Green Initiatives
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Setting High Environmental Standards
Making this world a better place is a goal at Abt. Leaving a small environmental footprint has become a core value of the Abt family and a huge initiative for their business as well. We have an on-site recycling center, energy saving windmills, lighting, and fans. We have even reduced our daily garbage pick-up to three per week, thanks to all the recycling we do.
- Abt Electronics: The Greenest
A/V Retailer In The Country - CEPro, April 22, 2010
Intelligent Energy Use
Natural light pours in from skylights during the day and aiding the natural
light is a generator that Abt bought to power the electricity nine hours
each day. The natural gas burning generator is an energy conserving power
house that saves money while it burns cleaner than the coal used by the
local utility company. In the warehouse, we use high-output t-5 florescent
lights that are 60% more efficient than standard lighting. 17% of the
lights that Abt uses are called pulsar lights. They use considerably less
energy than any other normal light. In addition to the generator, we have
windmills and solar panels creating energy.
Smart Choices
Abt has made the choice to eliminate paper
catalogs, in favor of email and our website.
This change has helped reduce the amount of C02 emissions that we put
out. When our HR department communicates with our employees, it is done
via email or electronic billbards displayed in employee areas.
All of the store displays are made from recycled material and created in-house. Food is brought in three days a week and Jolane's is on-site so that employees don't have to leave our facility to eat. If an employee would like to get out of the store for lunch, bikes are provided so that driving becomes unnecessary. We have an employee gym on-site; employees can make one trip to work and work out.
Customer education is just as important as employee education. At the
customer service counter we have reusable Abt bags for customers. At Abt
we have a smart car on display for customers to see and learn from. We
also have the movie An Inconvenient Truth playing constantly to further
educate all who may have some time to watch. Abt proudly celebrates Earth
Day every year with younger customers. It's never too early to start good
habits that benefit the environment.
Our Fleet
Abt's local delivery and service departments make 9,000 calls per week.
From all of those stops, we recycle everything that comes back from the
customer's homes and delivery trucks (packing material, old products,
etc..). Abt is proud to use bio-diesel in 64 of the diesel trucks in the
fleet. We also have end-loaders, Bob Cats, and dump trucks that use bio-diesel.
Chuck Metoyer, Director of Fleet Operations, makes sure that all of the
new gas vehicles being added to the fleet are E85-ready. Along with fueling
Abt's Green Fleet with environmentally sound fuel, Abt sends the used
oil, oil filters, coolant, and batteries from all of the trucks to get
recycled. The Abt team has thought of so many details when it comes to
the maintenance of the Green Fleet. Even the water that washes the trucks
is recycled.
The Three Rs: Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle
Most consumers aren't aware that many electronics and appliances can be
harmful to the environment when disposed of improperly. Disposal of electronics
and appliances should always be the last resort. The best choices would
be to repair, resell, or find an authorized recycling center for your
old electronics or appliances.
Reduce or Re-use waste
Instead of throwing away used appliances and electronics, see if there
is someone else who could use them. Consider donating your goods to charity,
gifting them to family or friends, or selling them on a website like craigslist
(www.craigslist.org).
Repair
Repairing an old appliance or electronic can keep it out of the junk yard.
Environmental impacts may be reduced if you repair instead of recycling
or just junking the old unit. Many times someone will take a used appliance
off your hands to repair it instead of buying a new one. Abt has a manufacturer
authorized repair center in our retail store for Chicagoland customers.
Recycle
By far, recycling is the best option to dispose of an old appliance or
electronic, if you are not repairing or finding a new home for your goods.
Abt has an on-site recycling center for most appliances or electronics.
We even have an agreement with a handful of companies (Samsung, Sharp,
Sony, Toshiba, LG, and Panasonic) for free recycling of their products.
Recycle at Abt
Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 2pm to 7pm
Download Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act Fact Sheet
Our recycling program is very extensive. What used to be a necessary once daily-garbage pick-up now has been reduced to three per week. For a company that has over 1,000 employees and serves hundreds of customers each day in the store, it is a true accomplishment to have such little waste.
We take in wood pallets, old electronics, appliances, cardboard,
batteries, plastic, Styrofoam (White Only), and materials brought in by
customers. Annually, the Abt recycling center saves 3.5 million pounds
of cardboard and paper from going to the local dump, over 240,000 pounds
of Styrofoam from going to the landfill, and over 10 million pounds of
appliances and 3 million pounds of electronics each year from ending up
in the garbage each year.
Styrofoam
takes 20,000 years to biodegrade. Instead of just disposing Styrofoam,
Abt has a special machine that essentially melts it down into a little
pile (making it look like a coiled snake). These Styrofoam coils are bagged
and sent to China where they are used again.
Com-Ed has provided an extra incentive over and above the intrinsic benefits to the environment. Currently they are giving rebates for those who responsibly recycle appliances. Abt has been chosen to participate in their rebate program.
All electronics brought into the Abt recycling center by customers can be recycled for free.*
*Recycling is Free for customer drop offs at our recycling center in
Glenview. If you require a pickup of your old item, an additional fee
(varies by item) will be added.
Proper Disposal of Waste is a practice followed carefully by the recycling center. When it comes to appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners, even if they are unusable, there will be remaining refrigerants such as Freon. Abt works directly with a company called Jaco Environmental, for the ComEd refrigerators. They remove all the Freon as well as other greenhouse gas emissions. In accordance with the EPA's Responsible Appliance Disposal Program (RAD), Abt works with a collection of partners that recover ozone-depleting chemicals from other old appliances.
Tips For Energy Conservation
The Natural Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC) has some simple steps for making your life a little greener:
Unplug electronics and appliances when they are not in-use. To make it easier, try using a surge protector or power strip that has an on/off switch. That will make turning your appliances on and off. When appliances are plugged in, even if they are not "on" they can still consume the energy of a 75-100 watt light bulb running constantly.
Save energy by turning your computer off or put it in
stand-by or hibernate mode. Computer hibernation is the best way to conserve
energy with your computer. Starting it when it is completely off uses
more power than start up from a hibernation state.
Rechargeable batteries are a great way to cut down on
waste. If you are able to recharge batteries, you won't be recycling or
throwing away as much waste.
Setting your refrigerator to between 38-42 degrees Fahrenheit
and freezer to 
0-5
degrees Fahrenheit will save energy too. It's always best to use any energy-save
options on appliances; they will conserve the most energy.
Appliances like ovens can use a lot of energy. If you keep the door closed for the length of the time that you are cooking, heat stays in and uses less energy to stay heated.
Microwaves are a way to cut down energy consumption. If you reheat and cook small meals with a microwave you won't have to use the energy it takes to heat an entire oven.
Use dishwashers on their short cycle for full loads. Turn the washer off during the dry cycle.
Remember when using your washer and dryer there are ways to save energy too. Set the water to cold. If you have a small load, set the water to small. Dryers should always have a clean lint tray. Don't add wet clothes to those that are mostly dry.
Always turn lights off in rooms that are not in use. Think twice before printing, and when ever possible recycle!
 Motion activated lights in the warehouse |
Check out our videos of Abt’s green efforts showcased on Chicago news programs. We also have videos of our installation processes and Mike Abt’s efforts for a greener, cleaner world.
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