Coal Blooded Action Toolkit - Climate Access

Initiative Two: RECYCLEBANKLocation(s): RecycleBank, which operates in 18 states and 100 cities and townsDescription: A loyalty rewards program that encourages people to lower the environmental impact of theirlifestyles, for example, by recycling more and tossing less. RecycleBank encourages recycling while helpingconsumers and local governments save money. The company collects recyclable materials in bins equippedwith computer chips that record the amount recycled and send the information to the RecycleBank’s Web site,where it is converted into points for the bin owner’s account. The customer can log into the account and convertpoints to coupons for stores such as Target and brands such as Kraft. As a result of these incentives, areasthat use the program have seen recycling increase by 50 percent or more along with significant savings at thelandfill, which often charge per ton. Wilmington, Delaware, for instance, cut its $2.1 million annual wasteremoval tab by 40 percent. The staff does not include truck drivers, garbage collectors or recycling plantworkers because the company tries to help existing recycling operations stay in business. Once a deal issigned, RecycleBank retrofits existing trucks with mechanical arms that read the chips in the new bins. Upfrontcosts are paid by RecycleBank in return for an agreement to share the long-term savings with the cityEmployment Opportunities: RecycleBank’s roughly 105 employees include operations managers, technologyspecialists, marketing professionals and salespeople. xxxWebsite: www.recyclebank.comInitiative Three: JOHNSON CONTROLS, An energy efficient firmLocation(s): Milwaukee, WisconsinDescription: Johnson Controls, a Fortune 500 auto parts manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, which is one of the country’s fastest-growing companies in the clean energy economy and is arecognized leader in energy-efficient building solutions. Johnson Controls recently launched a campaign toeducate consumers about energy efficiency and sustainability. “‘Green’ is a marketing word for what people feelis doing the right thing,” said Clark-Holmes. “If you truly want to become green you have to become energyefficient.”Employment Opportunities: In fact, as Joy Clark-Holmes, the company’s director of Local Government andMarket Solutions explained, growth in its building efficiency business is outpacing its other divisions, accountingfor more than one third of the company’s 140,000 employees and $38 billion in sales in 2008. “We arebenefiting from the expansion of the public’s general interest in energy efficiency and its willingness to invest,”Clark-Holmes said. xxxi Each example is a testament to the economic benefits of real investment in a greeneconomy. These examples encompass a number of approaches to work toward a green economy. Your modelwill differ according to the needs of your community. It is most advantageous to transition to an economy thatencourages entrepreneurial spirit and public partnerships, while maintaining public health. This will onlystrengthen communities, as demonstrated in the above models. One can see the partnerships that formedacross different sectors and have had a positive impact on the community through job opportunities andeconomic advancement. Your community’s goal is to find a model that suits your local unique reality andempowers the community, and leads to environmental sustainability. This will not be an easy task but it will bebeneficial for the overall well-being of your town. Seek out the various pathways and those committed tomaking a just transition from a coal base economy to a green one.Website: www.johnsoncontrols.com/content/us/en.htmlNAACP Coal Blooded Action Toolkit72 | P a g e