Innovation
A new building
How Ben Venue cleaned up a site and built a green building on it
Smart Business Cleveland | February 2009
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Ben Venue Laboratories Inc. has shown multiple commitments to reducing its carbon footprint. In 1999, the sterile manufacturer of injectable drugs entered into the OEPA Voluntary Action Plan to clean up contaminated property. The site was the former home of numerous industrial and commercial operations since the 1900s, and under the guidance of OEPA and a certified VAP professional, Ben Venue removed 8,500 tons of contaminated soil. Today, this property is home to the company’s newest 91,000-square-foot addition to its campus, and it has also been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council.
This new building has also been submitted for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver recognition this year. The design includes many innovative technologies, including energy-efficient lighting and equipment design, which includes automatic on/off lighting controls, day lighting and HVAC occupancy controls. The building also contains water-efficient plumbing and water-efficient landscaping by using plants native to this climate. The building itself is constructed of recycled building materials and recycled construction debris and local building materials. Throughout the building, there is improved air quality by using low-emitting flooring, paints and adhesives. On top of all this, there is covered bicycle storage.
Employees, including Tom Murphy, the company’s president, are actively encouraged to participate in efforts to enhance the environment, reduce waste and minimize harm to the environment. They started a Waste Minimization and Recycling Team in 2005 to identify routes to recycle waste streams. Through these efforts, they’ve saved valuable landfill space and seen a significant reduction in waste disposal costs for the company. They’ve implemented desk-side, no-sort recycling for cans, bottles, paper, plastic and cardboard. Other recyclable streams include metals, construction debris, wooden pallets, glass vials and fluorescent bulbs. Ben Venue saw the recycling and reuse of 35 tons of material in 2005, 360 tons in 2006 and 730 tons in 2007, and it is seeing the effects in its wallet, too. These efforts saved the company $23,000. Additionally Ben Venue began recycling rejected drug products that contained platinum, and doing this, gave them a return of $100,000 in 2007. On top of those savings, a water reclamation system was installed, which saved more than 7 million gallons of water in 2006, which was a cost savings of $57,000.
HOW TO REACH: Ben Venue Laboratories Inc., (440) 232-3320 or www.benvenue.com
