A Responsibly Green™
Company’s Commitment to
Environmental Responsibility
A long-time advocate of Green living, Fimbel Architectural Door Specialties
owner Ed Fimbel III feels that being an environmentally responsible member of
the community is a duty not to be taken lightly. It became a passion that Ed wanted to extend
throughout his company. In 2008, he put together a team within the company to research and
develop the means of becoming Responsibly Green™.
The point person of this team was Erin Fimbel, a recent graduate from the University of
Delaware. There, she was a pro-active member of the student body on behalf of recycling and
pressing environmental issues. Erin was able to find a third party certification program offered
by the Institute for Green Business Certification. They offered a comprehensive outline to
identify and manage areas of our business like solid waste reduction, recycling and reuse, water
and energy efficiency and reduced use, purchasing and packaging alterations, and overall
reduction of our “carbon footprint” to name only a few.
A 29 page, 212 item audit by the Institute for Green Business Certification was performed to
evaluate what Fimbel ADS had accomplished. The Fimbel ADS team inspected all areas of the
offices and shops to determine where improvements were required. Based upon these findings,
we started to implement a companywide program to address these issues. We have been able to
accomplish more than 80 percent of the requirements by following the criteria outlined.
-
The first logical step was the implementation of a companywide recycling program. We
worked with our local disposal company to have recycling-specific containers available
to sort aluminum, cardboard, glass, paper and plastics. These items are now disposed of
in a responsible manner.
-
We researched alternatives to the items used in our offices, replacing paper, ink
cartridges and restroom products with recycled or environmentally friendly products.
Fimbel ADS has also identified and eliminated cleaning products that are harmful to our
environment.
-
Our advertising materials are printed on acid-free recycled paper stock with soy ink.
-
Also addressed were tasks such as replacing lighting needs with more efficient products,
and reducing water waste by providing more efficient fixtures in our restrooms and shop
areas.
Through our IT department supervised by Mike Donatelli, we have re-vamped our entire
infrastructure to be efficient and power conservative.
-
Using Energy Star certified peripherals, a high connectivity, high bandwidth network,
and smart terminal based services, we’ve made electronic communication and data
manipulation easier and faster.
-
Years of information that was stored on paper has been imported into new software
applications. Not only is the information at our fingertips at a moment’s notice, but the
resulting environmental footprint left behind is negligible, at best.
©2009 Fimbel Architectural Door Specialties - All rights reserved.
"USGBC" "LEED" and related logos are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and are used with permission.
“Green Life Smart Life” and related logo © 2008 Green Life Smart Life. Used with permission.
We are trying to educate others in our business by utilizing email whenever possible to eliminate
using fax machines and mailing documents.
-
These efforts have allowed our staff to be more productive, while reducing our waste
exponentially.
-
In the case something does need to be printed, there is a central printer for use by all the
office staff, reducing power and paper consumption.
In our shops we identified the waste from fabrication of our products and searched to find ways to
recycle or donate this waste for use by others.
-
Aluminum cans are recycled for donation to a local charity.
-
Saw dust collected in large volume is picked up by local horse owners to use in their
stables.
-
All scrap metals are collected in a designated container and picked up monthly and
delivered to a recycling center.
A companywide directive was distributed throughout the company describing these efforts. Each
department was provided with recycling containers to continue our efforts.
Fimbel ADS hasn’t stopped with just creating a more environmentally friendly culture within our
company. We have taken this to our products as well, and In 2009 Fimbel ADS became a
member of U.S. Green Building Council. With a globally responsible supply chain, innovative
materials made from recycled scrap, and a strict waste and byproduct recycling and reuse policy;
our products are under review for eligibility to provide LEED credits for Green projects. Bob
Dashnaw, the company Project Manager is our contact in these efforts. Later this year he will be
testing to become a LEED Green Associate. This will help Fimbel ADS become a leader in green
building projects, providing sustainable green products for use in these important projects.
Additionally, we are currently having all of our door series certified to be included in the tax
credit program as outlined in the “Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008” and
“American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009”. This allows homeowners to apply for a tax
credit of up to $1,500 for purchasing and installing these energy efficient doors in their primary
residence.
Ed Fimbel III has also started making Fimbel ADS a visible supporter of green efforts. Through
his direction and commitment to these issues Fimbel ADS has become a sponsor in the Green
Life Smart Life project. Not only is Fimbel ADS a sponsor of this project, we have provided the
Carriage House doors for the project.
It is Ed’s philosophy that we have a moral commitment to be more Responsibly Green™ in our
efforts here at Fimbel ADS. We have dedicated resources to continue our education and practices
to stay Green. Many of the practices we have put into action here at Fimbel ADS have gone far
beyond our humble company. Hopefully with our influence, Our employees and the people we
do business with are taking these issues to heart, helping spread this important message to help
our environment.
©2009 Fimbel Architectural Door Specialties - All rights reserved.
"USGBC" "LEED" and related logos are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and are used with permission.
“Green Life Smart Life” and related logo © 2008 Green Life Smart Life. Used with permission.