Creative Leisure News - "Vinny da Vendor"

Challenges, problems, and triumphs -- from a manufacturer's perspective.

Help People � and the World

How one company contributes to charities and to Mother Nature.

by Staff Report (September 17, 2007)

(Note: Recently CLN has been chronicling the efforts of vendors to raise money for charitable causes. Duncan Enterprises combines that with helping the environment.)

Duncan Enterprises is committed to being socially and environmentally responsible and is active throughout the year to ensure that this guiding principle is practiced. Some examples:

1. For more than 20 years, Duncan has hosted a yearly on-site health, safety, and environmental awareness day (including lunch) for all team members � an event that brings more than 35 community businesses and providers to our team members with vital health, safety and environmental information, giveaways, and advice.

2. For more than 25 years, Duncan has sponsored at least one on-site blood drive a year.

3. Duncan offers on-site Weight Watchers meetings for all team members to attend.

4. Yearly, Duncan participates in a United Way Drive, Toys for Tots, collections and a Combined Health Appeal Drive; the company also supports a variety of other community charities and fund-raisers in which employees participate.

5. Every spring, several Duncan team members participate in the Duncan Polytechnical High School Portfolio Day � a day when freshman and sophomore students showcase their work and are critiqued by local professionals.

6. Duncan is especially committed to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fresno County, with team members serving as board members, donating products and equipment to the clubs, and donating products and finished projects for fund-raisers.

7. Instead of just disposing excess and obsolete products and materials, Duncan donates to worth-while organizations (ex: products donated to RAFT in San Jose; used fiber drums donated to Community Food Banks for holiday food collections).

8. Duncan is a voluntary member of the Partners for Clean Storm Water with the Metropolitan Flood Control District as well as a voluntary member of an industrial advisory committee (the charter is to provide technical advice/assistance to the Fresno Wastewater Management Group reporting to the Director of Public Works). Water is gold in the Central Valley and Duncan has projected to save at least two million gallons of city water over the next year with the changes in the company's wastewater treatment process.

9. For every ton of solid waste Duncan generates, the company recycles two tons of material that could legally be put into a landfill. Between 2002 and 2006 Duncan reduced its regulated waste disposal volumes 100,000 pounds, or 25%.

(Note: What does your company do to make the world a better place (besides make and sell great products, of course)? Email CLN at mike@clnonline.com and we'll tell the industry. To read previous "Vinny" entries, click on the headlines in the right-hand column.)

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