|
|
|
|
|
Search #ABSTRACT#
| 1 |
 |
| |
|
2 |
|
Napa Businesses Get Environmentally Savvy
Napa Valley Register, Wednesday, April 21, 2004
By JULIE GORDON
The Napa Valley Wine Train is one of the many local businesses that demonstrate a commitment to preserve and protect the environment and actively work to reduce their environmental footprints.
For these businesses, Earth Day isn't just April 22, it's every day.
The Wine Train, which gives people a way to see Napa Valley without using their cars, operates on a combination of diesel fuel and compressed natural gas, said Erica Ercolano, director of marketing and business development. She said the Wine Train received an award from the American Lung Association for developing the technology to convert older engines to operate on diesel and compressed natural gas.
Additionally, the Wine Train recycles the paper it uses for administrative purposes, purchases recycled paper and recycles glass bottles, Ercolano said. The Wine Train's bottling recycling program alone generates $7,000 to $8,000 annually that is directed toward employee incentives, Ercolano said.
Reclaimed water is used to wash the train. The Wine Train also uses old freight, passenger and caboose rail cars for office, storage and refrigeration facilities instead of junking them, and it sponsors a number of Napa County Sierra Club causes, Ercolano said.
"My boss (Wine Train owner Vincent DeDomenico) is the ultimate preservationist," Ercolano said. "It's a natural part of what we do."
Dey L.P., a pharmaceutical company that resides on a 24-acre campus at 2751 Corporate Drive in Napa, also recycles paper and purchases recycled paper, said Sandy Cooper, the company's senior vice president of human resources. The company also recycles beverage containers.
"For us, it's not just one day a year, it's 365 days a year, or 366 if it's a leap year," Cooper said.
When Napa-based Rogers & Son works on construction projects from scratch, the company uses environmentally friendly products and recycles leftover wood, said general manager Bill Rogers. Also, when the company does remodeling projects, leftover asphalt, asbestos and lead paint are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.
Rogers & Son Construction also installs solar panels in homes and businesses, Rogers said. Solar panels convert energy from the sun into electricity, enabling consumers to save on their electric bills.
"The more you spend on energy, the more we can save you," Rogers said. "We can zero out your electric bill."
|
|
