Stamping "Green"

Hello Stampers!

These days, everywhere you turn, people are "going green" and putting into practice ideas that can make a difference in the environment and conserve energy. But what is Stampin' Up! doing to "go green"?

Rubber

Rather than dumping the excess rubber in a landfill, Stampin' Up! donate it to Courage Reins, a nonprofit organization that provides horseback riding therapy for physically or mentally challenged children. They take the ground rubber and sell it to groups and individuals for use in playgrounds and hose stables. The money they receive from the sale of this rubber goes to fund their program.

There is even a park in Kanab, Utah, where the Stampin' Up! production facility is located. Shelli Gardner and her husband donated the money to build the park, and they also used rubber scraps to create the bedding material under the play equipment. You can actually walk around on the super-spongy playground and find pieces of old stamp sets.

Wood Blocks

The wood blocks are not only created from a renewable resource, they engage in a sustainable practice to get those wood blocks. Stampin' Up! works with a tree farm in which the maple trees are grown specifically for the purpose of harvesting wood!

Card Stock and Paper

You might be aware that the paper we use for shipping is 100% recycled. But did you know that the card stock includes recycled material? It's true! Stampin' Up!'s card stock includes recycled paper that's left over from other paper runs, which would otherwise end up in a landfill. The darker the color of card stock, the more recycled material is in the card stock. (Who would have thought that Basic Black was the greenest color?)

In addition, Stampin' Up! works with a paper broker who ensures that the mills used for the Designer Series Paper and Card Stock engage in environmentally friendly practice. The paper comes from sustainably managed forest and mills that are taking steps to lessen their carbon footprint. One of the mills even generates its own power!

Stampin' Up!'s Buildings

They are very fortunate to have wonderful facilities at Stampin' Up! that help reduce their environmental impact. First, systems in both the Riverton and Kanab buildings filter and pollutants that may result from stamp production. Second, the buildings were designed with energy conservation in mind. Both building have geothermal wells, which help maintain building temperature, cutting down one the use of heating oil or natural gas. In addition, all lights are on sensors and timers, so they don't waste electricity when employees are away from the office.

In the desert climate in Utah, it's also extremely important that they watch their water use. For this reason, they've incorporated native, water-wise plants in their landscaping. If you ever visited the home office, you will notice that they have wildflowers growing in front of the building instead of grass! Their sprinkler system is timed to minimize evaporation, which helps reduce the amount of water they use to maintain their landscape. Indoors, artificial plants mingle in with the live ones in the area around their atrium water feature. This allows them to have a lush garden while minimizing the amount of water they use.

Carbon Footprints

At Stampin' Up!, they strive to reduce their carbon footprints as much as possible. This means that they try to engage in shipping practices that will require fewer greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, to be released into the atmosphere. First, UPS picks up shipments from the Distribution Center each day during nonpeak traffic hours. This cuts down the amount of gasoline UPS needs to use to get our orders out the door.

For stamp shipments from Kanab to Riverton, they "carpool" with companies who are sending shipments from the Salt Lake City area to Kanab. For example, Sysco delivers food to Kanab and surrounding towns and, normally, their trucks would be return empty to Salt Lake City. Instead of driving back without cargo, Sysco trucks bring stamps from Kanab to Riverton!

One of the guiding principles at Stampin' Up! is change, and with that principal in mind, they are always looking for ways to improve their business practices to do what's right for our demonstrators, employees, community, and environment.

Of course, today's sample had to be a "green card".

All of the details are below:

Stamps:
Wonderful You Stamp Set
Jumbo Wheel Stems & Silhouettes
Define Your Life Stamp Set

Paper:
Card Stock Old Olive
Card Stock Basic Black
Card Stock Very Vanilla

Inks:
Classic Stampin Pad Old Olive
Classic Stampin Pad Basic Black

Accessories:
Ribbon Grosgrain Old Olive 5/8 Inch
Punch Key Tag
Stampin Dimensionals
Snail Adhesive Permanent

Thanks for Stopping by!

Georgia