What is YOUR sustainability message?

The renovation and expansion at Miron’s corporate office received LEED Gold. Sustainable features of the facility include a cool roof, direct views to the outdoors, daylighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and a geothermal heating/cooling system.
The renovation and expansion at Miron’s corporate office received LEED Gold. Sustainable features of the facility include a cool roof, direct views to the outdoors, daylighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and a geothermal heating/cooling system.

Here you will find a variety of sustainability messages, from manufacturers and contractors of all different sizes. We invite you to share with us YOUR company’s sustainability message.

Kohler Co.

Environmental sustainability takes many forms at Kohler Co. – from designing more water-efficient plumbing products and restoring iconic buildings to manufacturing polypropylene resin engine covers made from recycled carpet to associates completing hundreds of projects in-house to reduce the company’s environmental footprint. Sustainability is a journey that many of our 30,000 global associates have embraced.

Kohler has created a story-sharing platform to highlight the successes around sustainability achieved by our associates, channel partners and consumers. Their stories are now being told on a new blog called Believing In Better.

 “As we continue down our sustainability journey, we have much to learn, but also much to share,” says Rob Zimmerman, senior channel manager-sustainability. “That’s why we created this interactive platform.”

Story-sharing on the blog is focused around four pillars, including the company heritage, process efficiency, product innovation and associates’ actions. We also encourage participation on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @kohler via the hashtag #believinginbetter.

Kohler showcases myriad achievements centered on the idea of betterment in Believing In Better blog posts, such as:

  • collaborating with a national organization to plant 1 million trees in China to help support the country’s ecological system
  • saving hundreds of Many Glacier Hotel’s (Montana) century-old cast iron fixtures headed for scrap heap by reenameling them to look new and last another 100 years
  • donating discontinued plumbing products to World Vision, a non-profit organization that distributes donated goods to under-resourced communities across the United States
  • repurposing used water from its plant in Reynosa, Mexico, to irrigate a nearby soccer field which now hosts friendly neighborhood matches
  • constructing new facilities in Zibo, China, and Kohler, Wisconsin, which have achieved LEED Gold accreditation from the United States Green Building Council
  • achieving its sixth consecutive WaterSense award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, including the inaugural 2013 Sustained Excellence Award for Kohler’s ongoing commitment in product development and education/awareness in water efficiency

In 2008, Kohler Co. formalized its three-plank sustainability strategy: (1) reducing its environmental footprint (greenhouse gas emissions and landfill disposal of solid waste) to Net Zero by 2035 with offsets; (2) developing more environmentally favorable products; and (3) driving awareness and education around sustainability and water/energy conservation.

“Since launching our sustainability strategy, we’re making progress because of the efforts of our associates, who led or participated in footprint reduction projects at our facilities worldwide,” says Zimmerman.  “We are also ahead of our sales target for more environmentally favorable products.”

Click here for more sustainability information from Kohler Co.

Miron Construction Co. Inc.

Miron Construction Co. Inc.'s sustainability mission is to lead by example to demonstrate the benefits of the triple bottom line: people, planet and payback through education, corporate culture and practical construction solutions.

Sustainable Initiatives

Sustainability is one of Miron’s key drivers and is an integral part of our corporate culture. To demonstrate our commitment to environmental stewardship, we have launched corporate-wide sustainability initiatives that have been integrated into our business practices and construction operations, which are aimed at expanding our teams’ green knowledge and capabilities, sharing best practices with our partners and extending sustainable leadership to our clients.

Committed to sustainability, Miron uses its LEED Gold corporate office as a live teaching tool to provide visitors hands-on opportunities to learn about the synergies of sustainable features and systems. We not only believe, but know first-hand, that sustainable design, construction and facility operation are necessary to enhance the health and well-being of building occupants, minimize environmental impacts and directly impact economic prosperity.

We also know that social responsibility is equally important. To demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and serving as an example throughout the community, we strive to engage and inspire members of the Miron family through our iChoose employee sustainability benefits program.

LEED Professionals

Miron’s reputation and credibility distinguish the company as a leader in the green building movement. Miron’s team of more than 100 LEED professionals includes LEED Green Associates, LEED Accredited Professionals with Building, Design + Construction specialties, and a LEED Fellow (credentialed by Green Building Certification Institute) who have successfully demonstrated their knowledge and experience in building Miron’s LEED project portfolio and creating a sustainable culture within Miron. As active members of USGBC, Center for Green Schools at USGBC, and WGBA, Miron has the privilege and honor of being selected to participate as one of 122 projects worldwide in the LEEDv4 Beta program, serve as a presenter at national green conferences and testify at legislative briefings on the economic benefits of efficient and high-performance buildings.

Click here for more sustainability information from Miron.

For a complete, interactive version of this article, click here to download the Spring 2014 issue of Sustainable Construction.

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