Green products. Green company.

Written by Mark Brouwer

Bird-X pest control products are safe and non-toxic. They modify the environment to teach pests to stay away from problem areas. There’s no continuous application of chemicals and no killing. That saves resources compared to cleaning up pest bird and animal mess.  But how else does Bird-X strive to be a green company?

The Bird-X green office environment makes an “eco-friendly” statement:

Community Garden.  Right outside our front door at our Chicago location is a vegetable and flower garden for the benefit of all Bird-X employees. Honey Locust, Silver Maple and Kentucky Coffee shade trees line the sidewalk outside the building. Landscaping and modifying the environment to make it more attractive is an important part of green company planning.

Smart Printer Strategy.  Instead of having a small, inefficient printer at every desk, we have three large printers that save toner and energy. Staff members are encouraged to e-file and save paper as much as possible.  But when printing is absolutely necessary, we stand up, stretch our legs and walk over to the centralized printers.

Office Recycling.  We keep recycling bins at every workstation. We also audit the material flow to ensure our recycling is going to the proper recycling facility.

Recycled Paper Products.  Our paper towels and toilet paper are made from 100% post-consumer recycled material.

Energy Efficient Lighting.  We use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs and as those die out, we are switching to LED bulbs, which last much longer and use less energy.

Green Products.  Bird-X Plastic Bird Spikes are made from recycled plastic – how cool is that?

Low-Wattage Green Space Heaters.  Employees use Cozy Products low-wattage personal space heaters at workstations to manage individual climate preferences. This allows us to keep the thermostat turned down.

Responsible Computing.  We purchase machines that are refurbished to help reduce landfill computer waste. Retired computers are scrapped for usable parts and then donated to FreeGeek Chicago, a non-profit that responsibly recycles computers.

Being a green company is all about creating the right environment. Just as our products change the environment to deter pest birds; our business environment deters unnecessary waste and pollution.

About the Author

Mark Brouwer is an environmentalist and developer of technology for environmentally friendly companies.