FOR YOUR BENEFIT
While standard plastic cutlery is highly wasteful,
cornstarch cutlery breaks down naturally. ‘A Slight Change
www.martinmarietta.com | September/October 2 2019 The Conveyor 23
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The change was imperceptible for
most who walk through each day.
Sure, the up-front cost was significant.
But within six months, the budget was
back to even. And what’s more impressive?
The move helped conserve enough
energy to run 20 homes for an entire year.
Martin Marietta operations across
the country have long embraced green
business practices, conserving water, fuel
and electricity whenever possible. Now,
teams in Raleigh are following that lead
and hoping to contribute to the company’s
greater sustainability conversation.
The Conveyor has made the switch to
recycled paper for its print edition. That
previously mentioned change that saved
enough electricity for 20 homes? That
came about with the decision to transition
the corporate office’s interior lighting to
LED bulbs. And this past summer saw
the creation of The Green Team, a crossfunctional
group of corporate employees
tasked with promoting sustainability
“One of the biggest things we’ve
done is upgrading our buildings’ HVAC
systems,” Oertel says. “Previously, our
air conditioning and heat operated on
a basic ‘On/Off’ model, but with the
software we’re using now, we can control
it by zones. If there are no people in a
particular part of the building, we can
minimize the energy used to control
the temperature on that floor. That will
probably cut our energy usage by 10-15
percent this year.”
Other ideas under consideration include
analyzing employee home addresses
with the intent of eventually setting up a
rideshare situation for commuters and
investigating ways for the entire office to
adopt composting at work.
Still, just as with the Guardian Angel
safety message, Oertel and the rest of
The Green Team say sustainability at
work means little if people are unwilling
to take the lessons home. To that
end, they’re urging all employees to be
mindful when they leave Martin Marietta
behind for the day.
“So many of the things we do in the
name of sustainability are easily transferable
to the home,” Oertel says. “All it
takes is a slight change to the way you
think.” ▼
among their co-workers.
Pete Oertel, facilities manager at the
corporate office and a member of The
Green Team, says many of the changes
the group has discussed can easily be
adopted just about anywhere. Often, all
that’s needed to start the process is a
person or group willing to ask questions.
“During one of our earliest meetings,
we decided to switch from Styrofoam
dishware to paper bowls and plates,
but we weren’t sure what to do with our
plastic cutlery,” Oertel says. “Eventually,
we settled on switching from plastic to
cornstarch – which is just as durable, but
breaks down naturally. We didn’t even
know that was an option, but asking the
question led us to investigate and find a
great solution to the problem.”
In the weeks and months since, the
team has acted on and considered a
number of ideas that Oertel says may be
useful at other company offices seeking
sustainable change.
HOW CAN YOU GO GREEN?
Start by signing up for The Conveyor’s
electronic edition.
Visit saveatree.martinmarietta.com
to learn more.
to the Way You Think’
Sometimes, The Path to Sustainability
Starts with a Simple Question
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