Today seems a lot like yesterday. It should be busy again. It’s time to accomplish what we can and then get some well-deserved sleep tonight. Tomorrow it will be time again for a cup of coffee in the morning, a quick shower, and it’s off to the races to start another day. Days may seem the same, but will they always be like this?
The reality is changing will be subtle with our growing world population that is in a fast race with our rapidly declining environment. Predictions are less than positive. Experts indicate almost everyone is responsible for the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions, and deterioration of the world’s land, material, and water use. What will our world be like after a 32% population growth by 2050?
Today, ten percent of the world’s population does not have quality drinking water. Their water has pathogens and high levels of harmful substances like fecal contamination, which is the presence of bacteria such as E. coli. Even by 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in contaminated water-stressed areas. Imagine starting your day by boiling and filtering water to drink?
If statistics bother you, avoid research and hope for the best. Everything will seem much better. However, if you understand the direction we are heading as a planet it’s hard to ignore. It’s time to get involved and make a difference.
Last month, John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical’s won the 2017 Chamber of Commerce Green Business of the Year Award. Receiving the Chamber of Commerce Green Award was a heartwarming honor that reflected the daily hard work of our team.
The award was based on multiple achievements. In 2016, John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical recycled over 300K lbs. of scrap metal, which means no metal went to the city landfill. The $40K of scrapped metal proceeds went into the employee 401K fund. John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical also improved water quality and made strides in water conservation.
Another achievement to earn the Green Award was John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical reducing the carbon footprint of our community which resulted in the equivalent of eliminating 41 million miles of driving! That was accomplished by tuning or replacing heating and cooling equipment to improve efficiencies and other means.
The Green Award provided incredible recognition. At the same time, I believe as a company we can do so much more, and we will. Another story is about what we should be doing as businesses and individuals to be more environmentally responsible.
Some improvements are just common sense. For instance, one of the quickest and best improvements to improve the quality of our air is to tune up natural gas furnaces. If the discharged flue gases from all-natural gas equipment were visible, let’s say black, it would tell an obvious story because we could see it. The sky above some homes or businesses would be dark. Some communities would have skies similar to the eclipse last month. The “problem” is carbon monoxide is a gas that has no odor, color, or taste. Clear skies are misleading.
The same example could be said about vehicles if they were not tuned properly or efficient and their exhaust trail was black. If the traffic was congested, would we have to drive with our headlights on?
The quality of our air is a major concern, but so is the quality of our water. What if the chemicals we add to our drinking water were black? We would be seeing black chemicals like soaps, paint, adhesives, plant chemicals, pesticides, and the list goes on. Instead of the crystal-clear water, it may look like we are drinking licorice. Rain would possibly darken the sky.
Being responsible means, it’s no longer OK to avoid replacing old heating and air conditioning equipment that “is still running”. It may be running, but it’s using excess energy that is polluting our environment.
There are responsible solutions out there. A high-efficiency heat pump is a great improvement. Other solutions are things like Lennox solar heat pumps that collect 97% of their energy from the sun and can save 6,499 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent of planting 74 trees per year!
Today and tomorrow need to be different than yesterday as we make important changes to improve our environment. By working together, we can continue to have bright and beautiful days!
Thanks to the Chamber of Commerce for awarding John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical the 2017 Green Award. Thanks also to our customers, team, and the community!
