Wish You Were Here: Mars Drinks forms partnership to be cleaner and greener

It's rare that a company could combine two things I truly love -- coffee and promoting greener living -- but it seems Mars drinks has done it.

Mars Drinks, makers of single-serve beverages served in offices and law firms around the country, is partnering with TerraCycle to help decrease the amount of waste from its packaging. TerraCycle will take used FLAVIA fresh packs and turn them into high-quality office products such as pencil cases and notebooks — and compost coffee grounds once they’ve been brewed.

The TerraCycle partnership is the latest addition to “Thirsty for Change,” Mars Drinks’ sustainability platform that includes:
* Achieving Rainforest Alliance Certification for their 3 most popular beverages -- House Blend, Kona Blend and Breakfast Blend. This certification ensures that the coffee used in FLAVIA’s fresh packs comes from farms where forests are protected; rivers, soils and wildlife are conserved; and workers are treated with respect, paid decent wages, properly equipped and given access to education and medical care.
* Changes to the brewer, fresh packs, cups merchandiser and rail to be more green, including using recycled materials and consuming less energy.
* An innovative waste-to-energy program that turns used fresh packs into energy. If all used fresh packs were included in this program, enough energy would be generated to light up to 20,000 homes for a year.

Inspired? Click below for EBN coverage on going green:
* HR/benefits firm focuses on "green awareness" services
* Telework: A green solution for the 21st century's employee crisis

Tip of the Day: It's Earth Month, so 'PayItGreen'

April is Earth Month (Earth Day is April 22) and May is Direct Deposit Month, so use both as an opportunity to help save the planet and your company bottom line.

According to the folks at PayItGreen, paying employees via direct deposit has saved U.S. businesses a total of $6.7 billion over the past 10 years, an average annual savings of $605 million -- nothing to sneeze at in these tough times.

Breaking it down even further, the organization finds that in one year, if every U.S. employee with access to direct deposit used it, it annually can:
- Save 11,082,971 pounds of paper.
- Avoid the release of 105,709,380 gallons of wastewater.
- Save 4,105,889 gallons of gas.
- Avoid the release of 31,581,675 pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, equivalent to 112,329,703 miles not driven; 1,345,379 trees planted and 13,756,978 square feet of forest preserved.

Visit ElectronicPayments.org (click the Business tab) to calculate your company's specific payroll savings by using the direct deposit cost calculator.

News You Can Use: Go Green, reduce sick days

It's that time of year again. Just when it seems that the half of your office down with a cold or flu recovers, the other half goes out on sick leave or struggles through the day, sniffing and sneezing at their desk.

The World Health Organization estimates that the cost of influenza to the U.S. economy in terms of health care costs and lost productivity can range from $71 billion to $167 billion a year.

In order to combat illness, consider latching on to the industry's hottest trend - green cleaning!

"Green cleaning provides demonstrable benefits to improved indoor environmental utility that directly relates to decreased absenteeism and increased productivity. As a tenant leasing space in a building, you want to lease space that will provide the healthiest possible environment for your occupants," said Keith Schneringer, President of USGBC San Diego.

Cleaning products can contribute to indoor air quality problems as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporate and are circulated through the building's ventilation system. Indoor air is often several times more contaminated than outdoor air, and allergic reactions to unhealthy environments account for more than 10 million workdays missed by U.S. employees each year.

By replacing products that negatively affect indoor environmental quality, the health and productivity of all building occupants is improved.

"…[U]se non-toxic, non-reactive chemicals that have a minimal effect on the environment," said Kurt Lester, partner of Servi-Tek, a green cleaning specialist.

News You Can (and Can't) Use: Encourage employees to 'go green' with vehicle rebates...plus, did you go to a green college?

We've heard ad nauseum rising gas prices, and quite frankly, we're sick of it. But enVista, an Indianapolis, In.-based company, isn't taking the situation lying down. They've introduced "enVista green," a program aimed at improving and protecting the environment.

As part of the program, employees who purchase a vehicle with an EPA fuel rating of 35 mpg or higher receive $2,000. Hybrids with a 35 mpg or lower EPA rating receive $1,000.

"The hybrid rebate program reflects enVista's continued commitment to the environment and offers our team members a way to make a difference while cutting down on their transportation costs," said Jim Barnes, President and CEO of enVista. "Just as our company helps clients eliminate waste and improve efficiencies across their enterprise, we value the importance of doing the same for our environment."

As part of the corporate-wide initiative, started earlier this year, the company also reimburses for using energy-efficient light bulbs and planting trees. Teleworking is a widely-used benefit, and break rooms are free of disposable products.

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And in (semi) related News You Can't (or maybe can) Use:

Where did enVista get the idea for such programs? We're not 100% positive, but perhaps they went to one of the top-ranked "green" schools in Kaplan's 2009 guide. They are (listed alphabetically):

• Arizona State University
• Bates College
• Berea College
• Bowdoin College
• Carleton College
• Carnegie Mellon University
• College of the Atlantic
• Dartmouth College
• Dickinson College
• Duke University
• Grand Valley State University
• Harvard University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Middlebury College
• Oberlin College
• Oregon State University
• Penn State University
• Santa Clara University
• Tufts University
• University of California
• University of New Hampshire
• University of North Carolina
• University of Vermont
• University of Washington
• Yale University, New Haven, CT

Along the same lines, if you're wondering if your career is eco-friendly, here are their top choices:

• Environmental conservation
• Environmental design
• Environmental engineering
• Environmental science
• Geothermal development
• Green interior design
• Hydrology
• Organic agriculture
• Solar energy engineering

  Transportation systems planning