As a way of saying thank you for your
conscious efforts to be more responsible for the planet, we will honor
you and celebrate your efforts by featuring “Going Green” initiatives on
the AETA (www.aeta.us) website, in our
AETA Newsletter, and in press releases and other equestrian media.
Charles Owen
Charles Owen factory in Great Britain uses a high
level of insulation, roof lights to reduce lighting, high efficiency
lighting units, de-stratification fans to reduce heating, and premixed
spray taps to reduce water usage. We also recycle paper & cardboard. Our
offices face north to eliminate the need for air conditioning. Our
building won a National Civic Trust award for contributions to the
environment.
We have recently appointed a waste manager who has
organized recycling of aluminum cans and plastic bottles from our
canteen, plastic film wrappers from fabric, and coordinating
distribution of waste textile scraps to be used as craft supplies in
nearby schools. We are planning to install rainwater harvesting for
process water and reduce our demand from the water company.
In our Lincolnton warehouse, we shut down our
computers overnight and have installed a plastic curtain to reduce the
area cooled & heated. We are fortunate that most of our power is
supplied from the hydroelectric plant installed on the Savannah River.
Roy Burek
Lincolnton, GA
Courbette
Saddlery
Courbette has been eco-friendly for years by
using vegetable-tanned and naturally dyed European leathers for our
saddles and strap goods. All other raw materials are selected with the
environment in mind. Energy efficient manufacturing practices are
implemented wherever possible. Our textile items have high cotton
content. We recycle card board boxes and packing material in the
shipping department, and paper, glass and plastic in the offices. Only
energy saving light bulbs are used.
Harry Hauser
Naples, FL
The Engraver
We try to keep our office as green as possible
by the standard methods of using fluorescent bulbs in our fixtures and
recycling all cans, bottles, etc. Beyond that, we recycle all our mis-engraved,
flawed and excess brass and nickel. We recycle all our packing and
shipping materials (boxes and whatever packing materials show up) as
well as using newspaper and shredded paper (faxes, junk mail, and
whatever else will go through the shredder) for any additional packing
material that's needed. Recently, we upgraded the insulation in our
office for fuel conservation.
Barbara Jacobsen
West Chester, PA
EPONA LTD.
Epona Ltd. is committed to
maintaining a green facility. We do the following:
-
Recycle all paper, plastic and metals
-
Ship our orders in recycled cardboard
boxes - use cornstarch popcorn when packing boxes.
-
Have LED lighting in our office for
energy efficiency.
-
Have low flow toilets to minimize water
usage.
Stacey
Singer
Fairfax,
CA
Equestrian Land Conservation
Resource (ELCR)
Since its establishment in 1997, ELCR, a non-profit educational
organization, has assisted equestrian sport, recreation and industry in
advancing responsible land stewardship and conservation for
horse-related activity. The organization educates and facilitates
partnerships to preserve access to trails on public and private lands.
It provides information on best farm management practices to protect
soil and water quality. It provides guidance to both large and small
landowners in the protection of open space through conservation
easements, the purchase of development rights’ programs (PDR’s) and
community land use and comprehensive planning. With guidance from ELCR
and their local land trusts, communities are conducting comprehensive
planning that accommodates appropriate development while keeping prime
farmland in equestrian and agricultural use. Many rural areas are opting
to preserve their heritage and way of life while accommodating newcomers
who have similar interests. Horse owners, horse enthusiasts, and the
professionals upon whom they depend are an important component of rural
living. Keeping sufficient land for horses, in terms of both quantity
and quality, is vital to a thriving horse industry. The Equestrian Land
Conservation Resource is working on many fronts to ensure that future.
Deb Balliet
Lexington, KY
Equine Quality Alliance - Equissentials LLC
As a company
located in upstate Oneonta, New York, we are very conscious of recycling
whether at home or in the office. As New Yorkers, we have been recycling
paper, glass, plastic, aluminum and metal for years. Recycling is a part
of our daily routine.
For the past 10
years, Equissentials has offered a program of recycling our specially
treated deerskin leather onto new fabric. Not only is this program a
huge selling point for our retailers, it has been received by our
customers with great enthusiasm. When the fabric wears out after a few
years, we carefully remove, recondition the leather and put it on new
fabric for approximately half of the original price. After 4 recycles,
we give the customer a free pair. We use our scrap leather to
manufacture motorcycle “Dew-Rags”, our star and special patches, swatch
cards, fringe, small repairs, handbags and tote bags. We donate our
leftover leather scraps to teachers, churches, senior groups, scouts and
handicapped centers to use in crafts, quilting and sewing projects. Most
of our fabric has a high cotton base, and those scraps are given to
anyone that needs absorbent rags. Nothing is wasted.
Of course, we
are environmentally conscious in our day to day operations. Our
production staff works extended hours and short weeks to reduce travel
expense and in-house energy costs. We recycle our office paper into
notepads to be used for messages, and recycle our used ink and toner
cartridges. We reuse all of our boxes and packaging for shipments.
Lights and heat are turned off whenever possible. We use a programmable
thermostat with the highest setting at 65 degrees (F) and to 45 degrees
(F) during off hours. We use the “old fashioned” way of opening windows
for fresh air and do not use air conditioning unless absolutely
necessary.
At Equissentials,
we believe that recycling is not only “green” but cost saving as well.
We will continue to do whatever we can to reduce our carbon footprint on
the planet.
Joe
Creighton
Oneonta, NY
FITS / Fun In The Saddle, Inc.
We work hard to have as little impact on our
physical environment as possible. One of the ways we do this is by
making the vast majority of our breeches in the USA. The Environmental
Protection Agency of America safeguards the environment in this country
by imposing the most stringent manufacturing requirements in the world.
Fabrics made in United States’ mills cause much less pollution than
fabrics made overseas. All of FITS fabrics and leather are made with the
most environmentally sound methods available. Additionally, all FITS
factories are monitored to be sure they are in compliance for energy
efficient practices. We also use only recycled paper for our hangtags
and catalogs, and at the same time we recycle all of our paper office by
products. Currently we have a paperless invoicing system where we send
out all of our invoices via email unless our customers request
otherwise. We are expanding our paperless communication all the time and
look to be a completely paperless office in the near future.
Sheryl Rudolph
Portland, OR
G.r.a.s.s. (Kerrits)
G.R.A.S.S. is a new collection of equestrian
apparel that’s dedicated to making the planet a healthier place.
Green
riding
apparel for
style and
sustainability is
totally green from fabric (bamboo, recycled poly/carbon, organic cotton)
to the recycled material hangers it hangs on. The
catalog is printed on recycled paper. The garments are manufactured in the USA, reducing transport emissions and packaged in
recycled poly bags. 1% of all g.r.a.s.s. sales are being donated to “For
The Planet”, to be distributed to more than 1,500 environmental
organizations worldwide.
Kerri Kent
Hood River, OR
HAAS (GEM)
The HAAS has foamed-in, cellular material body.
We are all aware of the hygienic advantages of
synthetic backed brushes. Regular cleaning of the brush is essential and
can be done without the fear of the body splitting or loosening of the
hair and bristles. In addition, the moisture in the stable has no effect
on the body.
To produce wooden bodies for the brushes we need high quality wood,
mainly beech or oak. These trees grow very slowly, taking up to 40 to 50
years to supply a good quality hardwood. Because of the long economic
cycle of these trees, they are not being replaced. Consequently, they
are becoming rare.
On the other hand, the synthetic body is
completely recyclable so that the bodies can be completely reprocessed
and the colours changed to satisfy new trends.
Peter Vogel
Domaueschingen, Germany
Horse Hollow Press
From 1990 - 1996, Horse
Hollow Press was located in an urban area that started a recycling
program in about 1993. That got us started on recycling, and we have not
stopped since.
We recycle everything we
can: cans, white paper, junk mail, water bottles, even aluminum foil off
of someone's lunch. Since we don't have aluminum recycling here at the
office, we do have to load the recyclables up and take them to the local
dump.
We also recycle our used
clothes and have not, in 20 years, thrown out an article of clothing. We
recycle them to the various clothing recycling boxes around town as well
as thrift shops and the Salvation Army.
We do not use central air
in the office, preferring to leave the windows open or if it's a hot
day, keep everything closed to keep the cool, night air in. When only
one or two people are in the office, it just seems such a waste to cool
a space when there are so few to benefit.
June Evers
Goshen, NY
Horseware Ireland
At Horseware Products Ltd., we are committed
to working with all our stakeholders to protect and improve the
environment. We consider environmental management to be an essential
part of our business and aim to achieve an environmentally friendly
corporate culture. We minimize production waste by implementing a waste
management procedure to reduce and control waste disposal. We maximize
the use of recyclable and renewable materials by locating recycling bins
in each office and putting up solar street lamps in our car park. We
monitor electricity and gas bills on a monthly basis to keep track of
energy usage. Amigo® Eco-Friendly Leather is produced using a unique,
eco-friendly process specially developed to avoid the use of toxic
substances that are harmful to the environment: no chromium sulphate, no
sodium sulphate, and Azo-free. The result is a first-class, vegetable
tanned leather of outstanding quality. The Amigo Leather Range offers an
array of eco-friendly leather at affordable prices. Each piece is
available in black and brown Leather. The range includes: Bridle with
Rubber Reins, Rubber Reins, Martingale, Breast plate with Martingale,
Chafeless Girth, Stud Girth and soft Stirrup Leathers. Pieces sold
individually. Rambo Micklem MutliBridle is made from vegetable tanned
leather that does not use chemicals or any chemical processes on its
leather. It is also a multifunctional bridle which can be used as a
lunge cavesson, a bridle as well as a bit-free bridle. This cuts down on
waste and the need for more than one piece of equipment.
Customer
Service Department
LaGrange, NC
G. Passier & Sohn (GEM)
All lights in our production plant as well as in our office are Osram
energy saving lamps. This type of lamp saves 80% of the energy costs and
lasts 50 times longer than traditional lamps.
We use a lot of tools that are operated by compressed air. While the
compressor works, it produces warm air. We collect this heat and use it
to warm a 2,700 square foot warehouse on our property. The gas usage
savings are comparable to a small family household.
Without any exception, we use German cow hide leather for our saddles
and strap goods. That means that the cow hides with which we manufacture
our products have very short haulage in contrast to using imported
leather from Argentina, India or even the United Kingdom. This is also
true for more than 80% of the other raw materials needed for saddles and
strap goods.
The
maintenance products we sell are manufactured on a vasilin basis which
is totally
diminishable biologically. Most of the comparable products on the market
are made on a mineral oil basis. 98% of the adhesives that we use in our
production are solvent free. Any type of solvent loads the environment
as it is only hardly diminishable. The edging colour that we use is 100%
diminishable biologically. 25% of our leather waste goes to institutions
that process this leather.
In the year 2000, the company buildings were dammed up to save energy
expenses. Since then, we’ve saved 15% on gas and 10% on electricity each
year. All company vehicles run with diesel engines. Diesel engines need
½ a gallon less per 100 miles in comparison to regular gas.
Our waste is disposed thermally. It is burned free of remains and
without environmentally hazardous waste gasses, and the heat produced
serves for power production.
2/3 of the saddles that we manufacture are made on a wooden tree basis
and not synthetic. Even if this is more expensive on the raw material
side, we deliberately do this to avoid using the difficult to recycle
synthetic saddle tree.
Dirk Kannemeier
Langenhagen, Germany
Kerrits
Kerrits participates in numerous efforts, both small and large, to
create a sustainable environment. Some of the simple things we do around
our office include having a water cooler in our office, having recycle
bins at each desk, using energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs,
turning off lights in offices that are not in use, and having a zoned
heating and cooling system. We purchase our power from renewable energy
sources. We have started sending our sale flyers, newsletter,
promotional information and account statements via e-mail, using a lot
less paper and saving the cost of a stamp. We also print our catalog on
recycled paper.
Kerri Kent
Hood River, OR
Leather Goods of Spain
Switching to leather tanned in a more environmentally-friendly manner
has been the center point of the effort to go green for Leather Goods of
Spain. About 90 percent of the company’s hides are vegetable oil tanned
and naturally dyed, which means avoiding the use of harsh chemicals. The
result is a better environment and a more natural product.
Lilo Navales
Midlothian, VA
Perri’s Leather
Perri’s
is taking its first step towards being more environmentally aware by
using eco-friendly paper and inks to produce our new 2009 catalog. The
catalog will debut in August at the AETA show in Baltimore! We also have
instituted a full recycling program in our warehouse and offices to
tread more lightly on our planet. We will continue to work on new ways
to do our part to help the environment!
Carla Perri
Lincoln University, PA
Saddle Stackers
At Saddle
Stackers, we recycle all of our scrap aluminum and aluminum chips. We
recycle the wood from pallets that another company throws out, and use
the wood to build our custom pallets. We only use environmentally safe
cleaning products. We have energy efficient lighting and use battery
operated tools as much as possible. All paper products are recycled
along with office paperwork. We send e-mailed invoices to save on paper.
In the summer time, we rarely use the air conditioning. We open our
large bay doors and windows, an especially conscious effort to save
energy, as I usually am the person sweating in the office.
Betsy Tantalo
Rochester, NY
Saratoga Horseworks
Saratoga Horseworks has a
number of green programs in place that address energy conservation,
waste stream reduction and recycling. In the area of energy
conservation, in the last three years we have invested heavily in
improving the thermal characteristics of our building and replaced all
of our HVAC units with modern 96% efficient models, reducing our energy
consumption for heating and cooling over 25%. We have reduced the
materials we place in the waste stream over 15% by upgrading the methods
we use to layout and cut our fabrics, and by donating appropriate
fabric trimmings to pet shelters to use as bedding for animals at the
shelters. Lastly, in addition to recycling common materials such as
paper and cardboard, we sponsor programs that recycle consumers’ used
horse clothing. These programs collect used, unwanted horse
clothing, keeping them from land fills, which are then donated to equine
rescues and retirement farms in need.
Michael Libertucci
Amsterdam, NY
The
Smith-Worthington Saddlery Co.
The Smith-Worthington is committed to maintaining a
green facility. We do the following:
· Reuse shipping boxes whenever possible and
recycle all office paper (even paper that contains sensitive information
is shredded and reused for guinea pig bedding).
· Have set-back thermostats that automatically
turn down our heating/cooling at night and on weekends. In addition we
converted our old heating system to highly efficient gas unit heaters,
allowing us to do away with the old boiler and miles of steam pipes that
lost heat during transmission to old fashioned radiators.
· Have energy efficient lighting in our factory
and showroom and skylights that allow us to use less artificial
lighting.
· Are open 4 days per week (not 5) year round
eliminating 52 days of heating/cooling and 52 days of commuting in
addition to improving staff morale, and some of us carpool to work,
saving fuel and reducing congestion on the highways.
·
Collect and recycle bottles, cans,
and plastics that accumulate in our kitchen from staff member lunches
and snacks.
· Send more information via email, reducing the
use of paper and use of fuel in delivering old fashioned snail mail.
· Planted sunflowers outside our office windows
which are cheerful and give us shade thus reducing cooling needs.
Ruth
Hartford,
CT
Schwenkel Gloves
(GEM)
We are building a new office to the current
environmental conditions that uses solar energy. We are only buying
energy-saving office machines, when needed. We separate all our garbage.
Hauke Schmidt
Metzingen, Germany
THORNHILL ENTERPRISES, INC.
Thornhill Enterprises, Inc. employs many green practices in its offices
and warehouse that any company can easily implement. Some of the
practices we utilize and recommend include…
·
Recycle
plastics, papers, cans and glass
·
Recycle boxes
and packing materials in the shipping department
·
Install a
thermostat control programmed to conserve heating/cooling fuels
·
Use energy
conserving computer monitors
Karla Schmidt
Wilmington, DE
Tory
Leather Company
Tory Leather
uses Environmentally Friendly Leather. Prior to using this type of
leather we used imported skirting leather that was finished in a spray
booth. The toxicity of this type of process created problems for us with
the EPA. At that time, we elected to
start using the vegetable tanned leather for all of our products even
though it was at a much higher price than our competitors' leather. The
Environmentally Friendly Leather is tanned in
vegetable extracts to attain its long lasting character. Our naturally
tanned leather also means that no painting or doctoring of the leather
has been done to hide or disguise blemishes. Our straps, belts, dog
collars, leashes and handbags are all made from this American tanned
leather.
Ron Cimini
Williamsport, PA
Troxel, LLC
Troxel is committed to going
green. We do the following:
·
Use 100% recyclable helmet packaging
·
Replaced office lighting with energy
efficient alternatives
·
Dedicated offices recycle bins for paper,
plastics and cans
·
Switched to 100% post consumer recycled
paper for necessary in house corporate filing
·
Use local FSC certified printers for
print needs like catalogs that use soy based ink on “green” paper, which
has been FSC and Rainforest Alliance certified
·
Paperless dealer newsletters-more email
marketing
·
Offer paperless invoicing, saving over
50,000 sheets of paper a year an d cutting down on the carbon footprint
of mail transportation
·
Installed a Reverse Osmosis unit in
office, eliminating 100% of in office plastic water bottles and carbon
footprint of 24 water truck deliveries per year
·
Installed high volume scanning system
reducing in house corporate paper consumption by over 60%
·
Installed new office windows cutting AC
use by 45%
Shay Timms
San Diego,
CA
Walsh Harness
and Saddlery
The primary sources of leather
for Walsh Harness and Saddlery products are produced using natural,
vegetable tanning techniques.
This environmentally conscious production process provides a
superior quality product without releasing harmful pollutants into the
environment.
Paul
Treiber
Brookfield, WI
Withers and Withers Healthy Horse Products
Withers & Withers Healthy
Horse Products are introducing an Herbal Nutra-Treat whose constituents
are drawn almost entirely from organic and fair trade sources. Six
flavors are offered in reusable tins lined with biodegradable cellophane
bags. A portion of the profits will be returned to therapeutic riding
programs.
Neil & Deb Withers
Harvard, MA
In
the spirit of being “green,” we would like to recognize your
environmental efforts throughout the year while you’re at the AETA
International Trade Show. We know that many of you are
working hard to use eco-friendly practices wherever possible and to
develop new, eco-friendly products.