EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2017 | Page 30

I
n today’s political climate, the question of the need for roughly the size of Singapore’s entire economy. As WasteZero
environmental protection feels uncertain because of retracted illustrates we are in essence throwing away more teachers,
federal policies and refused international agreements. While improved roads and better opportunity.
climate change and global warming have remained contentious
As a producer of goods, a service-provider or simply one who
subjects, as business, perhaps the motivation to recycle, reduce works in these professions, we can certainly take measures to
and reuse can be understood through more mutually agreed reduce our waste footprint through more conscientious choices. The
upon terms. EPA promotes behavior like considering the amount of material for
If we consider the environment as what we visually see then we
packaging. This effort is supported by industry with the Sustainable
can likely agree that litter-free places appeal to our aesthetic senses. Packaging Coalition, a working group including conglomerates
Whether walking down a main street or taking in an ocean view, the like Unilever, dedicated to a more robust environmental vision
sight of strewn trash and detritus creates an unpleasant experience. for packaging. According to the EPA, simple contributions
Alongside the negative qualitative effects of litter, the quantitative by employees can also make a difference, such as bringing in
cost for cleanup, according to the Keep America Beautiful initiative, silverware and cups to work rather than using disposable items.
is more than $11.5 billion each year in the US. And businesses pay And finally, the EPA also promotes buying used. You can find
about 80% of this cost or roughly $9.1 billion. almost everything used, even building materials at specialized reuse
As a business-owner, there is an immeasurable benefit to clean
centers. Acet Recycling, a company headquartered in Port Orange,
streets. Local governments across the country appear to concur, has for over 25 years found customers in those who choose to buy
offering a variety of Beautification Grants to promote high quality used. Acet, with several offices throughout Florida, specializes in
neighborhoods and business districts. full concrete and asphalt recycling services. Owner Scott Drewry
Inherent to recycling is the habit of placing items in receptacles;
inherent to reducing is the decrease in items to litter; and inherent
to reusing is the repurposing of an item rather than flinging it to
the ground.
TALKING TRASH
Every year, Americans create 258 million tons of trash according
to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That’s the equivalent
of over 1,500 pounds per person (newborns included)! Is this
amount of waste necessary?
Consider stats from the University of Southern Indiana: the
says, “We are recycling the past to literally rebuild the future.”
DOLLARS ARE GREEN
While China surpassed the U.S. in 2010 to become the world’s
biggest energy consumer by country according to the International
Energy Agency, the U.S. remained the biggest energy consumer per
capita. According to IEA, the average American consumes annually
five times more energy than the average Chinese citizen.
In our home lives we see monthly the price
we pay for electricity and water. As we increase
our usage so goes our bills. So as a business-
U.S. is the number one trash-producing country in the world. This owner, conservation efforts can also reflect
means just 5% of the world’s people generate 40% of the world’s positively to the bottom line.
waste. Each year, we as a nation discard 25 billion Styrofoam coffee
John Wanamaker, partner at Coldwell
cups, 1.6 billion pens, 220 million car tires, and enough aluminum Commercial AI Group in Orange City, is both a
to rebuild the U.S. commercial air fleet four times over. WasteZero, commercial real estate broker and developer. He
a benefit corporation, re