Happy Earth Month! April 22 is officially Earth Day, but many celebrate “Earth Month” for all of April. Several Chamber members make efforts to be environmentally responsible, including:
Victorian City Art & Frame
This frame shop in Franklin uses all LED lighting, reuses incoming boxes and packaging materials for shipping out products, and sells old frames to local artists who can re-purpose them at a very reasonable price. The business also recently started recycling all other corrugated boxes with Moonlight Packaging in Oil City and donates scrap mat boards to Child Development Centers for art programs.
Although they haven’t found a solution for their glass as most of it has special coatings, they do have a line of FSC and PEFC certified moulding which ensure the product comes from responsibly managed forests that promote sustainability.
Personally, staff enjoys the local farmers market on Saturday mornings for refreshments or flowers for the gallery, and if they need to run an errand in town, they choose to walk anywhere within a couple miles in any season.
Webco Industries
As a local manufacturer and community leader, Webco Industries is committed to improving processes and reducing the environmental impact of their waste streams wherever possible. In addition to complying with all regulatory requirements, the following recycling programs exist at Webco:
• All metal waste products
• Sorbit collection system that keeps over 40,000 pounds of oils from being landfilled each year
• Aerosol can puncturing system
• Corrugated cardboard bailing
• Office paper collection
• Wood pallets
• Plastic bottles and containers
Other notable highlights are their commitment to monthly employee education & training on environmental topics and moving high use items to bulk container purchasing to eliminate the need for so many small disposable containers. They are also currently conducting an investigation on transitioning to electric powered mobile equipment instead of combustible engines.
Core Goods
Year-round, this market in Oil City encourages customers to reuse containers to fill with bulk foods, nut butters, olive oil, kombucha, and more. The store composts scraps and paper bags, uses vegetable scraps for homemade broth, and recycles what can’t be reused.
Core Goods also focuses on local foods, such as organic vegetables, meat, and bread, which creates less pollution and reduces the amount of pesticides that affect the environment and people’s health.
During the month of April, Core Goods will host a “Earth Month Contest,” with prizes offered for taking steps to be more environmentally-friendly, like using a reusable water bottle or coffee mug, shopping with a tote bag, and conserving water (learn more at core-goods.com/earth-month).
Oil City Main Street Program
Each year, the Oil City Main Street Program hosts a Cleanup Day—this year on Wednesday, April 17—to encourage community members to pick up litter and debris throughout town. Businesses and organizations can also “Adopt A Block,” throughout the year and keep that section of town clean.
We encourage you to make environmentally-friendly decisions, not only during April, but throughout the year, in your business and your home!
This article was published in the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce’s April 2019 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.