SweisKloss recently became a Santa Monica Certified Green Business, and we are truly proud of our new status because environmental responsibility has always been one of our core philosophies. It’s simply a part of our everyday, which is why we incorporate sustainable design into every built environment we create and construct. We want to be a positive force in the design + construct industry, and an important part of that goal is leaving as small of an ecological footprint as possible.
We knew we had the makings of being a certified green business, but as we went through the Green Business Program with the City of Santa Monica consultancy Sustainable Works, we realized we still had more to learn and would need to take some extra steps to becoming certified. They gave us targeted recommendations and implementation guidance.
Striving to be a zero-waste company, our staff makes a collaborative effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle, in that order. We shun pods and have coffee the old fashion way…by brewing a pot. Our coffee comes from Grounds for Change (www.groundsforchange.com), a carbon-free certified company and a member of the Green America Business Network. The coffee company is a strong advocate for a greener world, and bonus…their coffee tastes delicious! The paper filters and grounds then get composted. Ceramic mugs are washed with a low-flow faucet and sponges made from recycled material along with EPA Safer Choice dish soap.
Copy paper is 100% post-consumer content recycled, and printing is done double-sided. Discarded printouts are reused for the blank backside. Even our supply of paperclips is made from recycled metal. We repurpose leftover material samples, such as wood flooring and tile, by donating them to reDiscover Center, Skirball Center, and UCLA Extension. One of our designers takes some of the samples or scraps from jobsites home to upcycle into artwork; see our recent blog: www.sweiskloss.com/blog/living-and-creating-in-a-material-world.
Large windows in our office space let in natural light and plenty of sunshine, which eliminates the need to turn on the overhead LED lights during the workday. Staff can opt to turn on a desk lamp. Our historical building does not have air conditioning; windows are opened to allow cool cross breezes. One of the many perks of being four blocks from the ocean!
To avoid contributing to rush hour traffic, staff can work a flexible schedule, and 30% of the staff bike, rollerblade or carpool to work.
And we’re not finished! The Green Team at SweisKloss meet on a consistent basis to brainstorm on the newest ways to be even greener.
