the ReNews Edition Spring 2010
Some interesting stories about Urban Impact's growth and our commitment to the environment.
- URBAN RECYCLING
- Grade Four and Five Kids Waste Not Want Not at Urban Impact Recycling
- Celebrating Our 20th Earth Day at Urban Impact
- Urban Impact Proudly Supports Canadian Cancer Society
- URBAN SHREDDING
- It’s Shredathon Time!
- Shred Days at Urban Impact Headquarters
- URBAN SOLUTIONS
- Urban DIversion
- Why Go Green?
- Green News & Notes
- BLOG POLL
URBAN RECYCLING
Grade Four and Five Kids Waste Not Want Not at Urban Impact Recycling
As part of Earth Week, April 19-25, 2010, Richmond, Delta, North Delta, Coquitlam, Port Moody Grade 4 and 5 classes are taking recycling tours and will go head to head to prove they are Best at Less!
On the heels of more than 40 tours to elementary school classes we’ve sponsored over the past two years, for this year’s Earth Week, we’ve added a contest: 'Waste Not Want Not', in which we’re asking each of the classes to come suggesting 10 ways how each of the students can be less wasteful, and 10 ways the class can be less wasteful. After the week of tours if wrapped up and all the submissions are in, the class with the least wasteful answers, as judged by Nicole Stefenelli, wins a $500 prize.
About The Education Tour
The tour is designed to give elementary school students a hand's on education of our role in the market place. Our objective is to give students a clear picture and understanding of our trucking, receiving, vital processing and shipping functions in the Lower Mainland.
We believe that by seeing what Urban Impact does in person, the students will achieve an added understanding of why recycling is so important and critical to us all as local and global citizens. We also discuss zero waste and the need for dramatic waste reduction in our everyday lives and on every level in our society. And, students have a great opportunity to check out our huge facility and our big machines in action!
Topics we cover include:
- How a recycling facility receives products from our own trucks, suppliers and clients
- Where the materials come from (commercial clients, schools, municipal, etc.)
- How we process and store materials
- How and where we ship materials
- Where the ports are and security issues at the ports
- Value of various recycled materials
- The buyers of recycled products
We sponsor the school tours by paying for each school to be bussed to our plant, which costs about $350 per school. The invitation is open to all Lower Mainland grade five classes to participate at various times throughout the year. For more information, please email Hamish Love at hlove@urbanimpact.com or call 604.273.0089.
Read the feedback on our BLOG from a TREK Student who recently took one of our School Tours
Celebrating Our 20th Earth Day at Urban Impact
We’re thrilled to share with you that 2010 marks Urban Impact’s 20th anniversary, and to celebrate, we’ll be giving back to the community and environment in 20’s. Our theme begins this month as we sponsor 20 school tours in 2010. And next month, we’ll be planting 20 large trees in Richmond and New Westminster (the two communities our plants reside in). For June, July, August and onward we have lots more ideas on how we want to give back to say thanks to our customers, friends, community and to the environment. But we’re sure you have some great ideas too! So let us know your themes of 20! Drop us a line on twitter, facebook or on our blog, or email us at info@urbanimpact.com.
If you don’t know the history, Urban Impact actually began in 1989 as a university project by founder Nicole Stefenelli who sought to prove that it was viable for commercial businesses to reduce their waste disposal costs and green their businesses by recycling. The company proper began in 1990 when Nicole launched the first multi-material recycling company in the Lower Mainland!
Today, Urban Impact services more than 4500 locations, from Whistler to Chilliwack. Recognizing that all businesses generate paper that is sensitive and confidential, Urban Shredding was established in 2004 to offer clients secure document destruction services. Sharing Urban Impact’s zero waste philosophy, most shredded materials are recycled.
We’ve grown to a combined staff of over 85 and 32 collection vehicles provide clients with complete recycling, shredding and green business consulting services from Urban Impact’s two facilities in North Richmond and New Westminster.
Thanks for your continued support and we look forward to celebrating many more Earth Days with you in future!
Urban Impact Proudly Supports Canadian Cancer Society
Cancer is one of those diseases that has touched us all. Each of us can likely tell a story where the human spirit and medicine triumphed over this disease, and sadly it is likely that each of us can tell a story where the disease won and stole someone away.
April is Cancer month in Canada. The Canadian Cancer Society a remarkable organization calls on us all to give generously to help battle this disease. Urban Impact is doing its part to help raise awareness. As a company we have given $5,000 on behalf of all of our employees, and we have put the CCS logo and daffodil up on our trucks. This is the first time we have put another logo or icon up on our 32 very distinct and clean trucks. Equivalent to a $22,000 transit advertising campaign in the Lower Mainland, we are sure that the public is seeing the logo all over Metro Vancouver every day and is encouraged to give a gift or donation to this worthy organization.
To find out how you can support the Canadian Cancer Society, go to daffodil.ca or cancer.ca
Karen Zygun, Director, Corporate and Foundation Giving, BC Cancer Society; Nicole Stefenelli, President, Urban Impact; Philip Von Stefenelli, Operations Planner, Urban Impact
URBAN SHREDDING
It’s Shredathon Time!
We know that when you think ‘Spring’ you also think ‘Shredathon’! So, yes, our popular Shredathons are back! We provide complimentary shredding and our host partner provides the location and coordinates to raise funds for a local charity through donations on-site.
Here are the details on the upcoming locations and dates:
| May 8 | Vancouver | 10am-2pm | VanCity Branch #3 2510 Hastings Street Hastings North BIA and Vancouver Police on location with fraud prevention and identity theft tips and information. Charity: Community Policing Centre Shredding Trucks will be shredding in the London Drugs Parking Lot at 2585 East Hastings [enter at 2500 Franklin Street] |
| May 15 | Coquitlam | 10am-2pm | Walton Elementary School 2960 Walton Avenue This event organized by the school’s Parent Group as a fundraiser to replace the existing playground to make it wheelchair accessible. |
| May 29 | Port Coquitlam | 10am-2pm | VanCity Shaughnessy Station Community Branch 7100-2850 Shaughnessy Street, Port Coquitlam This will be third Shredathon this VanCity branch has hosted. Charity details to be announced. |
| June 19 | New Westminster | 10am-2pm | BCAA New West Office, 501 6th Street Hosting in partnership with the New Westminster Fire Department, BCAA will be raising funds for New West’s Fire Fighter’s Charitable Society. Firefighters will be on hand of course! More details to come on where the shredding trucks will be parked. |
Urban Shredding provides complimentary shredding for up to four boxes per person. After that, it is $25 per 100lbs. File folders, staples, binders, coil rings? No problem! Our shredders can handle them! Watch as your materials are shredded before your eyes, and then recycled. And, you’ll receive a certificate of destruction.
Thanks to our host partners for organizing these Shredathons! If you would like to host a Shredathon in your community, please contact Mike Sales at mike@urbanimpact.com or 504.273.0089.
Shred Days at Urban Impact Headquarters
If you can’t make one of the Shredathons, Urban Shredding encourages you to drop off your boxes of files and paperwork for secure, confidential, on-site shredding right before your eyes at our headquarters on the first Wednesday of each month.
| Where | 15360 Knox Way in North Richmond, just east of 6 Road and River (map) |
| When | 2pm-4pm on the following days: April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16, July 7, July 21, August 4, August 18, September 1, September 15, October 6, October 20, November 3, November 17, December 1, and December 15 |
| Quantities | $25.00 minimum charge for up to 100lbs (equates to approximately 10 full file boxes). $0.25 per each additional lb thereafter |
URBAN SOLUTIONS
Urban DIversion
Thanks to you, our trusted customers, we were able to collect and divert 90,000 Metric Tonnes of recyclable material from local landfills in 2009. That’s the about equivalent in size of one of those very large cruise ships we see coming into Port of Vancouver every weekend! That’s a lot of waste diversion
Why Go Green?
As Earth Week is upon us, it’s a good time expand on the discussion about ‘going green’ in business.
Preserving the world’s natural resources is the responsibility of every individual both at work and at home. At Urban Impact, we believe ‘going green’ makes basic good business sense:
- Sets a positive example for employees and boosts recruitment, morale and retention.
- Gains competitive advantage as you differentiate yourself as a Green business.
- Improves efficiency and potentially lowers operating costs.
- Provides a cleaner and healthier work environment.
Urban Solutions–our Zero Waste consulting arm of the business–is committed to helping you expand your current potential and explore new business opportunities. We can help identify the most impactful and cost-effective environmental business strategies to maximize your return on investment, while also reducing your company's carbon footprint.
Urban Solutions’ strategic advisors provide services including but not limited to:
- Helping you enhance and maximize your recycling program
- Increasing your 3R efficiency and initiate a culture change towards sustainable waste management
- Providing advice on how to reduce the amount of waste you produce and how to buy more selectively and sustainably.
- Helping you develop and refine sustainable business strategies that strengthen your business relationships.
Urban Solutions has advised many organizations on how to reduce their environmental impact, by improving recycling and waste reduction practices, greening their supply chains and greening their purchasing habits.
We consult with clients one-on-one to provide education and advice to help guide them to the most cost effective green solutions for their specific challenges. We work for you to find markets for unusual materials and best green practices in any given industry. Challenge us. There’s never been a better time to go green. Email us for more information at info@urbanimpact.comGreen News & Notes
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No More Surcharge!
Urban Impact is pleased to announce that as of May 1, 2010 your invoice will no longer carry a commodity surcharge. Commodity markets have recently recovered sufficiently and appear to be stable, an excellent turn of events from just a year ago.
We appreciate your business and thank you for your support during this very challenging time.
Yours in service,
Urban Impact Recycling - Zero Waste Conference
Watch for Nicole Stefenelli, one of a select group of speakers at this year’s Zero Waste Conference taking place May 25-27th at Whistler, BC.
- Latin America Green Technologies & Environmental Initiatives
Latincouver.ca, the virtual Latin Plaza in Vancouver, in partnership with Vancouver Greentech Exchange and Simon Fraser University, invites you to attend its Earth Day business networking event, where Nicole Stefenelli is speaking!
April 22, from 6-9pm
Simon Fraser University, Harbour Centre 515 W. Hasting St.Come and celebrate Earth day while you learn about the different environmental initiatives that local companies are implementing in Latin America
Event is free, but you must register at http://www.latincouver.ca/event/latin_america_green_technologies
- Client Wins Award
Congratulations to our client Metropolitan Fine Printers for winning Gold at Environmental Print Awards www.metprinters.com/the-company/awards-media
BLOG POLL
Vote Now in our April Poll: Do you remember to turn off your lights when you leave a room?
Please reply to our Blog Poll at Urbanimpact.com/blog
Urban Impact is on Twitter!
Follow Nicole at www.twitter.com/nstefenelli for updates on local waste management, recycling, and sustainable comments and issues.
Are you on Facebook?
Stay up to date with Urban Impact on our Facebook fan page. We’ll be posting videos, photos and the latest UI news on the page. And we want to hear from you! We are having great discussion on Facebook on the hottest waste management and environmental issues. Come join the conversation! Please encourage all your Facebook friends to be our fans.
And don’t forget our Blog
Keep up with the latest on Urban Impact thoughts, news and events, and make your comments on our blog!
