This month Casey Printing became the first business in South Monterey County to receive the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program certification. The M.B.A Green Business Program is a partnership of environmental agencies, professional associates, waste management agencies and a concerned public working together to recognize and assist businesses that operate in an environmentally friendly manner. To be certified “green,” participants must be in compliance with all set regulations and meet program standards for conserving resources, preventing pollution and minimizing waste.

Casey Printing has long been committed to Green Business and environmental stewardship. Recently, Casey Printing was recognized by PG&E for its conservation efforts. Last winter, Casey Printing used 27% less natural gas on average than in winters past. In addition to the expected cost savings, Casey Printing also received a 10% invoice credit.

Other long-standing “green programs” include a facility-wide recycling program, utilization of more environmentally friendly materials such as recycled paper and soy-based inks, and a Press Operators waste incentive program. Under this program, press operators are granted monetary rewards for reducing waste during production runs.

As another part of Casey Printing’s ongoing commitment to engage in more environmentally friendly business practices, a new HVAC system has been installed that will allow for more automation and much more efficient energy consumption.
The new system is set to take advantage of the cool early morning air and chills the building to the low 70’s. The AC does this by running in “economizer” mode and drawing in cool air from outside rather than running compressors. Later, as the day warms up and energy demand (and power company rates) goes up, the set points go up to the mid 70’s on order to reduce energy consumption.

The plant has also been divided into many zones. Each zone has it’s own schedule for heating, cooling and fan ventilation. The system is set to run in un-occupied mode after hours, weekends and holidays. During these times, cooling set points are raised to the mid 80’s and heating is set in the mid 50’s.

Each thermostat can be overridden locally. For example, if someone needs to work on a Saturday and the office is too hot, the employee can simply cool the zone they are working in. The new setting will last two hours before reverting to the programmed setting.

“I expect the new controls will help us save a dramatic amount of energy while doing a better job of maintaining comfortable temperatures,” says Bill Casey, Plant Manager.
Greener business practices offer benefits for all parties concerned. Most importantly, they offer a way for business to work in a conservative and environmentally responsible manner in order to provide for a better, cleaner future for everyone. Green Business practices also allow business, such as Casey Printing, to operate in a more efficient manner, reducing costs. These savings can then be passed on to the customer in the form of more competitive pricing.

For more information about Casey Printing’s Sustainability Initiative, please visit http://www.caseyprinting.com/sustainability.php.

For more information aboutthe Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program, please visit http://www.montereybaygreenbusiness.org