Category: Case History Page 1 of 4

The Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company (CBRC) has always maintained “sustainability and community outreach” as a company wide mantra. Their business decisions have reflected such since the company’s inception ten years ago and their decision of using steel packaging for their product embraces that trend.

“Back in the day, most every coffee product was in steel [containers],” says Neil Cooper, SVP of marketing and sales at CBRC. “Premium products started to use bags in place of steel cans, so the products using steel cans were the mid or lower priced coffee products. We decided to enter the premium priced segment and to celebrate the unique qualities of steel while using contemporary graphics and design characteristics as a point of difference versus our competitors.”

CBRC is not alone in their choice to use more sustainable packaging. With over 1.5 million net tons of steel packaging recycled last year, and a recycling rate of 67%, the public is showing that a sustainable and recyclable packaging material is a factor in their home purchasing needs.

“It is important to most people when they see us at an event, a customer coffee tasting, or at a water clean-up effort, they take notice,” according to Chris Paladino, CEO of CBRC. “They also tell their friends and business associates about a local company that is making an effort!”

In addition to their packaging, CBRC has and continues to differentiate itself from competitors by being involved in local events or causes. They purchase wind power, utilize distribution partners to collect used coffee grounds for farming compost and sponsor river clean-ups. Most employees are also involved in environmental organizations such as Trout Unlimited, the Severn River Partnership, and Silver Spring Green, among others.

The commitment to the environment is no better reflected than in CBRC’s established community outreach program called the ‘H2O Initiative.’ Its primary goal is to preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which extends across six states and almost 17 million Americans. CBRC pledges 2% of all coffee sales annually to go back in support of organizations that help to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By including the H2O Initiative symbol on products, the hope is to encourage other companies and organizations to join CBRC’s program and find ways to make a difference.

Part of that difference includes reassessing packaging for environmental impact and its overall life cycle assessment in terms of sustainability without sacrificing a quality product.

“Steel is the perfect material to protect coffee beans from ‘the enemy’ [light, air and moisture],” says Paladino. “Recycle, Re-use, Repurpose is possible by using steel versus the non-recyclable materials used by most of our competitors. Our decision to use steel as our packaging choice came down to a commitment to the environment versus ‘low cost’ packaging alternatives.”

CBRC’s decision has thus far been a success, recently entering partnerships to be distributed in the Fair Trade Organic sections of regional Giant Food stores and Whole Foods’entire Mid-Atlantic region.

Much like the life cycle of their steel cans, CBRC’s efforts at making a difference are continuous and consumers are definitely taking notice.

For more information on CBRC and their programs, visit their website. To learn more about the benefits of packaging with steel, as well as a locator to find recycling locations for CBRC’s steel packages and other steel products, visit SRI’s website.

The newly constructed Jack & Peggy Baskin Center for Philanthropy is an amazing new structure in Santa Cruz County, CA in that it was built to give both to the community and the environment through its use of steel.

Through donors and efforts by the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County (CA) the Center for Philanthropy has built a stunning new LEED Gold certified structure, The Jack & Peggy Baskin Center for Philanthropy, which is now open and available for public to utilize.

“The 220 tons of steel in the structure is a phenomenal amount for a small building,” says Executive Director Lance Linares.

Much of that steel used in the structure is part of a stainless steel bridge which connects three separate structures together to complete the entire center.

“[The steel bridge] is one of the key pieces,” says Linares. “We’re about two miles from the epicenter of the 1989 earthquake though. In earthquake country you need joints to vibrate independently and the steel allows that. The foundation and structure should be here forever and we wanted something substantial in terms of integrity.”

Designed by Mark Cavagnero Associates and built by Devcon Construction, the new centre has a total area of 10,000 square feet. It will hold 10 employees of the foundation with space to add 14 additional in the future.

While many donors questioned why the initial investment in LEED certification was necessary, Executive Director Lance Linares knew it was worth fighting for.

“We had planned to go for LEED certification all along,” explained Linares. “It’s always an interesting challenge when people are asking ‘why spend all this money?’ but that’s what’s needed when you’re building.”

Linares points to how many things that were once considered “luxuries” are now standard in many buildings and they intend on this building lasting for a long time.

Some luxuries, such as awards, are being given to the foundation now. It received recognition from the International Architecture Awards for 2011 and was showcased at an exhibition during the XIII BA11 International Biennial de Athenaeum in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October. Presented by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, the European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd it is considered the world’s most prestigious global award for new architecture and urban planning.

“The design is unique,” continued Linares. “It’s very modern but also somewhat timeless in the fact that it could’ve been built yesterday or twenty years ago, hard to pin point.”

LEED® is Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. The LEED® Green Building Rating System™, as promulgated by the U.S. Green Building Council, aims to improve occupant well-being, environmental performance and economic returns of buildings using established and innovative practices, standards and technologies. The following buildings are focusing on achieving excellence in LEED® certification by utilizing steel as a primary building material.

The Viceroy Hotel in Snowmass, Colorado – LEED Gold

The Viceroy Hotel is the first Colorado hotel to achieve LEED Gold certification. Designed by OZ Architecture, the hotel is a 365,000 sq. ft, high-end ski-in/ski-out resort with a conference center. The hotel is the first in Colorado to achieve the LEED Gold certification.

It has integrated sustainable construction and designs. A structural steel roof will help with heating and cooling costs along with providing a recycled material to increase its overall LEED score.

During construction, builders used sustainable construction methods such as using locally sourced and manufactured materials. They recycled, reduced and reused construction waste. The builders used more of materials that had recycled content and remanufactured plumbing, electrical assemblies and concrete structures.

Consisting of 154 rooms, a full-service spa, and indoor pool the luxury hotel is a picturesque compliment to the beautiful backdrop of snow capped mountains.

Ultra Green Bullitt Center in Seattle, Washington Breaking Ground

The Bullitt Center in Seattle, WA just broke ground and will utilize materials, such as steel, which come from within 300 miles of the location. These local materials will significantly decrease the carbon footprint of the construction by decreasing emissions for transport and utilizing U.S. recycled steel.

“We set out to build the greenest office building — by far — in the world,” says Denis Hayes, president and CEO of Seattle’s environment-oriented Bullitt Foundation, the center’s owner. The six floor structure has been in planning for over three years when the University of Washington’s Integrated Design Lab, an arm of the architecture department, began brainstorming with Hayes and developer Chris Rogers.

Hayes and Rogers hope this unique building will spark a drastic change in the way commercial buildings are designed and built. “Change is coming,” Rogers says, “And we hope to be a part of it.”

A recent Woman’s Day article listed eight different items that some people may be surprised to find are recyclable. One of those items listed were “Kitchen Appliances.”

They stated:

If it’s time to retire a nonworking appliance, call your city or county recycling coordinator to ask about bulk waste pickup, or check Recycle-Steel.org to find a nearby steel recycling center. “Even nonworking appliances have a second life,” says Gregory L. Crawford, executive director of the Steel Recycling Institute. “For example, we get about 123 pounds of scrap steel from a full-size refrigerator,” which can go toward making everything from guard rails to appliances.

The 123 pounds recovered from that full sized refrigerator adds up when you consider that 56 million appliances are recycled per year. I guess not everybody is surprised to hear about their recyclability!

One of the biggest reasons to recycle your appliances, apart from steel’s continuous lifecycle as a material, is the conservation of landfill space. It is estimated an additional 9 million appliances are disposed in landfills each year which presents a large opportunity to improve on the previously mentioned figure.

Nearly 12,000 locations accept appliances, according to the Steel Recycling Database, which cover over 134 million Americans. In addition to containers, automobiles and scrap they help make steel North America’s #1 most recycled material. So while some people are surprised that appliances can be recycled easily and frequently, we hope they will continue to surprise their friends by spreading the message.

Not many things can last for over fifty years but the steel supported structure of Old Blacksburg Middle School in Montgomery County, Virginia has stood the test of time and now has been deconstructed to allow the steel to be recycled and continue their continuous life cycle.

Situated on Main Street in Blacksburg, the 20 acre site will have over 660,000 pounds (330 tons) of steel be salvaged. The 330 tons is about the same amount of steel it’d take to construct over 30 school buses which would be capable of transporting over 1750 kids every day to class.

The demolition company, Sayers Construction Co. will sell the material to New River Recycling which will help lower the costs of the demolition to the County.

“We just don’t believe in throwing something away and buying new,” explained Mike Sayer, owner of Sayers Construction. “We’ve always tried to do something with materials rather than just [throwing them away].”

The steel scrap taken from the buildings will be made into beams and rebar for other buildings thanks to its continuous life cycle. Other materials would have to be disposed of or used differently.

“Steel is a great material to [work with] and to recycle,” concluded Sayer. The deconstruction projection is scheduled to be finished at the end of September with the property being opened up for retail, business space and residential development.

Everyday there are new buildings being constructed around the country. Many of these buildings are choosing the responsible path of focusing on LEED certification design. This decision not only improves the energy consumption and long time efficiency of the structure but still allows architects to create aesthetically stunning buildings that are instant landmarks in their area.

University of Maryland – School of Pharmacy

The $85 million, 128,951 square foot building was designed by RCG Architects, out of Baltimore. It is connected to the previous pharmacy building by a four-story glass atrium, which also allows natural light throughout the building. The recycled structural steel in the building provides a strong framing to the entire structure which was a key factor in it’s receiving LEED Gold certification.

University of Pennsylvania – Horticulture Center

Opened in October 2011, the $13 million, 20,840 square foot Horticulture Center received LEED Platinum certification, the first for the university. This building, according to the university, is the last component of a “master plan”-envisioned way as far back as 1977-for a modern botanical garden. Structural steel used in the project was all locally-sourced, to add to it’s already high recycled content.

That statement begins the description of the American Institute of Steel Reclamation (AISR). Designed by Jeff Dahl and Jan Lim, AISR is an educational institute concept that is designed to be incorporated around a functioning scrap yard. Their unique design and idea was strong enough to win 1st place in the 2008-2009 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)/American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Design Student Competition.

“The initial concept came after visiting the local scrap yard and being instantly fascinated by the processes simultaneously occurring there,” explained Jeff. “From the initial intake of vehicles, to their dismantling and removal of contaminated parts, all the way through the crushing of vehicles to be used as input feed for new steel. Standing on site and watching all the complexities co-exist was intriguing, as well as something that I knew many people have not seen before. That is why my design partner Jan Lim and I decided to program our project around an educational institute.”

Jeff is was most recently a Masters student at Columbia University in New York City with a Masters degree in Advanced Architectural Design but at the time of the design he was going for his Bachelors at Woodbury University School of Architecture in California. He eventually graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Describing the sleek design, Jeff describes his favorite part being the curve in the building that focuses from inside the building towards a vehicle crusher.

“The boomerang shape really highlights the machinery and technical beauty of a scrap yard, educating visiting in a first-person experience rather than pictures in a book or on a computer screen.”

First-hand educating the public, according to Jeff, is one of the best ways to change negative connotations about steel and auto recycling industries.

“I would recommend [people] go out and look at steel for themselves. Look at the strength steel structured buildings in your city, the functionality of shipping containers floating by on cargo ships or on the back of semi-trucks, and look at those trucks themselves to see the flexibility in steel as a design material.”

“For most people, hearing the terms auto recycling sparks a visual in their heads of dirty oil, bent metal, and piles of ‘junk,’” Jeff continued. “In reality though, it’s a beautiful process exemplifying the life cycle of a material and its ability to be rebuilt (or upcycled) into something new.”

“We are all told as kids to not judge a book by its cover, but the reality is, we all judge by first impressions rather than educating ourselves deeper on the subject matter. This is why we decided on the institutional aspect of our project, giving visitors the chance to see the processes and make an informed opinion about steel recycling for themselves.”

“There is always the library, the internet, or a local chapter of a steel organization, but just like the concept of my design, getting out and seeing steel in action first-hand is the best way. Seriously go to your local auto scrap yard, even if you know nothing about cars and don’t want to buy anything. Walk around, explore the space, and absorb yourself within the steel. Today it may be a 10 year old car, but 1 week from now it can be the steel structure for a new school. This is a truly amazing process.”

As a designer, Jeff praises steel highly as a material of choice.

“Steel is an especially important material in California, where this project what designed, because of its physical strength and ability to withstand the rumbling of earthquakes. The shear ability to span great distances and elevate a building with ease is what makes our design so successful, and it would not be possible (without greatly destroying the floating aesthetic we strived for) with any material but steel. Steel is everywhere, and is actually a beautiful material with many useful characteristics allowing it to adapt to almost any situation. Steel is also beneficial because of its flexibility in terms of scale.”

“The more that I use and explore the inherent qualities of steel, the more I fall in love with it. Steel is an amazing material with extreme potential that has provided lots of opportunity in architecture and design. The skyscrapers of the world would not be possible without steel, and the shipping industry would be vastly different. Steel is ideal for pre-fabricated installations (the facade of our design is constructed using existing windshields and front windows of cars on a louver system to provide shading and opacity), allowing for a ‘plug-and-play’ architecture that gets installed quickly, efficiently, and safely.”

In addition to the design benefits of using steel, Jeff maintains the environmental impact of steel is just as important in material selection.

“I care deeply about the future of our planet,” Jeff says. “The steel industry is ripe with sustainable opportunities, especially with steels ability to be recycled into new materials after its initial intended life. It can be used for anything you imagine. The negative connotation typically associated with the recycling or scrapping of cars is no longer valid, and if society continues to believe that scrap yards are dirty, grungy places, sustainability will never succeed.”

To see more of Jeff’s designs, visit his personal website. For more images of AISR specifically, visit here.

To view the most recent winners of the AISC Steel Design Student Competition, visit their website.

The convenience of drive-thrus has been around since the 1930s. Usually those who participate in these lines are handed a bag of fast food. Now, however, a more healthy exchange is taking place in Springfield, Missouri. Set to open later this summer, a drive-thru recycling drop-off is planned as an attachment to the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Included in this drop-off will be steel cans and scrap metal. Community Development Coordinator Trent Sims says steel is a necessary addition.

“Steel is an important resource that keeps our society going,” said Sims. “The industrial age would be nothing without steel or other materials and it is important to reuse those resources whenever possible so that future generations can continue to make innovations. As the population grows, we don’t want to waste needed land resources on collection sites for garbage or other materials that could be used for something else.

The drive-thru is more then just an easier way to drop off materials for residents already utilizing the facility, Sims is confident it will attract new participants as well.

“We did not want to merely, attract those who were already dropping off their materials at another site; but were compelled to come to ours because our location was closer, or because they wanted to support our mission,” Sims explained. “By creating a ‘drive-thru facility’ we are hoping to attract a demographic that has been unable to recycle due to a lack of time or convenience.”

The facility, since 2002, has had a strong following and has kept over three million cans out of the local landfill. During 2010 alone they diverted nearly 1,000 tons of materials from the landfill.

“This project will allow us to divert an additional 113.9 tons annually of aluminum cans and scrap metal,” said Sims. “In 2010 we collected 5.15 tons of cans, this was mainly from business partners in our ‘cans for habitat’ program, by advertising a public site and having 10 donation bins spread out around the city, we should be able to double our collection of cans. Scrap metal was 51.8 tons and now that we will have a public site, we have more partners willing to help us. This is very important because we are a non-profit that heavily depends on our volunteers in the community.”

“What makes our ReStore so great is the fact that we can serve as a collection site for household goods that others have decided that they no longer need, and sell them to locals at a highly reduced rate or through vouchers provided to the community,” Sims continued. “It provides a way to divert materials while also funding Habitat for Humanity in a sustainable fashion, which keeps us building homes in times of economic crisis.”

“Another added bonus to recycling steel is the revenue that is generated. While Habitat for Humanity feels that the environment is very important, and we are in the process of making all our future homes energy star rated. We find the recycling center to be very important because it helps us fulfill our mission of building affordable housing.”

Building homes, collecting and redistributing materials and now a larger capability of recycling steel and other goods the ReStore facility in Springfield is going above and beyond making a difference in their community.

“Basically the only difference between recycling and throwing away your household items, is what container you put it,” concluded Sims. “Many cities may not have convenient means of recycling or door to door service like the trash company, so that prevents a lot of people from participating. In the case of Springfield, MO and other cities with Habitat ReStores, we will come and pick up your household items. All you have to do is call and we will come get it and knowing that it will build a home for someone in need or prevent someone somewhere from having to live next to an unneeded landfill, is enough motivation for me.”

For the last few years, a group of individuals in Oklahoma have come together to promote the benefits of recycling, waste prevention and doing volunteer work in their community. Their name is the Tulsa Master Recyclers. The influence and impact they make in the community played a role in the recent addition of steel food and beverage cans to the Tulsa curbside program.

The program was started in 2008 by a city official with the initial purpose of encouraging residents to sign up for the curbside recycling program. Since then, it has expanded to several programs including a hope to make curbside service an automatic part of Tulsa’s trash plan rather then the current $2/month additional cost. Their presence in the community and their representation on the board of the Tulsa Recycling Association played an unofficial role in the addition of steel cans to their curbside program.

“The more materials accepted the better,” said Diana Askins, President and founding member of the Tulsa Master Recyclers.

Growing their curbside the same way they grew the program is just one of their many goals.

“There were only 12 in the initial class and four or five others that continued after,” said Diana Askins, President and a founding member of the Tulsa Master Recyclers. “They wanted to do something new and different and took over from there. There are around 50 active people now.”

To become a Tulsa Master Recycler you join a class for 10 weeks, 2 hours per week. These 20 hours of education allow attendees to talk about different kinds of recycling, materials and what’s on in Tulsa specifically. Those who finish the class commit to giving 30 hours of volunteer time annually.

“We can start programs in schools and surrounding areas to get the kids involved,” explained Diana. “Once you get the kids, you get the families.”

They also provide bins and work with planners for recycling events, encourage residents to bring their own bags to farmer’s markets and be a “Green Neighborhood.”

“Being a ‘Green Neighborhood’ will eventually be a contest between different neighborhood associations,” said Diana. “Certain things will get points, such as not putting motor oil down the drain and signing up for curbside recycling.”

“After a certain amount of points these neighborhoods would be able to tout themselves as being ‘certified green’”

Starting similar programs in other towns can seem overwhelming but Diana says anybody who needs help can ask them and they’d be happy to assist. “We are not just a recycling program, it’s about education.”

These masters are educating their town and hope it’ll create new masters in new towns too.

While most well-meaning consumers intend to recycle their home steel products, it wouldn’t be possible without the tens of thousands of curbside and drop-off locations across the nation. Knox County Recycling Center in Mount Vernon, OH has been in operation for over ten years accepting steel food and beverage cans, aerosol cans, scrap steel and several other types of materials.

While there are curbside programs in the area to compliment the convenience of this facility, the Knox drop-off location remains active as ever.

Steel products are a staple of any recycling program and Knox County Recycling Coordinator Linda Montgomery says it’s because of how easy the process is.

“It is extremely easy to operate and fun to watch. Steel and aluminum cans are recycled together and piled onto a large conveyor belt that rises overhead. When the cans are at the end of the conveyor belt, all the aluminum cans drop off into a large pile or pit ready to be bailed; the steel cans are propelled across the opening by a large magnetic strip, after the leap the steel cans land on another conveyor belt and head to a second bailer. Both bailers have the ability to crush the cans and then wire the bale together. The bales are loaded into a semi and are ready to be shipped away and melted down to begin the remanufacturing process.”

According to the Steel Recycling National Recycling Database there are currently over 7,700 curbside programs across the United States which provide recycling to over 164 million citizens while there are almost 13,000 drop-off locations. Both of these recycling options are vital to keeping steel as North America’s #1 most recycled material and Linda acknowledges that.

“Recycling steel saves 75 percent of the energy that would be used to create steel from raw materials,” Linda continued. “Steel has been recycled for 150 years and most steel structural beams and plates are made from almost 100% recycled steel.”

She does, however, see an advantage in drop-off locations.

“The advantage of drop-off locations is willing participation,” she stated. “People who have invested time to drive to a drop-off are serious about recycling and do a good job [preparing materials]. Curbside participants put out anything they think they can recycle.”

She went on and also stated how curbside programs require the route to be run twice – once for garbage and trash and again for recyclables, which ties up manpower and equipment.

“Drop-off locations are so important to the community,” she concluded. “The average person will drive three miles out of their way to recycle so the more convenient it is the greater the chance of getting someone to recycle.”

The convenience of 24 hour drop-off availability goes hand-in-hand with the simplicity of curbside pickup. Luckily most Americans don’t have to choose and can utilize both options for their steel recycling needs.