go to: http://www.greenmastersprogram.com.
