In 2007 and going forward, Tony’s has made a commitment to “go green” like the introduction of our new grocery bag. We chose these bags because they are biodegradable and will decompose in 12 to 24 months in a landfill while our old petroleum-based bags could have taken up to 500 years to decompose.
Behind the scenes, Tony’s has launched several initiatives including the reduction of paper usage and recycling. We estimate that in 2007 we will reduce our paper consumption by 3 tons saving:
•51 trees
•1,388 gallons of oil
•1,760 lbs of air pollution
•9.1 cubic yards land fill
•20,914 gallons of water
•12,230 kilowatts of electricity
We are also reducing our gas consumption by 1200 gallons this year and have a trash recycling program that will reduce 2240 cubic yards landfill space (about the size of half a football field).
We love our all-inclusive recycling program that cuts our trash by 40% and recycles our cooking oil to make biofuel; we are turning off light bulbs and switching off equipment wherever possible; and we really don’t miss all those paper towels! In our offices, we’ve gone almost totally paperless, and have cut our meetings significantly and made other changes to reduce driving. There are even more changes planned for 2007.
While these changes may not be readily apparent to shoppers, they represent a big investment. We’re hoping that reduced costs will offset some of the expenses – and we’re confident that it will make us all more aware of the problems, and the impact each person can make. |
