CHICAGO — For Ed Kwasnick, director of business development at ARCO/Murray, Laundry Division, the term “green” has become a buzzword commonly thrown around in the industry. “Eco-friendly,” “environmentally conscious” and “nature-friendly” are just a few among the many terms that may come to mind when considering the concept, but Kwasnick equates green with another term—carbon footprint.
“Carbon footprint means dollars. When you put it in terms of that, dollars is a language that everyone in our industry understands,” he says. “When that carbon footprint is large, I’m spending more money than I need to.”
Kwasnick delved more deeply into the topic of green efforts in a recent Association for Linen Management webinar titled The Green Conspiracy: Saving the Environment and the Bottom Line.
ACTIONS FOR SAVING WATER, ELECTRICITY
When it comes to reducing costs of water usage, Kwasnick praises water reuse technology, which he says is “inherent” to the design of tunnel washers currently in use by many facilities. He also recommends the use of water recycling systems, which not only help save water, but also boast another energy-savings benefit.
“When you’re recycling that water, you’re taking out contaminants, but you’re leaving the heat in it,” says Kwasnick, “and if you use that water [again], you don’t have to re-heat that water up too much in order to reach the temperatures you’re looking for.”
And just like in the case of boiler systems, maintenance and upkeep of water reuse/recycling systems is of great importance, Kwasnick explains, adding that managers should look for leaks in the system, no matter how small.
“It’s not the constant drip, it’s the constant stream of water coming out, [so] you are going to waste almost 400,000 gallons a year, at the cost of $3,100 from that leak,” he says.
High-efficiency lighting, roof skylight systems and “soft start”/VFD (variable frequency drive) motors are among investments managers can consider to slash electricity costs, according to Kwasnick, adding that the simple practice of shutting down equipment at the end of the day can also help.
“In our laundries, we have to learn to turn the lights off, and [turn] equipment off … as soon as we’re done,” he says. “I’ve been in facilities before where it was the plant manager’s job to walk around after the shift and shut all the equipment off, and so that equipment might continue to run, those lights might be on, for another 10, 15, 30 minutes beyond [closing time].”
OTHER IDEAS, CONSIDERATIONS
Another area Kwasnick advised managers to examine involves their facilities’ washroom chemicals. Low-temperature chemistry and ozone are among the options he lists, alongside the use of chemistry free of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), which he says “uses renewable plant oil derivatives [and] biodegrades faster.”
In developing an overall “green strategy,” Kwasnick warns laundry managers to be mindful of technologies that “don’t play nicely together”—for example, utilizing a low-temperature wash alongside a heat reclamation system.
“You don’t have high temperatures going down the drain [and] you’re not picking up a lot of residual heat coming out of your washers,” he says. “The much lower temperature of the wastewater stream can reduce the effectiveness of your heat reclamation system.”
GOING GREEN
“Many laundry managers are already green, but don’t know it,” Kwasnick says in a follow-up correspondence with American Laundry News, stressing the importance that green efforts should be ongoing.
“A green program is a commitment to continuously reducing one’s carbon footprint through a combination of conservation, new technology and process improvement,” he says. “It’s a strategy, not just an event.”
“It’s [a] mindset that is instilled in the entire organization, not just a marketing opportunity, and it’s being aware that a green program is focused on positively impacting people, planet and profit. You must have all three to make it truly sustainable and green.”
Miss Part 1? You can read it HERE.
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