On Friday Sept 18, Greg Harper from CityTV visited London Drugs’ recycling partner, Genesis Recycling in Aldergrove, BC, to broadcast live segments for ‘Live Eye’ on the Breakfast Television and Lunch Television shows.
The crew filmed London Drugs recycling in action – from computer disassembly and secure hard drive recycling to our industry-leading styrofoam recycling program. Genesis President Bruce Shore and Maple Ridge, BC, London Drugs Manager Mike Cummings were on hand to answer questions and let people know what a difference London Drugs customers are making.
For instance, in the last 18 months, over 40 semi-truckloads of styrofoam have been recycled. Mike Cummings is pictured here, with a recycled polystyrene ‘puck’, showing how much the styrofoam waste is condensed for shipping. In total, London Drugs and Genesis partnership has diverted over a million pounds of waste from our landfills.
GreenDeal blog would like to officially thank Greg, Christan and the CityTV crew, and Bruce and Mike for getting up so early to help spread the word.
But we wouldn’t be successful without the London Drugs customers, choosing to shop where they can recycle their packaging, old laptops & appliances and taking the time to bring the stuff in. Way to go.
Keep on recyclin’!
September 21st, 2009
London Drugs Recycling on CityTV – Keep up the good work!
September 14th, 2009
The Green Geek Report – Your Green Deal Technology Update
Everything in the tech world moves at lightspeed, and green developments are no exception. So here are a few quick notes on some trends and products worth checking out.
More LED is good.
LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology is bringing amazing efficiency to lighting applications everywhere. Now its available in computer screens, like Apple’s new 24” LED Cinema Display, which means instant full-screen brightness and best of all, no mercury. Look for LED soon in notebooks and TV’s too.
Recycling is catching up.
At London Drugs we’re proud of our recycling programs for electronics, styrofoam, packaging, appliances and more. So we’re more than happy to see Provincial recycling and stewardship programs catching up. Programs such as ESABC (Electronics Stewardship Association of BC) are worth learning about. Spread the word and get everyone recycling.
Wireless means… well, less wire.
Every piece of wireless technology means one less plastic-sheathed copper cable. Over thousands of miles of networks and connections (even wireless mouse and keyboard applications) it could really make a difference. I’m still looking for real-world stats on this, but it stands to reason that the more prevalent this technology becomes, the more resources we could save.
Power supplies that use less power
If you use a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) to protect your computer from surges and outages, there’s a new player on the market that could reduce your energy use significantly.
The GreenPower UPS™ design claims to reduce power consumption by up to 75% compared to conventional UPS systems during normal operation mode, by bypassing the Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR) and Transformer. This patented technology also dramatically reduces the waste heat generated.
Who knows, maybe geeks really will save the world.
September 3rd, 2009
Duncan Store #70 Opening showcases some bright ideas for green development.
On August 31st, I attended the opening of London Drugs’ latest store in Duncan. As usual, I was watching the proceedings with a green eye, and was pleased to see several examples of sustainable thinking.
To start with, this store is located in traditional Cowichan Tribes territory. So the evening began with a witnessing and blessing performed by elders and traditional dancers. The food was also catered by a First Nations facility, featuring numerous local delicacies. Local community involvement is an important component of the sustainability puzzle, and the respect and consideration shown here by the London Drugs team was impressive.
The store itself is constructed with a number of energy- and water-saving features. Chris Kidson, London Drugs Manager of Retail Store Development, took me through some of the highlights:
- Sky Windows allow for natural light to be used whenever available.
- Lighting is T-8 standard, a smaller fluorescent tube which uses less energy. The tubes themselves are Alto certified low-mercury lamps from Phillips, on a ballast system, allowing them to dim when full power is not required.
- Lighting reflectors maximize dispersal of light from the tubes, and are manufactured locally in Maple Ridge, BC.
- All water fixtures and toilets are low-flow models.
- A sophisticated building management system allows for remote monitoring and maximizing of energy efficiency
- Flooring uses BioBased Tiles from Armstrong Floors, a LEED-rated product
- Low-VOC paints and adhesives are used throughout
- PhotoLab features a new ‘Dry Photofinishing’ system which releases no liquid effluent
Although the green message was not the main focus of the evening, the What’s the Green Deal product signage was in place in all departments, and London Drugs’ Green Deal program was highlighted in the podium address by President and CEO Wynne Powell. It’s always reassuring to hear those priorities coming from the top.
One thing was clear – the community in Duncan had been asking for a London Drugs for some time. Here’s hoping green shoppers in the Cowichan Valley spread the word about a new local option for some of their sustainable living needs, and keep pushing to make London Drugs greener than ever.
