Herman Miller’s Better World Report
February 24, 2011
- 2010 Herman Miller Better World Report
Herman Miller puts out their Better World Report each year to share what they are doing to “Build a Better World Around You.” There are four categories that they highlight: Community Service, Inclusiveness & Diversity, Health & Well-being, and Environmental Advocacy. Building a better world is not just a goal for Herman Miller, but a part of everyday life. It is part of why they remain on Fortune’s 100 “Most Admired Companies” and was named an “innovation all-star” on Fast Company’s list of innovative companies. Some of the highlights:
Community Service
- Herman Miller allows each employee 16 paid hours/year to work with a charitable organization of their choice
- 24 cities across the US and Canada participated in the We Care event for the 13th year
- This year’s Habitat for Humanity house that Herman Miller volunteers built is LEED-rated with gas and electric bills not exceeding $30
- Exceeding the goal of 10,000, Herman Miller employees logged 13,640 volunteer hours
Image from Better World Report
Inclusiveness & Diversity
- 100% rating o Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign
- 1200 west Michigan children received backpacks filled with school supplies that were prepared and distributed by I&D teams
- Herman Miller presence at national conferences including National Urban League, Out & Equal Workplace Summit, US Business Leaders Network, and National Hispanic Corporate Council
- Celebrated 20th anniversary of Supplier Diversity Program – total spend with minority-owned business 14.5% (goal is 15%)
"Things that Matter" from Herman Miller
Health & Well-being
- Employees are encouraged to car/bike pool and log their hours to be entered into monthly drawings for $50 gift certificates
- Employee receive reimbursements for purchasing a bike, hybrid or fuel-efficient car, and helmets when riding a motorcycle or scooter
- Herman Miller’s Injury Incident Rate per 100 employees is 2.8 vs. the industry average of 5.9
- Four Herman Miller facilities were recognized by the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program
Image from Better World Report
Environmental Advocacy
- As of May 1, 2010, Herman Miller uses 100% renewable electrical energy in every world-wide facility
- 7th year on Dow Jones Sustainability Index
- Herman Miller’s energy reduction efforts equal not driving 7.5 million miles, or planting 950 acres of trees, or saving enough energy to power 475 averaged size homes for one year
Click here to read the report. You’ll be inspired by founder DJ DePree and CEO Brian Walker.
The U of M STSS Center: Thinking Green and Choosing DIRTT
November 2, 2010
- DIRTT at the U of M’s STSS Center
Intereum and DIRTT have partnered on several successful installations at the University of Minnesota. The latest installation for the new Science Teaching and Student Services (STSS) Center will be toured by the IIDA Northland at 6:00PM on November 8.
The building has five stories and overlooks downtown Minneapolis, the West Bank and the Mississippi River. It is across the street from the Weisman Art Museum, so it was designed to be a stand-out building. The STSS Center exceeds Minnesota’s stringent B3 sustainable design code and will seek LEED Gold certification.
DIRTT at the U of M's STSS Center
DIRTT has an extremely strong environmental story, so it is a no-brainer to include it in a building that is shooting for LEED certification. But there were other considerations… DIRTT’s ICE and ICEVision softwares permitted the U of M to plan, budget and visualize the project so there were no surprises with the installation. DIRTT’s ability to use the U of M’s own custom glass allowed for the glass to be conducive with the rest of the building’s features and elements – it is performance glass that features a custom ceramic frit pattern to improve energy efficiency and building performance. Intereum and DIRTT were able to work within the schedule of the U of M and were present at the construction meetings. The result is a beautiful technology-driven building that houses two large lecture halls, five multipurpose classrooms and 10 active learning classrooms.
For more information about this tour, visit the IIDA Northland Website.
For more information on Intereum and DIRTT solutions, email us at betterwaystowork@intereum.com
Herman Miller is the first major contract furniture manufacturer to incorporate ecoScorecard in its product catalogue to deliver the environmental documentation end users need. The company will be demonstrating ecoScorecard functionality to visitors in its NeoCon 2010 showroom.
ecoScorecard is a free, web-based technology platform that gives product manufacturers the ability to provide environmental information and sustainability documentation about products for all major third-party rating systems.
“Herman Miller realizes that sustainability is a shared responsibility,” said Martin Flaherty, president of ecoScorecard. “By simplifying the rating systems documentation process and identifying product environmental metrics, the ecoScorecard tool allows Herman Miller and product specifiers to work together to achieve sustainability goals.”
Paul Murray, Director of Environment, Health and Safety at Herman Miller, added, “As a founding member of the US Green Building Council, Herman Miller has always believed anything we can do to help make green building easier for everyone is a good thing. While our current LEED summary sheets provide the required information to manually calculate and submit a project to the USGBC, we recognize it is a time consuming effort. Herman Miller chose ecoScorecard to make the process easier and we hope that users find it a much more empowering experience.”
Intereum Like New: Recycled, Reclaimed, Reused
May 4, 2010
You probably take the desk and chair you are currently sitting at for granted, but did you know that re-manufacturing just 40 workstations diverts one whole tractor-trailer load of furniture from a landfill? Doing what we can to save the planet one office at a time means reusing, reducing and recycling. Interuem Like New reduces the demand on landfills, using remanufactured office furniture in an environmentally sustainable manner, with a sustainable, high-quality product.
Intereum Like New Workstations can help your business be more than just green, they can help you make it official by helping you achieve LEED certification. US Green Building Council’s LEED certification, which refers to the level of sustainability associated with a building, and is becoming increasingly popular. There are four different possible LEED certification levels; certified, silver, gold, and platinum. Intereum Like New is an US Green Building Council Member.
Intereum Like New delivers great value by offering you options that suit your needs at the best prices as well as complete solutions, including CAD design and layouts, installation and delivery. Featuring Herman Miller remanufactured workstations we’re committed to offering only the best in office furniture and interiors and our remanufactured furniture is of higher quality than many new furniture lines. With over 250 standard fabric choices, 10 standard workstation laminate tops, and planning options in both 90 & 120 degree configurations, Intereum Like New give has endless selection possibilities.
Price is only a value if all the other criteria are met. Open Plan Systems provides customers with quality, assurances and sustainability. When comparing Intereum Like New to new grade A manufacturers you should expect to save 25% and more.
Update Office Furniture The Green Way With Renu-Space
December 15, 2009
Do you have cubicles in your office that are old, out-dated, and just plain ugly but don’t have the money for all new office furniture? Renu-Space is a brilliant new product that gives an eco-friendly & economic solution to updating office furniture. With Renu-Space you take your existing monolithic panels to create the segmented look of new office furniture.
We have Renu-Space installed on workstation in our Intereum showroom. Scott from Renu-Space stopped by the other day to give us a demo and show us how the system works.
When Renu-Space is installed in an office environment there is less money spent on labor because the panels can be installed on some systems without removing work-surfaces and components. In fact, Renu-Space is so easy to install that it can be installed by your employees. When Renu-Space is being installed there is no need to disconnect phones, computer or power from the panel system so there is zero employee downtime.
Renu-Space is relevant to many LEED points on new construction or major remodeling projects. Traditional methods of reupholstering office furniture often require the older fabric to be removed and disposed of. Renu-Space is fastened over existing fabric, completely preventing the old fabric from being sent to a landfill.
New iPhone Application for LEED Exam Prep
November 4, 2009
Reuters is reporting that the nation’s leader in sustainable design education, Green Education Services, is launching a “flashcard” iPhone application. LEED Green Associate Flashcards are now available in the iTunes Store. It is a first of it’s kind application with over 350 flashcards, instructor support, and an intuitive interface.
Zach Rose, the CEO of Green Education Services, said this in a statement to Reuters:
“We quickly realized that while there are plenty of options for students to purchase printed flashcards for the LEED Examinations, there were no apps that allowed you to study directly from your iPhone,” said Zach Rose, CEO of Green Education Services. “Having already sold thousands of sets of flashcards for LEED prep, these applications were the next logical step and are a digital,more environmentally conscious way to study.”
The application costs $19.99 and comes with a discount code for $100 off of a Green Education Services live LEED seminar.
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