Carmel Building and Design | Our Green Office

ABOUT CARMEL BUILDING & DESIGN
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Green Office
When we moved into our office in 2007, it needed a lot of work. This challenge proved itself to be very positive, though, because it gave us an opportunity to learn about and use greener products. Our office would be our showcase of sustainable techniques, finishes, and materials. We found out first-hand how beautiful “green” is.

We kept our old furniture, and supplemented it with handmade tables from recycled-content Paperstone. The walls and ceiling are finished with zero VOC natural clay plaster and lime plaster, zero VOC paint, and sorghum plywood. We practiced advanced framing techniques on the new walls and finished the wood surfaces with natural tung oil. We chose decorative recycled content window coverings to allow for maximum day-lighting while still providing some privacy. Under our feet we have only natural surfaces: cork, wool carpeting, linoleum, and stone. We are also proud to have the work of local artists on our walls.

As important as materials are, the philosophy of sustainability must come through in daily actions. We are proud to have completed the certification process for the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program. They gave us credit for things like printing on both sides of office paper (100% post-consumer waste) and our switch from making hardcopy document backups to electronic versions. Our “Sustainable Building” brochure was printed on tree-free paper with vegetable-based inks and our promotional pieces are notebooks made from retired blueprints. We have also used our plan copier’s “green plan” recycled paper option.

Our employee kitchen is stocked with reusable utensils, mugs, and dishes with environmentally friendly cleaning products. Like most people these days, we always recycle our print cartridges and batteries. We even have preferential purchasing for our office supplies, which include recycled wood pencils, binders, notebooks, and clipboards. The Green Business Program also helped by providing special receptacles that have helped us recycle the majority of our office waste.

Some of the additional features and practices that have helped us achieve our Green Office include:
• Web-hosting company is 100% solar powered (without energy credits)
• Turn off our electronics when we leave
• Recycling containers
• Day lighting
• Safely dispose of our batteries, but give preference to our rechargeable supply
• Switched to electronic copies of billing packages, formerly the largest usage of paper
• Leftover packaging materials, peanuts, bubble wrap, etc. are brought to the nearby shipping store for reuse
• A company car and an employee car are hybrids; one employee car uses waste oil biodiesel; one employee telecommutes; and several employees carpool, ride motorcycles or use alternate smaller vehicles when their larger trucks are not needed.

TEL 831-626-8606
FAX 831-626-8607 info@carmelbuilding.com
License #786482