Company to celebrate innovation and share best practices at Houstons Green Office Challenge Awards Ceremony. Houston, TX (PRWEB) April 18, 2012
In celebration of Earth Day, Smith & Associates, the largest independent distributor of electronic components, is announcing results of its corporate green initiatives. In 2011, Smith intensified its commitment to becoming fully sustainable and carbon-neutral. As part of that commitment, Smith elected to participate in Houstons Green Office Challenge. Today, Smith will be showcasing the results of its company-wide initiatives at the citys inaugural Green Office Challenge awards ceremony, hosted by Mayor Annise Parker at Houstons Green Building Resource Center.
Greenovation
In 2011, Smith completed a major renovation of its Houston headquarters. Smith’s “greenovation,” an environmentally based, energy-efficient renovation, included structural and corporate changes. Smith installed a rooftop, solar photovoltaic electric system to provide renewable energy to its headquarters building; a solar thermal system for heating water; and a solar panel-covered parking structure that supplies electric car charging. Other renovations included replacing the buildings previous roof with an energy-efficient cool roof, the installation of energy-efficient, LED and motion sensing lighting, and the installation of advanced rain sensors and sprinkler system scheduling. Since September, within the first sixth months of participating in the Green Office Challenge, Smith has exceeded many of the environmental goals it set for that period, including:
????14% reduction of energy use
????42% diversion of waste
Smiths internal corporate changes included the formation of an employee-directed green team called Smith Sustainability Group (SSG), an improved recycling and reuse program, and free use of two Electric Vehicles (EV)s for employees of the month. Smith is also providing free EV charging for all employees at its corporate headquarters.
Smith pledges to think, act and operate green,” said Art Figueroa, Smith’s Environmental Director. “We are proud to share that we exceeded our 6-month goals for the Green Office Challenge, in terms of energy and waste reduction. Our willingness to adopt innovative technologies, combined with the day-to-day commitment from our employees to meet our goals for sustainability, make Smith a pioneer in green practices for the city of Houston. We are delighted to participate in the Challenge not only to celebrate our achievements, but also to share and learn from the best practices of fellow corporations and citizens who are dedicated to the cause.
E-Waste & Local Leadership
In December, Smith was named an e-Stewards Enterprise by the Basel Action Network, which recognized Smiths contributions to confronting global environmental injustices and to actively improving the economic inefficiency of toxic wastes, products, and technologies.
Smith also expanded its asset disposition service offerings for Smith customers worldwide to support the data-secure, economically sound, and environmentally aware repurposing, recycling, and/or destruction of used equipment and components. Smith also offers E-Waste Days for businesses and office properties in Houston and other areas. The E-Waste program supports Houstons green efforts, enabling businesses to safely and securely recycle electronics in an environmentally responsible manner.
When an E-Waste Day is scheduled, the waste equipment is collected and processed through one of Smiths EPA-compliant, E-Steward recycling partners, and data wiping and destruction techniques ensure that no customer information remains.
Greening the Future
The next phase of Smiths corporate sustainability campaign will be the companys ongoing greenovation of Smiths international offices. With offices worldwide, including Europe and Asia, Smith intends to build upon its successes locally and expand its E-Waste Day service programs in 2012 to meet customer needs.
With the changing technological landscape and increased environmental awareness, Smith is ready to provide outstanding service to fulfill companies needs worldwide, said Bob Ackerley, co-founder of Smith & Associates. We take tremendous pride in the leadership role we have played, and look forward to continuing our efforts to make Smith a sustainable, climate-neutral, and zero-waste-to-landfill distributor.
For more information on Smith and Associates green initiatives, see: http://www.smithweb.com/en/company/smith-and-the-environment
About Houstons Green Office Challenge
The goal of the Houston Green Office Challenge is to equip and motivate property owners and managers throughout Houston to reduce their energy consumption, waste production, and water usage, as well as to encourage more office tenants to adopt sustainable practices like recycling, carpooling, and green product purchasing.
About Smith & Associates
Founded in Houston in 1984, Smith & Associates is a leader in the independent distribution of semiconductors and electronic components to electronics and high-tech manufacturers. Smith offers shortage sourcing for commodity and obsolete parts, innovative purchasing and inventory management solutions, redistribution of excess inventory, and component stocking for warranty and repair programs.
A privately held company, Smith & Associates employs more than 350 people worldwide, with annual revenue in excess of US $ 500 million. Smith’s regional hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam are ISO certified and IDEA compliant. In addition, sales and purchasing offices are located in Silicon Valley, Barcelona, Guadalajara, New York, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and Denver. For more information, see http://www.smithweb.com/ or to reach a Smith representative 24 hours a day, please call: 1.800.HOUSTON or +1 713.430.3000.
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For more information, contact:
Mark Bollinger
Smith & Associates, V.P. of Marketing
+1 713.430.3000
mbollinger(at)validmgt(dot)com
Ashley Wilkinson
BOCA Communications
+ 1 415.738.7718 x4
Ashley(at)bocacommunications(dot)com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/4/prweb9414838.htm
