Green :: Ahead of the Curve

I found a very interesting article on our intranet site this week written by Hallmark's CEO, Don Hall, Jr.. In it, he talks about environmental responsibility at Hallmark as "nothing new." Don goes on to say,

"Hallmark was an early leader in practices that many companies have adopted more recently. We began recycling paper in 1943, started our van pool program in 1978, installed a solvent recovery system for gift wrap in 1981, moved to water-based ink in 1993 and began replacing the ballasts in our fluorescent lights in 1997 to increase energy efficiency."

As I visit college campuses throughout the U.S. each year, I am often asked, "How is a company known for paper-based products becoming more environmentally responsible?" Among the many green initiatives at Hallmark (click the label "green" to see more green entries), I found it fascinating that our company was on the forefront of recycling paper, way back in 1943.

It wasn't until 1970 that The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed by President Nixon, and finally, in 1989, the EPA set a 25% national waste reduction and recycling goal, resulting in 26 states adopting comprehensive laws making recycling an integral part of solid waste management (source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

I'm proud to work for a company that has been investing in a cleaner, greener Earth since 1943.