Glass and Glazing Companies Celebrate Earth Day
April 20, 2012

by Sahely Mukerji, smukerji@glass.com

Organizations across the country will celebrate Earth Day on April 22 with various activities to increase awareness and appreciation of the earth's natural environment, including a few in the glass and glazing industry.

PPG Industries of Pittsburgh will sponsor the PPG Party for the Planet at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium tomorrow. The event, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include recycling games, eco-crafts, and other fun activities. Visitors to the zoo and aquarium also can meet with local organizations that will demonstrate different ways they can help protect the environment. The zoo will collect and recycle old cell phones as part of a global campaign to save mountain gorilla habitats in Africa.

Similarly, the executive leadership team and the corporate environmental health and safety team at AGC North America (AGNA) in Alpharetta, Ga., will sponsor an Earth Day celebration contest that is open to all associates and their families. "The contest provides each associate with an opportunity to participate on an individual level; as well as, participating at the AGNA plant location level," says Alice Dickerson, marketing communications manager, AGC Glass Building.

Workers at YKK AP of Austell, Ga., planted more than 90 trees this week to celebrate Earth Day at its Dublin, Ga., plant site. "In addition, we are a Green Leader sponsor of Keep Dublin-Laurens Beautiful, a grassroots organization with a focus on litter prevention, beautification and environmental education, and will be participating in many activities at their Community Earth Day Fair on Saturday, April 21," says Oliver Stepe, senior vice president.

Sage Electrochromics Inc. of Faribault, Minn., has organized an internal program that will include planting more than 100 new trees on its grounds, cleaning up the roadside near its headquarters for the company's adopt-a-highway program, and asking the employees to limit their use of printers and bottled water next week. "Sustainability is one of the key elements of our product's value proposition and our goal is to live that through our actions as a company as well as through the use of our product in buildings," says Helen Sanders, vice president of technical business development.

Guardian Automotive Products will launch a program next week to protect the environment and help its customers reduce waste costs, says Earnest Thompson, director of corporate marketing and brand management at Guardian Industries in Auburn Hills, Mich. "It is a windshield recycling program available through its nationwide distribution centers, which in short, encourages customers to return damaged windshields to Guardian to be recycled," he says. "Scott Billings, the director of distribution operations at Guardian Automotive, calls it a win-win for the environment and customers."

Earth Day is coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and is celebrated by countries across the world.

What is your company doing to celebrate Earth Day? Please email smukerji@glass.com.