Jack Kline, chairman, president, and CEO of Christie
Christie recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Environmental Management System (EMS). The system (based on ISO 14001) focuses on building and improving Christie’s environmental performance.
The EMS encompasses numerous environmental programs including waste reduction, recycling, water, and electricity reduction, facility and operational improvements, with a significant net CO2 reduction.
“We’ve introduced numerous programs to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Chairman, president and CEO Jack Kline. “These initiatives are an investment in the future and, what is unquestionable, is the ultimate impact on the environment. I want Christie to set an example for other companies; we take this seriously and don't intend on slowing down.”
Initiatives include the installation of 2,190 solar panel modules on the Ushio (Christie’s parent company) and Christie office buildings in Cypress, CA. The panels produce 833,000 kWh annually, reducing CO2 emissions by 814,807 pounds and power consumption by up to 28 percent. Christie MicroTiles installations in the lobbies of Ushio and Christie (Camden Drive) display the amount of energy that the solar panels produce in real-time.
At Christie’s manufacturing headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, a 35,000-square-foot warehouse was converted to office space using environmentally conscious techniques aligned with LEED Gold. The space includes daylight harvesting, energy conserving lighting with high-efficiency HVAC automation, sound masking and carefully selected interior materials. Overall, environmental related projects in Christie’s Kitchener facility resulted in a 47-percent decrease in natural gas consumption and a 27-percent decrease in water consumption between 2004 and 2015. The facility also boasted a 60-percent waste diversion improvement over the 10-year period.
In Cypress, Christie renovated its Network Operation Center (NOC) with refurbished data center equipment, including computer room cooling units, battery backup, and flooring from renewable resources, which also helps maintain a low-static environment.
Christie cites employee engagement as a critical factor in the success of its environmental programs. “There is always a tendency to believe that the efforts of individuals are insignificant, but working together with everyone engaged creates a meaningful result,” said Kline.
In 2014, Christie employees initiated a project to reduce the amount of LDPE#4 foam sent out as waste. Staff worked with the primary packaging supplier to pick up foam used in raw material packaging from Christie for processing back into a raw material form. This allowed Christie to be among the first manufacturing companies in the region to remove this product from its waste stream.
“When it comes to the environment, we only have one planet and it’s up to all of us to take care of it,” said Kline. “Ten years ago, when we started our environmental management program, we took this very seriously; we wanted all of our employees to be a part of it. To do so, we had to create a vision, and that was to constantly improve what we’re doing to preserve the environment.”
