It’s a Green Thing at HBC

Publish date: 3/16/2009

Go Green! Be Green! Think Green!
The world is in love – or at least obsessed – with the notion of Green.
Green means clean, and this should make Kermit the Frog and all his pond pals pretty elated, as the world is finally catching on to the need to think globally and act locally.

In an effort to be good stewards, HBC developed a task force aimed at lessening our company’s impact on our Earth by analyzing our carbon footprint. We discovered that “going green” can be an overwhelming concept and thus are taking a one-step-at-a-time approach to meeting goals.

HBC began a recycling program in all offices that goes beyond the usual paper, plastic and aluminum, to include used video tapes at our television station. This small step was all HBC needed to jumpstart what has become the HBC Green Project.

Rather than using plastic bags for new customer “welcome kits” and retail purchases, HBC now uses recycled paper bags and reusable, recycled cloth bags.

HBC strongly encourages customers to take advantage of electronic invoicing to reduce paper usage. Customers who choose the electronic invoicing will receive notice via email that their invoice is ready for viewing through the HBC website, accessed with a secure code and password. Customers may pay online, mail their payment or stop by the office.

All user manuals and help guide documentation are now available online. This reduces printing costs and paper usage, but also makes the information more readily available.

What’s next on HBC’s green agenda? We are developing a paper usage reduction plan for internal waste. Electronic purchase order forms and fax software allow for paperless ordering. Steps are being implemented to reduce overall energy consumption. Turn off lights when you leave a room. Power down your PC at the end of the workday. Investigating energy saving light options…

In life, it is always good advice to “set the example, rather than be the example.”
HBC is working hard to do just that.

For more information on the HBC Green Project, please visit our website at my.hbci.com/green