In recognition of their contributions to environmental protection, ten Sunnyvale businesses received Environmental Achievement Awards at the Sunnyvale City Council meeting on April 24, 2001. The annual awards are presented in April to coincide with Earth Day, first celebrated on April 22, 1970.

Waste Reduction and Recycling
Amdahl Corporation
Savory & Sweet
Telesensory
Fara’s Hallmark
Silicon Valley WAVE
Resource Area for Teachers

Pollution Prevention
Drycal Corporation, Royal Cleaners
Menlo Equities

Transportation and Energy Efficiency
DeAnza College
Maple Tree Inn

About the Winners...

Amdahl Corporation
Waste Reduction and Recycling Award

Amdahl Corporation has more than 30 years of experience in delivering large-scale computing and client/server technology. The company’s formal waste reduction and recycling program began over 16 years ago. They estimate that hundreds of tons of materials have been recycled, amounting to an over 50% recycling rate, and that they have earned from $150,000 to $1,000,000 per year in net income from the resale of a wide range of recyclable and reusable materials.

Amdahl’s program includes recycling mixed paper, cardboard, beverage containers, toner cartridges, metal, wire, pallets/wood, plastic, foam packaging, fluorescent tubes, construction and demolition waste and CRTs. Employees are encouraged to reuse folders, binders, and packaging. Management also encourages employees to look in surplus storage areas before ordering new equipment. The company donates furniture and other office equipment to schools and donates perishable food to Second Harvest. In order to reduce waste, bulk pump dispensers are provided for condiments, the company often purchases used furniture, and employees are encouraged to make double-sided copies and to e-mail. To complete the recycling "loop," Amdahl purchases recycled content products such as paper, office supplies, toilet tissue, paper towels, napkins, seat covers, packaging materials, and toner cartridges.

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Savory & Sweet Inc.
Waste Reduction and Recycling Award

Savory & Sweet Inc. is a catering company with a vision of "Zero Waste" that specializes in "...scratch-made, quality foods". About 18 months ago, the company designed and implemented an Environmental Policy to identify and introduce sustainable practices. This policy, posted on the company's web site, focuses on diverting their waste stream towards reuse and recycling by separating recyclables, practicing double-sided printing and copying, reusing paper, purchasing in bulk from less wasteful vendors, and by composting food waste.

With this policy in place, the company began diverting food waste through the use of an on-site in-vessel composter. This practice reduced the company’s garbage volume by over 60% in the last 12 months. Savory & Sweet continues to pursue the possibilities of becoming a "Zero Waste" facility

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Telesensory
Waste Reduction and Recycling Award

For over 30 years, Telesensory has been designing and manufacturing products for people who are visually impaired. The company’s recycling program began 12 years ago and it has been developed to include the recycling of office paper, cardboard, pallets, styrofoam, beverage containers, metals, batteries and other hazardous waste. The company sells their scrap electrical components for reuse and donates unwanted office supplies, furniture, and computers to a variety of companies including the Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT). In addition, employees often take unwanted plastic bags home for reuse. The company estimates that it has cut its trash volume by 50% which translates into about $3500 per year in savings.

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Fara’s Hallmark
Waste Reduction and Recycling

Fara’s Hallmark is a gift store located in Loehmann’s Plaza. This company’s recycling program has been in place for 3 years. They recycle paper, cardboard, beverage containers, and take home any other recyclables to place in their personal curbside recycling bins. The company uses junk mail and the back sides of paper as notepads, buys in bulk, minimizes its use of packaging materials, and has employees use ceramic mugs rather than disposable cups. The company also buys recycled-content paper whenever possible. Fara’s Hallmark believes that by teaching employees to recycle at work, it can also influence them to recycle at home.

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Silicon Valley WAVE
Waste Reduction and Recycling Award

The Silicon Valley WAVE is a 724,589 square foot enclosed shopping center composed of three major department stores and 85 specialty stores, restaurants, and services. Over a year ago, WAVE developed and implemented a cardboard recycling program to divert the large amounts of cardboard that had previously gone into their garbage containers. Although the challenge of implementing a simple and convenient cardboard recycling program that every store would participate in was daunting, WAVE organized centralized drop-off locations for merchants and dedicated maintenance staff to collect and transport the cardboard to the cardboard compactor where it would then be processed for recycling.

To encourage participation in its cardboard recycling program, WAVE sent an informational kick-off memo to all merchants, included cardboard recycling information in its Tenant Handbook and in its newsletter, Wavelength, and posted signs on the cardboard recycling bins. Since beginning its recycling program in January 2000, the Silicon Valley WAVE has collected more than 109 tons of cardboard for recycling

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Resource Area for Teachers
Waste Reduction and Recycling Award

The Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT) is a non-profit organization that stores unneeded equipment and materials from businesses and makes them available to its members, which include teachers and community groups, for reuse. The over 4,600 current RAFT members creatively reuse donated materials like old stationery, fabric scraps, and Styrofoam in their math, science, and art classes. RAFT also provides demonstrations, workshops, and networking opportunities for its members who are reaching nearly 600,000 children annually.

For over 6 years, RAFT has been successful in providing teachers with unique learning materials, while protecting the environment by showing how even the most unusual items can be reused–not thrown out. Thanks to RAFT support, over 200,000 cubic feet of unneeded items are kept out of the landfill every year.

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Drycal Corporation, Royal Cleaners
Pollution Prevention Award

Royal Cleaners has installed the GreenEarth dry-cleaning system, which has abolished the need to use percholorethylene (perc) in its dry-cleaning process. Percholorethylene, which is used in other dry-cleaning operations, has the potential to pollute the groundwater and cause air pollution. Due to these environmental dangers, Royal Cleaners chose to invest in a new technology that will provide a great environmental benefit to the community.

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Menlo Equities
Pollution Prevention Award

Mathilda Research Center incorporated preventative stormwater control measures during the construction of the building. This Storm Water Pollution Protection Plan restricted construction activity pollutants from entering the storm water drainage system. There were also long term measures installed in the construction of the facility to control stormwater runoff. Bioswales were installed to trap parking lot soot, dirt or mud from landscaping and fuel/oil from automobiles, gathered in the running storm water as it flows from the parking lot to the storm drain inlet. This parking lot was also graded so that the stormwater runoff flows into the biowales.

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De Anza College
Transportation & Energy Efficiency Award

One out of every six students at De Anza College is a Sunnyvale resident, and this college does its part to promote the environmental well-being of the community. Through a partnership with the California Energy Commission, the College has helped to develop a statewide Energy Management training program for community college personnel. Through this program, community college personal that deal with heating, cooling, and lighting systems within their institutions have been educated on the environmentally responsible way to achieve these goals. The school is also building a "green building" to house the Kirsch Center for Environmental Studies. This building will incorporate the "whole building" design that "maximizes building systems to minimize energy use, environmental impact, and operating costs while maximizing occupant comfort and productivity." This building will have recycled steel framing and masonry, rooftop photovoltaic panels, thermal mass in the floors, rainwater collection for use in irrigation, nontoxic components in flooring and paints, and passive solar design techniques incorporated into its structure.

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The Maple Tree Inn provided Eco-Passes to all of its forty-five employees. The hotel purchases a bus pass for every employee, which reduces the number of cars that are on the road, and reduces air pollution. Sixty-five percent of the hotel’s employees use the Eco-pass for transportation to and from work and 85% use the Eco-Pass for weekend and leisure transportation. Employees are able to help the environment, reduce air pollution, and save money on transportation expenses. Maple Tree Inn has seen an added benefit in the morale of its employees and a higher employee retention rate.

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