Green is the word around Executive
Caterers, as the company takes steps
toward helping the environment by incorporating green practices into its daily
routine.
The decision to go green was made after
Harlan Diamond, owner and president of
the Mayfield Heights-based catering company, learned from employees about recycling and composting opportunities. As a
result, the company began working with
environmental organizations including
Earth Watch Ohio and The Renaissance
Group to find ways to become more environmentally friendly, says Michelle
Adelman, Executive Caterers’ director of
marketing.
The Renaissance Group performed an
energy audit at Executive Caterers and
came up with suggestions on ways the
company could improve its impact on
energy usage. Adelman says working
with an outside source allowed the company to look at the overall picture and
see ways it could improve. Finding ways
to go green in an office is simple,
Adelman says.
“Businesses should really start by looking
at their use of everyday common things,
like paper, ink and toilet products,” she
says. “There are other minor things that
they might not really be thinking about, like
switching to fluorescent light bulbs or
using motion sensors.”
Turning off computers and other equipment at night and when you’re out of the
office can also cut down on electricity bills
and save on energy, as can purchasing
products locally or that are less harmful to
the environment, Adelman says.
Executive Caterers also does its part by
donating its used paper to the Mayfield
Heights school district, which earns money
by recycling it.
“Most of the school districts do have this
program in place and would welcome the
opportunity to earn additional money,”
Adelman says.
But to really make a green program work,
you have to get employees involved. You
start by working with a small group of people in core areas on key issues, says
Charles Klass, executive vice president of
Executive Caterers. From there, real
changes begin to be made, and the movement spreads throughout the company until it becomes a way of life within the
organization.
“It’s an interesting process for a company
that has been in business for a long time
when you start looking at how you actually
operate,” Klass says.
While Executive Caterers is still in the
beginning stages of going green, it has
already benefited. After installing a new
heating, ventilating and air conditioning
system, the company has reduced its energy usage by 30 to 40 percent annually and
expects the system to pay for itself.
“As a business, it makes sense because
they’ll save money in the long run,”
Adelman says. “Ultimately, the benefit is to
save our environment from our destruction.”
Adelman says going green is a learning
process, but it is also a great feeling for the
entire company once the movement picks
up and the company begins incorporating
green principles into its everyday operations.
“Going green’s not just about the trash,”
she says. “It’s an overall concept and mind-set about the community coming together
and sticking together. It’s really positive for
growing relationships.”
HOW TO REACH: Executive Caterers, (440) 449-0700 or
www.executivecaterers.com
How to go green
Starting out small is the best way for
companies to incorporate the green
movement, says Charles Klass, executive vice president of Executive Caterers.
“Try and not change the whole company overnight,” he says. “Try and pick the
few areas where you feel you can get
some success. From that, gradually
build and then start looking at other
areas.
“Pick the areas that would be most
productive and least disruptive to the
organization. You don’t want to make
major changes in how they operate in
the beginning.”
Getting support from the top is also an
important ingredient in going green.
“You need to make believers out of the
key people in the company,” Klass says.
“If there’s not support from the top, it’s
going to be hard to implement. You need
a champion in the organization that can
drive the process and expand it and get
some fellow soldiers within the company.”
Executives interested in incorporating
the green movement in their business
practices can get involved with
Entrepreneurs for Sustainability, or E4S,
a networking group of about 4,000
Cleveland-area leaders who put the principles of sustainability into action, share
information about the environment and
promote the green movement among
the business community. The group
hosts networking events on the third
Tuesday of each month in Cleveland and
also hosts other events, including workshops and forums.
HOW TO REACH: Entrepreneurs for Sustainability,
(216) 451-7755 or www.e4s.org
