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Greener, Too, On the Other Side
Like clubs, the industry’s suppliers are taking better care of the environment
If you’ve been paying attention—that is, if you’ve read the periodic feature and/or the monthly “Green Scene” column that appears in CBI—then you’re fully aware that, over the past few years, clubs have made dramatic strides with respect to preserving and protecting the environment.
What you may be less aware of is that the industry’s manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, and other vendors are equally concerned about the ecological state of the world and committed to doing whatever they can to improve it. They’re not only producing products and offering services that are designed to help clubs become as “green” as possible, but, in many cases, are also living, working, and doing business in an environmentally enlightened way.
CBI has touched upon some of their efforts in past issues, but our coverage has barely scratched the surface. Recently, when IHRSA surveyed its 740-plus associate-member companies, nearly 100% of the respondents reported that they’ve embraced green practices in their operations—from their chic offices, to the loading docks of their manufacturing plants, to their corporate delivery fleets.
Among the measures that many have taken: implementing recycling programs; converting to energy-efficient lighting and heating/cooling systems; installing automated faucets in restrooms; resorting to paperless-only communication; and adopting fuel-efficient transportation and shipping methods.
The fact that green has become an integral business concern is attested to by some of the survey’s other findings. Again, nearly 100% of the respondents said that going green had had a positive impact on their operations; and 67% said that selling green products had made their companies more profitable (since 28% responded “not applicable” because they don’t sell green products, that leaves just 5% with mixed feelings on the issue).
Perhaps most importantly, 100% of the respondents said that they plan to make even more green improvements during the coming year.
“There’s no question that a new awareness has emerged within the industry,” observes Michael Curnyn, the chief marketing and strategy officer for The Green Revolution, a Wayne, Pennsylvania-based company that creates green solutions for the club industry. “Today, people view being green as good for their business.
“On the supplier side,” he explains, “companies are really considering the ‘cradle-to-grave’ lifecycle of their products. They’re giving more thought to the resources and energy required to create the product in the first place—such as using recycled or sustainable materials; sourcing product components from local companies; reducing the use of toxic chemicals; and making use of clean, renewable energy sources—and they’re also taking into account how, ultimately, their products will be disposed of.
“Once you begin to think about the sustainability issues that are linked to the decisions you’re making, you really have the potential to do great things,” attests Curnyn.
Virtually all of the major equipment manufacturers have significant and extensive green programs. For instance, the achievements of Life Fitness, the Schiller Park, Illinois-based company, include recycling of 99% of its scrap metal; recycling of 374,000 cardboard boxes each year; recycling and reuse of 4,000 skids per year; recycling of 1,270 pounds of printed circuit boards per month; and reuse of 50%-75% of the parts in its cardiovascular lines to produce certified pre-owned equipment.
You’ll be reading about the green accomplishments of some of these bigger firms in future issues of CBI, but it’s worth noting that, in ways small and large, industry suppliers of every size and persuasion are making a valuable contribution to the planet’s health. Among them are the following:
Case study 1: Body Bar, Inc.
Body Bar, Inc., offers a recycling program that, for the moment, sets competitive differences aside. It collects, reuses, and recycles the rubber and steel components not only of its own weighted exercise bars, but also those produced by other companies. Rather than throwing out their worn-out bars, clubs can exchange them for brand-new Body Bars at a discounted price. The company then refurbishes and rebuilds them with high-quality components.
“It’s really a win-win-win situation all around,” explains Patrick Riley, the company’s director of sales. “Clubs get up to 60% off their purchase of new Body Bars; we reuse the materials from the old bars to create new ones; and the environment benefits from the recycling and conservation of resources.”
Body Bar strips the rubber and end-caps off of the solid rolled steel and puts new rubber and end-caps back on. The steel portion, which, according to Riley, “is impossible to damage,” can be reused over and over. The old rubber components are separated and sent to a rubber recycler.
Among the green-minded chains that have participated in Body Bar’s exchange program are Equinox and the New York Health and Racquet Club.
At Body Bar’s corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, the green commitment continues. The staff is diligent about minimizing its fuel expenditure and, thus, its carbon footprint. An estimated 95% of the employees walk, bike, or take public transportation to work, and, taking advantage of the Internet, they also have the opportunity to work “virtually.” Body Bar takes the notion of fuel smarts a step further by making use of shipping companies with energy-efficient vehicles in their fleets. Its offices have energy-efficient light bulbs and an extensive recycling program. Also on the horizon: a switch to wind power!
Case study 2: YogaFit
Earlier this year, YogaFit decided to complement its mind-body educational offerings with a line of environmentally sensitive—and incredibly comfortable—clothing for fitness and everyday wear. Among the new items are Bamboo Fitted Flare Pants, a Bamboo Mock Neck Jacket, and Organic Scoop Neck Tee. The pants and jackets are made from rapidly renewable bamboo, and are thermal regulating, crafted from breathable, quick-drying, antibacterial, and antibromic fabric. The long-sleeved T-shirt is fashioned from 100% organic cotton.
“Yoga teaches compassion and awareness,” explains Beth Shaw, YogaFit’s founder and president. “When you have awareness, you realize that, every time you throw out trash, flush the toilet, or pour something down the drain, you’ve having an impact on the planet.”
That understanding informed the design and construction of YogaFit’s corporate office in Torrance, California, two years ago. The company employed as many green solutions as possible, including: recycled denim insulation; non-VOC-based (volatile organic compound) paints; sustainable bamboo flooring; compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs); and an Energy Star dishwasher that trims operating costs by as much as 30%. The staff also demonstrates its environmental sensitivity in the lunch room, limiting its use of plastic and paper products, recycling religiously, and eating only organic and natural foods, mostly fruits and vegetables.
“The staff is more than happy to do their part in conserving the environment,” observes Shaw. “Recycling and avoiding paper and plastic have become a habit in the office, and nobody thinks twice about it anymore. Employees carpool whenever possible, and we offer incentives for them to do so, such as free personal training and yoga classes.” Next on the agenda, says Shaw, are the installation of water-conserving drains and the replacement of all paper-based communication with e-mail messaging.
Case study 3: Woodway USA
Last March, during IHRSA’s 28th Annual International Convention and Trade Show, Woodway USA unveiled one of its latest innovations, the EcoMill, a manually powered treadmill that requires no outside electricity to operate. The user actually generates power while exercising, which recharges the machine’s battery. And, since then, the company has followed up with another environmentally friendly model, the SpeedBoard.
“The SpeedBoard is currently the most energy-efficient model that we produce,” points out Eric Weber, Woodway’s director of sales and marketing. “It’s completely nonmotorized, and has a unique curved shape that allows the user to walk, jog, or run without a motor driving the unit—there’s no need to plug it into an electrical outlet.”
The company also does its best to prolong the lifespan of its products, which helps the environment in countless ways. It estimates that approximately 95% of the treadmills it’s produced since the firm’s founding in 1992 are still in use—thanks, in part, to their patented, nearly frictionless design, as well as to Woodway’s Factory Renewal Program. The latter allows club operators to have their treadmills restored to their original condition, using recycled parts, for a fraction of the cost of a new machine. During the refurbishing process, components are evaluated to determine if they can be reused, remanufactured, or recycled, Weber explains, in order to conserve resources and provide savings for customers.
In its plant, Woodway makes use of lean-manufacturing best practices, and has instituted a number of green initiatives, including: reducing energy consumption by acquiring a more efficient compressed-air system and tools, which require 40%-50% less air to use; replacing overhead shop lights with a more efficient design; reducing water consumption by using timed sensor faucets; and recycling all wood pallets, steel strapping, steel scrap, and metal shavings, as well as plastic bottles, paper, and aluminum cans.
The Green Honor Roll
CBI salutes IHRSA’s environmentally conscientious associate member companies
Recently, IHRSA surveyed its 740-plus associate member companies about their green products and practices. The 26 respondents listed below reported that they’re now conducting their business and/or producing products with an eye to protecting the environment. CBI salutes their ideals, efforts, and achievements, and is pleased to add their names to its Green Honor Roll. For more information about what each firm is doing, please log on to their corporate Website. The fact that the names of many IHRSA associate members that utilize green practices may not appear on the following list indicates only that they didn’t respond to the survey in question.
1. ACE Styline Millwork & Cabinetry acestyline.com
2. ActiveXL Promotions activexl.com
3. Affiliated Power Purchasers International, LLC (APPI) appienergy.com
4. Avanti Fitness, Inc. cardiogym.com
5. Balanced Body Pilates pilates.com
6. Body Bar, Inc. bodybars.com
7. Brewer’s Ledge, Inc. brewersledge.com
8. Centaur Floor Systems centaurfloors.com
9. Clark Products, Inc. clarknational.com
10. The Clorox Company thecloroxcompany.com
11. Club Resource Group clubresourcegroup.com
12. Ecolab, Inc. ecolab.com
13. ECORE International everlastingsportssurfacing.com
14. Fabiano Designs fabianodesigns.com
15. Fitness Anywhere fitnessanywhere.com
16. Fitness Flooring, Inc. exerflex.com
17. GOJO Industries gojo.com
18. The Green Revolution egreenrevolution.com
19. GreenHealthClubs.org GreenHealthClubs.org
20. GymToolz.com/Structured Fitness Solutions, LLC GymToolz.com
21. GymValet/B&D Specialty Concepts, Inc. GymValet.com
22. Jacobs Ladder, LLC jacobsladderexercise.com
23. Life Fitness lifefitness.com
24. North West Rubber northwestrubber.com
25. Petra Hygienic Systems International, Ltd. petrasoap.com
26. ProTeam pro-team.com
27. Ready Care Industries readycare.com
28. SportsArt Fitness sportsartfitness.com
29. SPORTSMITH, LLC sportsmith.net
30. Sports Solutions, Inc. sportssolutionsinc.com
31. Standard Textile Co., Inc. standardtextile.com
32. Staples, Inc. staples.com
33. WaterRower waterrower.com
34. Woodway USA woodway.com
35. W.W. Grainger, Inc. grainger.com
36. YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide, Inc. yogafit.com
Group Purchasing ‘Greens’
Many of the companies that participate in the IHRSA Group Purchasing Program, which is designed to produce “real values” and “real savings” for club operators, are among the green leaders in their respective industries. Some of the improvements achieved by six of them are outlined below:
Affiliated Power Purchasers International, LLC (APPI)
appienergy.com
Affiliated Power Purchasers International’s (APPI’s) internal operations are being run with a cleaner, greener world in mind. It consciously “reduces, reuses, and recycles” in order to increase efficiencies, reduce costs, and minimize waste. Among its many initiatives: Thermostats are programmed to reduce energy usage at night and on weekends. Printer and photocopy cartridges are purchased without wasteful packaging. Office supplies are acquired locally to reduce shipping costs and emissions. Recycled paper is used for most documents in copiers and printers. Business cards, note cards, and folders are all reused. The company recycles plastic, aluminum, cardboard, glass, magazines, plastic bags, paper, and, even, rubber bands. And APPI’s Demand Response and Demand-Side Services programs help its clients reduce their energy usage.
Clark Products, Inc.
clarknational.com
Clark Products, Inc., is working to make life greener both within, and outside of, the company. Committed to developing an “internal culture of green,” its divisions are identifying and implementing a host of ways to recycle materials, minimize waste, maximize energy usage, and increase transportation efficiencies. Anxious to share its enthusiasm and expertise externally, it’s also created a new ONE WORLD program that offers clients 250 packaging and janitorial products that are environmentally sensitive. All of the items in the ONE WORLD line provide distinct ecological benefits, such as biodegradability, compostability, recyclability, and source-reduction opportunities.
The Clorox Company
thecloroxcompany.com
“We recognize the importance of conserving our environment and strive to find sustainable solutions,” reads The Clorox Company’s statement on corporate social responsibility. Clorox does so both in terms of how, and what, it produces. It aggressively pursues ways to conserve energy and water, minimize packaging, eliminate waste, and use recyclable and renewable materials. Last year, it completed a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions at all of its facilities worldwide. Its new line of Green Works products, designed to be safe, effective, and environmentally responsible, make use of such “natural” ingredients as filtered water, earth-based minerals, coconut-based cleaning agents, and biodegradable preservatives. The company has been honored by the Sierra Club for its line of green cleaning products, and, in July, was named a Climate Leader by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Ecolab, Inc.
ecolab.com
A “short” summary of Ecolab’s environmental concerns, philosophy, and achievements runs five single-spaced pages, and it’s hard to imagine an area it hasn’t addressed. The company has devised green solutions for its customers’ laundry, housekeeping, and pool and spa needs, including no-rinse formulas, solid concentrates, waterless application, and water-conserving formulations. It’s been equally attentive to its own environment: last year, it achieved reductions of 5% in energy usage, 12% in water consumption, and 19% in liquid effluent discharge at all of its plants worldwide. Its research, development, and engineering facility has been awarded the LEED-EB Gold Certification, and, as a member of the EPA Climate Leaders Program, Ecolab has committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% between 2006 and 2012.
Standard Textile Co., Inc.
standardtextile.com
Standard Textile has been concerned about responsible products and processes since long before “green” became a buzzword. The three principal thrusts of its efforts include: managing energy consumption, utilization, and generation; aggressively recycling manufacturing-process supplies and byproduct materials; and conscientiously considering environmental impact during product development and engineering. It makes use of clean hydroelectric power, has a massive materials-recycling program, and delivers pre-laundered products to its customers to reduce energy consumption. “Managing the entire supply chain in an environmentally responsible manner is the ultimate goal, and instilling that philosophy in each associate is a key to success today, tomorrow, and in the future,” says Gary Heiman, the firm’s president and CEO.
Staples, Inc.
staples.com
When it comes to safeguarding nature, Staples has as many green initiatives as it has paperclips. Its environmental commitment, which it calls Staples EcoEasy, involves providing its customers with innovative environmental products and services, and implementing energy conservation, waste reduction, recycling, and green building programs internally. It champions the use of recycled-content papers and the recycling of ink and toner cartridges; purchases 122 kWh of green power each year; has 24 sites with rooftop solar installations; has improved the fuel efficiency of its fleet of trucks by 20% since 2007; and, as a member of the EPA Climate Leaders Program, intends to reduce its carbon emissions by 7% between 2001 and 2010. Staples has received a host of environmental awards, including being named an EPA Green Power Partner.
- Jennifer McInerney, j.mcinerney@fit-etc.com
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