We practice out of a renovated old Portland home where green improvements were made with sustainable building products and methods wherever possible. As part of the NPWC’s efforts to make our community a healthier place to live, work and do business, we have policies in place to ensure that we reduce any waste produced, recycle everything we can and purchase recycled, locally and/or consciously produced products whenever possible. In honor of our commitment, we have been awarded the RecycleWorks designation from the Office of Sustainable Development.
Green Business Practices:
- Purchase recycled office and maintenance supplies
- Use non-toxic cleaning supplies
- Use corn bags, not plastic
- Policies in place to maximize waste reduction, including recycling 100% of recyclable waste
- Re-usable glassware for tea and water
Green Power/ Energy Use Reduction:
- Solar Panels were installed in May of 2011!
- Green/Clean/Renewable energy
- All appliances have the ENERGY STAR label
- Low flow toilets
- Low voltage lights, dimmers and compact florescent bulbs are the source of most of our lighting
Clean Rivers and Healthy Watersheds:
- Rainwater harvesting system was installed in May 2011!
- Our downspouts were disconnected and water wells put in place to ensure that none of our rainwater goes into the sewer system
Construction Recycling & Responsible Remodeling Purchases:
- Re-used building materials from building demolition
- Purchased products from a variety of secondhand retailers
- Purchased sustainable building materials and furnishings whenever possible
- Used low/no VOC paints and varnishes
- Purchased and installed wooden windows
- Donated deconstruction salvage materials to the Rebuilding Center
