John Nicholas

Chief Operating Officer

Kerkering, Barberio & Company

 

It’s about using a little bit of common sense: turning off computers when they are not in use, changing to fluorescent light bulbs and becoming cognizant of printing reports—instead of printing them, we read them. Setting the air conditioning system at a higher temperature on weekends keeps the electric bill reasonable. KB is finalizing a contribution to

United Way

by donating half our savings on our electric bill between June and October. We encourage employees to carpool and to use green purchases at home. KB even purchased canvas shopping bags for employees. We have a suggestion box, and we have rewarded some employees with Applebee’s gift cards because of their efforts. We’re part of Sarasota County’s Green Business Partnership, and we display the logo in the office to raise awareness for employees and clients on how to be good corporate citizens.

Tim Holliday

Vice President

Children’s World Uniform Supply

 

Going green was a team effort. When our building was renovated, we chose high-efficiency lighting and ultra low-flow commodes and sinks that shut off automatically. We brainstormed about how we can help the environment, and the employees came up with a lot of the ideas. We recycle soda cans by putting them in portable cardboard dumpsters. We reuse the back side of copies from faxes and from e-mail, and we even use scrap paper for sticky notes. We use refillable printer cartridges and have eliminated paper towel use by using cloth towels we launder once a week. We no longer use Styrofoam cups and use ceramic plates that we wash and reuse. Children’s World recently got involved with Keep Sarasota Beautiful and has received the Beautification Award for our efforts. This is stuff anybody can do. You do not have to spend thousands of dollars to go green—that is the big misconception.

Danamichele Brennen

Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Jackson Hewett Technology 

 

We became a member of the Sarasota County Green Business Partnership in March. Since then we have instituted various recycle programs, including paper, plastic, glass, toner cartridges, CDs and batteries. Our nearly 130 full-time and more than 40 seasonal employees have embraced the “Go Green” spirit. We continually update, inform and educate our employees through our monthly newsletter of the green efforts they can embrace on a daily basis at work and at home. In April, we rolled out a “Go Green!” recognition program where employees get recognized by our green committee for recycling, car pooling, using reusable mugs instead of Styrofoam cups, etc. Our office also participates in the Keep Sarasota County Beautiful Adopt-A-Park program, and in September we adopted Colonial Oaks Park.

Kevin Hennessy

Attorney and Shareholder

Lewis, Longman & Walker 

Our firm’s motto is “Helping Shape Florida’s Future” and we want to be leaders in doing that. It makes sense from an environmental and an economical standpoint. It is a win-win situation. Employees keep each other accountable. Teamwork, and to a lesser extent some good-spirited peer pressure, have been effective motivators. We have adopted and implemented two of the recommended EPA programs: WasteWise and EnergyStar. The firm uses recycled paper products and has reduced almost 50 percent of paper use by implementing double-sided printing. Attorneys file electronically with the courts whenever possible and faxes are received and routed electronically. Water coolers have replaced bottled water, and reusable plates, cups, glasses and utensils are provided in the kitchens to cut down on disposals and make LLW an eco-friendly law firm. If you start with the basics like remembering to turn your lights off, implementing double-sided printing, and recycling bottles and cans, you will find that these practices soon become second nature.”