Preamble:
AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions seeks to be a good corporate citizen and to reduce landfill by recycling wherever possible. Our goal is to minimize waste and pollution and to act in a manner that creditably sustains our environment.

Scope:
Applies to Head Office and all AVW-TELAV branches across Canada.

Policy:
AVW-TELAV is committed to protecting our environment. Our practices respect all municipal, provincial/territorial and federal environment legislation, and the organization has never been convicted of an environmental offence. It is the company’s mandate to make all reasonable efforts to reduce waste.

Procedure:
Sales and Marketing

• Produce all AVW-TELAV communication vehicles and sales tools in electronic format.
• Unless otherwise requested, AVW-TELAV uses electronic means for sending brochures, floor plans, estimates, etc.
• Provide all AVW-TELAV promotional materials in electronic format on our website at www.avwtelav.com.
• Encourage the presenters (at events where we are the official audio visual supplier) to submit their presentations electronically to a customized website. Once received, the presentation is forwarded electronically to the computer in the speaker’s presentation room. Any changes to the presentation can also be made online.
• Keep mailing lists up-to-date to avoid unnecessary mailings.
• Use electronic mailing lists whenever feasible.
• Encourage media and AVW-TELAV personnel to use digital cameras (avoiding the need for photo-processing chemicals).

Information Technology (I.T.)
Dispose of obsolete or non-functional computer equipment through an organization that specializes in safe, efficient disposal:

“Texserv recognizes that environmental compliance is of utmost concern to our customers. That is why we are second to none in our commitment to protecting the environment. We are also unique in that Texserv actually does most of the recycling processes of obsolete and damaged I.T. equipment in house, with our own staff. (Most firms outsource this work or ship equipment overseas for unscrupulous processing).

Safe and Legal Processing for Reuse and Recycling: Stay in compliance with federal and provincial regulations.
No Export of Hazardous Waste: Only responsible, certified processors are used
Independent Audits and Certifications: We verify our processors meet our high standards
Certificate of Recycling: You receive a certificate from Texserv to certify your equipment has been securely recycled - eliminating your liability
No Landfill: We make sure none of your equipment ever sees landfill; we insure and guarantee everything is 100% recycled.”

• Purchase I.T. equipment from environment-conscious suppliers. Our Purchasing (Procurement) Department is in charge of purchasing I.T. equipment for national distribution. Although various vendors are used, our primary equipment vendors are IBM & HP. Both have substantial environmental protection and recycling programs.
• Encourages employees to turn off their workstations and peripherals when they are not in the office, on evenings and weekends.

Procurement

• Strive to ensure that we comply with all environmental laws and regulations, together with our partners.
• Evaluate new products in light of how they will impact the environment.
• Support manufacturers and distributors who have green policies and are ISO 14001 certified.
• Make purchasing decisions that are sensitive to environmental protection policies.
• Ensure that office equipment meets government environmental requirement policies.
• Donate used apparel for recycling.

Administration

• Advocate the “Blue Box” program. Paper, glass, metal, plastic, cardboard, and all other materials possible are recycled.
• Provide recycling bins under each work station and by the photocopier, printer and fax machines.
• Encourage that all paper products in our facilities (including fine paper, computer paper, tissues, toilet paper and paper towels) have recycled content and are preferably unbleached with a high proportion of post-consumer recycled fibre.
• Minimize paper consumption through the use of Email, faxing, and voice mail instead of paper memos and other correspondence.
• Produce paper documents only when necessary, printed on both sides (unless otherwise requested). Every effort is made to edit onscreen rather than printing unnecessary drafts. Staff is trained in how to operate photocopiers correctly in their respective branches. The photocopiers are well-maintained to avoid “mistakes” that waste paper.
• Reuse file folders and envelopes.
• Keep circulation lists up-to-date to avoid unnecessary mailings.
• Use electronic mailing lists whenever feasible.
• Maintain a central area (office supplies lock-up and warehouse) where co-workers bring unwanted office supplies, cardboard boxes, and other items, for reuse by others.

Operations

• Make every effort to sell or recycle used equipment, at the end of the product’s life cycle.
• Equipment that is functional is sold to customers through our sales team and by holding annual Garage Sales. Non-functioning equipment is either sold or donated to scrap metal recyclers.
• Promote careful disposal of batteries. As many products in our rental inventory use them, we have an internal program whereby we collect all used batteries for pick-up and disposal by a hazardous waste company.
• Make every effort to use ethanol-gasoline blends for gasoline-fuelled vehicles and low sulphur fuel for diesel vehicles.
• Maintain a rigorous vehicle maintenance program to ensure that trucks are efficient and operational, including fluid checks, tire pressure, block heaters, etc.
• Inspect the emission control systems on our trucks annually.

Building/Maintenance

• Turn off lights when not in use.
• Enable energy saving features of all electronic equipment.
• Give priority to energy savings rated photocopiers and laser printers with duplex capability, and to plain-paper fax machines.
• Have insulated loading dock doors in our warehouses to provide energy savings

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