1. Becoming a more environmentally-friendly business will include simple changes as well as creative thinking. Consider your options by searching our collection of sustainable practices: Remember that what’s good for the earth is also good for the health of your employees and even your bottom line! Zero Waste Energy Efficiency Water & Air Quality Sustainable Office Earth Flag for businesses

2. Zero Waste Recycling Does your office have a recycling service? Yes - Great! Now you can work on increasing how much you recycle by placing more and larger recycling bins around the office, and reducing the amount of garbage bins. Recycling rates drastically increase when it’s easier to find a bin. We also recommend that every recycling bin be labeled with a list of what can/cannot be recycled in order to raise awareness. No - Don’t panic, you’re not alone. We have found other businesses without recycling - usually due to cost issues. Remember that recycling save you money by reducing the amount of garbage you produce. You will be able to cut back on garbage pickups and lower the charges from your garbage company. Until you have an official service you can put out bins for recycling with a sign asking the maintenance crew, “do not collect!” Then employees divide up the task of taking recyclables home on different days of the week. E-waste What do you do with old or broken electronics? Even though an electronic device may not work anymore it still contains valuable materials that can be used again. Make an e-waste collection area for computer/phone equipment, discs, tapes, etc. For proper E-waste recycling, we recommend: SIMS Recycling Solutions 1600 Harvester Rd. West Chicago, IL 60185 (800) 323-1574 www.unitedrecycling.comwww.unitedrecycling.com Do you have unneeded electronics that are in good condition? Donate them! Search for other schools or businesses in the area that may be in need of your unneeded supplies. SCARCE will take calculators, tape players, TV’s, VCRs, and projectors that are still in good condition. These go to schools in need. Finally, you can take appliances to your local Goodwill store.

3. Zero Waste Composting What do you do with your food scraps in the break room? They don’t have to go in the garbage! Let nature recycle your food scraps by implementing a composting program. Indoor composting is usually done with a worm bin. Don’t worry, they don’t smell bad and SCARCE can help you set up a system that is fun, educational, and makes a great soil supplement for gardens. Outdoor composting is done in a bin or pile. There may be an employee who already does this at home and can help set up a system or SCARCE can recommend a system. Finally, you can send food scraps home with employees who are already composting! Hazardous Waste Did you know that medicines, fluorescent bulbs and batteries are considered hazardous waste? Many everyday items contain chemicals that could contaminate our soil, air, and water if they go to a landfill. Make a Hazardous Waste collection bin at the office and contact the following about proper disposal: Hazchem Environmental Corporation 1115 W. National Drive Addison, IL 60101 (630) 458-1910 www.hazchem.comwww.hazchem.com Regional Household Hazardous Waste Facility 1979 Brookdale Rd Naperville, IL 60563 (630) 420-4190 Common Hazardous Waste items include: Household cleaners, drain openers, Paints (oil based only), Mineral spirits, strippers, solvents, Insecticides, herbicides, Flammables, automotive fluids, Fluorescent fixtures, Household batteries, Unknown hazardous substances, Prescription medication

4. Energy Efficiency Electronics Did you know that your computer monitor alone draws up to 80 watts of power? Encourage employees to save energy by turning off their monitors when not at their desk, and turning of ALL appliances at the end of the day. Turning off all electronic equipment on the weekends alone would give you 104 days of energy savings over the course of a year! Lights Here are some tips to start saving energy: Replace incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs use a quarter of the energy to generate the same amount of light, and LED’s use a tenth! Fluorescents do contain mercury that escapes only when they break. If this happens, let the room air out for 10 minutes then clean up the bulb using duct tape. No need to worry if the bulbs never break. Send them to a hazardous waste facility when done. Switch from T8 to T5 fluorescent tubes. T5’s are a newer, more efficient tube. Delamping. Reduce the amount of lights used in areas that are well sunlit during the day. You can also reduce the amount of lights that stay on during the night. Talk to your maintenance crew about your light settings. Apply for a grant to support a lighting energy efficiency project. Offered by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation: www.illinoiscleanenergy.org When buying new appliances, look for the Energy Star symbol indicating that it was designed with energy-efficiency in mind. Heating & Air Conditioning Keeping ducts and vents clean can save you energy costs and ensure that you maintain a consistent temperature for workers. If you have a Johnson Control system, contact them about performing an energy audit.

5. Water & Air Quality Air Cleaning supplies, paints, and floor treatments all affect your office air quality. To improve indoor air quality, get rid of cleaners that come in aerosol cans or contain phosphates. There is a wide variety of green cleaning alternatives available today! Pothos plants are great at absorbing airborne toxins. Put some around the office along with other plants. Water Did you know that 1 in 5 American toilets is leaking? Test your toilets for leaks and get them repaired. When you do this you are thinking globally about the importance of preserving water resources. You are also acting locally and saving money in the process. Way to go! Dual-Flush toilets save water by allowing you to flush with less water if a full flush isn’t necessary. Consider these if you are purchasing new toilets. What do you do with old medications at the office? Don’t rush to flush! Medications should NOT be flushed down the toilet as they are not filtered out at our water treatment plants. Prozac has been detected in Texas fish because people are flushing heir meds. Advise employees to put their medication with Hazardous Waste (details in the Zero Waste section).

6. Sustainable Office Employee Outreach Form a Green Team. A team of employees dedicated to greening the office can generate creative ideas and work together on implementing projects. Some Green Teams leave earth candies on the desks of people who turn off their monitors during lunch as an outreach effort. SCARCE can fill you in on other successful Green Team initiatives. Sustainable Supplies Luckily environmentally-friendly supplies are becoming more widely available every day. The Green Office is a great website for exploring hundreds of options for sustainable office supplies.The Green Office Collection Bins We recommend having the following collection bins available to employees so that you send as little as possible to the landfill! Recycling see Zero Waste Scrap paper printed on only 1 side Hazardous Waste see Zero Waste Eye Glasses & Old Keys contact your local Lions Club Old American Flags contact your local American Legion about proper disposal Your Building Green roofs keep buildings cooler, help manage stormwater, and improve air quality. Consider greening your roof. Funding may be available through a DuPage County grant. Contact Veronica at the Stormwater Management office at (630) 407-6719. Bike racks invite employees to bike to work and improve their health and air in the process.

7. Earning an Earth Flag Requirements: 1.Kickoff the Program at a staff meeting. 2.Implement an ongoing recycling program at your office. 3.Volunteer at a community event that benefits the environment. 4.Sponsor a waste or energy reduction activity (e.g. a collection event, composting). The following businesses have already earned their Earth Flag: Conservation Foundation of Dupage County Cantigny Park Morton Arboretum NOW Foods SIMS Subaru Corporate Offices WDSRA Whole Foods - Wheaton Whole Foods - Willowbrook Wyndemere Retirement Home Picture credits: http://www.answers.com/topic/earth-dayhttp://www.answers.com/topic/earth-day http://www.denvergov.org/recoth/LearntoCompostClasses/tabid/425855/Default.aspx http://www.larose.com/send_plants/pothos_plant_on_a_pole/ http://www.thegreenoffice.com http://www.denvergov.org/recoth/LearntoCompostClasses/tabid/425855/Default.aspx http://www.larose.com/send_plants/pothos_plant_on_a_pole/http://www.thegreenoffice.com Contact us to get started: SCARCE 799 Roosevelt Rd. Building 2, Suite 108 Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (630) 545-9710 www.bookrescue.orgwww.bookrescue.org ecoed@sbcglobal.net