Growing Spaces Conserves Energy on a Daily Basis

See the list our office team members came up with of various steps we take to preserve precious resources. We are “Committed to being a truly Green Company”.

Reduce:

  • Photovoltaic grid tie system: We sell electricity back to the grid. We may be the only off the grid manufacturing place in Pagosa Springs.
  • We minimize our phantom loads by routing all computers through power strips and turning power strips off each night.
  • Extra insulation has been installed on the shop ceiling: foam board with foil paper.
  • Solar powered shop heater: hot air and antifreeze in a radiator. Cuts our heating bill from $300 to $160 using free energy!
  • Solar powered forklift is a big deal in manufacturing, it isn’t a wimpy one, it lifts heavy loads.
  • We use high mpg vehicles when possible.
  • Our domes are entirely solar powered by design, including solar cooling fans, undersoil fans, solar water fountain, and passive solar water tank.
  • Low impact/cost storage spaces.
  • Cottage industry: lumber kits cut at home locations to reduce the size of the facility needed.
  • Some employees bicycle to work.
  • Carpooling by owners and employees as often as possible.
  • The bulk of our promotional and instructional materials are handled electronically rather than paper copy.
  • Employee planting beds provide “locally grown food”.
  • Lunchroom has real dishes, cups, glasses and silverware to avoid use of paper plates, plastic silverware, etc.
  • Lunchroom has a water filter on the tap to avoid the use of bottled water.
  • Lunch provided one to two times a week, reduces employee expense and car use to go get lunch. Many ingredients for the lunch are from the domes.
  • Salad greens grown in the on-site domes are used for employee lunches.
  • Using electronic fax program at our satellite office to minimize paper/ink usage.

Reuse:

  • Composting our vegetable and plant waste on site in the garden beds.
  • Feeding the pests to the fish: sow bugs, slugs.
  • Rainwater catchments for irrigation.
  • Office furniture is secondhand wherever possible, buy locally and reuse.
  • We reuse every file folder, envelope, flip-side of paper.

Recycle:

  • At a recent Green Festival instead of passing out paper brochures, we handed out small pea seed packets with our website address.
  • Utilize pre-owned/recycled domes as “models/demonstrations” on site, even though they aren’t the newest example of our complete beauty.
  • Recycling crates received for shipments going out and recycling crate materials in other construction projects.
  • Practice recycling (not offered on a residential basis in our town) on site.
  • Two sizes of our Growing Domes are available in recycled glazing option.
  • Brochures are printed on recycled paper.
  • The printer bypass tray is filled with recycled paper at all times, for non customer documents.

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