Gilroy
– Only one business in Gilroy is recognized by Santa Clara
County as an environmentally friendly place.
South Santa Clara County Regional Occupational Program in Gilroy
received certification this year from the county’s Green Business
Program.
Gilroy – Only one business in Gilroy is recognized by Santa Clara County as an environmentally friendly place.
South Santa Clara County Regional Occupational Program in Gilroy received certification this year from the county’s Green Business Program. The program applauds businesses that make efforts to prevent pollution, protect water quality, conserve water and energy, reduce waste and increase recycling by filling out an application and requirement checklist.
Joaos Gardening, Gilroy Toyota and Metech International – a material-processing company – are other Gilroy businesses working towards certification, said Gretchen Hefner, spokeswoman for the county program.
“A lot of times, the businesses are fairly motivated by wanting to do things that are good for the environment,” she said. “And everybody wins. The boss wants to save money, and the employees want to help the environment.”
Through the program, Pacific Gas and Electric and the Santa Clara Valley Water District perform free audits for companies that want to become certified. PG&E and the water district tell the businesses what they could do to save money by reducing the amount of energy and water they use.
The most common change businesses make to cut back on energy consumption is reducing fluorescent lighting in their buildings, Hefner said. To reduce water consumption, many businesses install ultra-low-flow toilets, which the water district can supply to businesses at low or no cost, Hefner said.
David Matuszak, director of ROP-South, said his company became certified not only to help the environment, but also to improve workplace conditions and trim the budget.
“We’re in a stand-alone building, and our Monday morning staff meetings were cold after the weekends,” he said. “We installed a programmable thermostat, and it really helped. A lot of times, people don’t think of a programmable thermostat as something that could help the environment, but it is. There’s much more to the program than just recycling.”
Although Matuszak said he hasn’t been tracking the company’s utility bills, he knows they’ve steadily decreased.
“The other day, I realized my utility bills at home might be higher than they are at work,” he said.
The county launched the program about five years ago. Currently, 33 business in San Jose, nine in Palo Alto, five in Morgan Hill and one in Gilroy participate. Sunnyvale just joined the program this year, Hefner said, and has not yet had a business certified.
Certified businesses in Morgan Hill include Eco-Care Professional Housecleaning, Education Data Systems, the Anritsu Co. and Comcast Cable, which is saving about $6,000 a year by reducing energy consumption, Hefner said.
The program is open to any business or government agency in the county. There are different requirements for different types of businesses such as hotels, offices and retailers, restaurants, landscapers and general businesses. Additional measures are required for businesses with more than 100 employees.
For more information call 441-1198, ext. 4450.
