Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Company

When Oggi’s Headquarters and corporate brewing facility incurred a 385% increase in its Waste Disposal costs, they knew they needed to look for options. Eco-Stream conducted a waste assessment for management with the primary goal to review waste and recycling programs, and with a specific focus on assisting Oggi’s in diverting its spent brewery grains from going to the landfill.

Items identified in the waste stream were such things as: kraft paper sacks, woven poly sacks, plastic banding, and shrink wrap. Other items such as E-waste, paper document files, furnishings, and broken pallets were being properly recycled. The biggest issue in the waste stream was special: it was the spent grains from the brewing process. Fortunately, today those grains are no longer being transported at high cost only to be buried in a landfill, they are now being fed to happy cows on a nearby sustainable cattle ranch.

Agri Service, Inc.

Agri Service, Inc. is “Building Healthy Communities – from the Ground Up”

Eco-Stream works with Agri Service on issues relating to Sustainable Communities and Composting as an integral part of a sustainable system, creating local jobs, reducing waste & expenses, and enhancing local soils. Eco-Stream has assisted Agri Service with community engagement opportunities such as neighborhood meetings, presentations, demonstrations, tours, and classes.

Agri Service operates two fully permitted community compost facilities, one in coastal Southern California, and one in the Coachella Valley growing area. Eco-Stream participates with and advises on municipal and regional stakeholder groups and activities in regard to Waste and Organics Management in these Regions. We also keep abreast of and evaluate legislation and regulation, local, state, and national, which have a potential impact on Sustainable Communities and Composting Infrastructure.

Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas

Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas retained Eco-Stream to assist them with a comprehensive Sustainability Plan and facility-wide implementation strategy. This effort has resulted in a strategy for sound leadership in sustainability, as well as employee and stakeholder engagement. We are working with executive and management level leadership and staff to develop a comprehensive plan with policies, benchmarks, strategic plan initiatives, short and long-term goals, integrated education & implementation strategy, tracking tools, metrics, and reporting.

We are targeting specific focus areas in Facilities Management, Environmental Services, Food & Nutrition Services, Recycling & Waste Management, Purchasing, Transportation, Sustainable Sites, and Education & Outreach Integration. Our comprehensive strategy allows us to integrate the connection between human health and environmental stewardship into decision-making, training, education, and outreach with staff and stakeholders.

Nordson Asymtek

Nordson Asymtek had already established a green team, a green policy, and targeted initiatives when Eco-Stream came on-board to review. Eco-Stream participated in green team meetings, toured the facilities, and met with senior staff to conduct a review and develop next steps for this already successful green team. They get a very high score for a great start, follow-through, and even reporting.

With the energy efficiency lighting upgrades alone at the two Nordson buildings in Carlsbad, they reduced their 2008 vs. 2009 energy use by over 10 percent!

In order to improve participation in the recycling program, plans are being developed for contests, better visual cues, champions, and custodial support. Eco-Stream is also providing assistance on recognition programs such as the Energy Star Challenge and the WRAP (Waste Reduction Awards Program). Besides fine-tuning a paper use reduction strategy, an energy management system for PCs, and an office supply reuse cart, next steps are to begin looking more “up-stream”, to their suppliers, for more sustainable products and services.

Legoland California

Eco-Stream began working with Legoland’s15-member “Green Wave” committee in order to review the structure of the team, their areas of focus, strategies, accomplishments, metrics, and goals.

Besides being wowed by the ‘recycling culture” they have built at the park, one of our findings was that the Green Wave has a good array of green team participants from various levels and departments. This presents an opportunity going forward to facilitate an “up-stream” strategy in purchasing decisions. Legoland buys a lot of stuff. And we all buy a lot of stuff when we are there! This is a great opportunity for Environmentally Preferable Purchasing.

A next step for Legoland is to develop an umbrella list of all departments using green products and procedures. These can be compiled into a current sustainability report for stakeholder engagement. This report, along with any baseline data in key areas of operation, can be used to raise awareness and to prepare a comprehensive sustainability plan and strategy.

Four Seasons Aviara Resort

Working with executive staff, Eco-Stream conducted a high-level review of the Aviara Resort Environmental Committee, its successes and failures, and next steps.

One of our most interesting findings was in regard to “sustainability integration” within the business. After a multi-year court battle, the Four Seasons was removed as the resident hotel management company and replaced with a Park Hyatt team. During this period of uncertainty, the environmental committee dwindled and tracking of on-going sustainability programs was hindered. When sustainability is embedded into decision-making across the company, even with a change in management, the programs will remain more successful.

Next steps for the new Park Hyatt Aviara are to reinvigorate the green team, establish baselines of performance in key areas, and develop a strategy to integrate core concepts of sustainability and savings across the operation.