Environmental Stewardship
The New York Times Company is strongly committed to
protecting the environment in all of the many communities in which it
operates. The Company’s current practices to minimize and reduce waste
and emissions include:
Newsprint
- Using recycled newsprint in newspapers. The average recycled fiber content for newsprint used by the Company is approximately 20%. The Company actively works to encourage the newsprint industry to make much greater use of recycled fiber.
- The Company requires newsprint suppliers using virgin fiber to utilize a range of silviculture techniques and best practices, including regeneration surveys, site preparation, the planting of traditional saplings, and aerial and terrestrial seeding.
- The Company's major newsprint supplier has achieved 100% certification of its public and private lands under the independently audited sustainable forest management standards. This certification process requires independent experts to audit the suppliers' performance in maintaining, developing and ensuring the sustainability of the forests. This supplier is one of the largest recyclers of newspapers and magazines in North America.
- Significantly all of the Company's paper containing virgin fiber is purchased from certified forestland using certification standards from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
- The Company supports the various initiatives utilized by its suppliers in reducing their carbon dioxide emissions by switching to less greenhouse gas-intensive energy sources, and continuing investments in improving their energy efficiency. Its Canadian suppliers have committed to the goal of carbon-neutrality.
- The Company’s major newsprint supplier is recognized as a leader in climate-change strategy disclosure practices and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Company’s major newsprint supplier has signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, a joint effort between suppliers and environmental organizations to protect this important carbon storehouse and home of the endangered boreal woodlands caribou.
- As part of the Company's continuing efforts to reduce its newsprint consumption, it decreased the size of the web-width at the majority of its newspapers, consolidated or eliminated sections, and converted substantially all of its print sites to lighter-weight newsprint.
- A number of the Company’s newspapers use soy-based inks in the color sections, which also helps to protect the environment. Waste ink is disposed of as nonhazardous material.
Other Recycling
- The Company’s plants primarily use non-hazardous products that can be recycled. It recycles all waste from the printing process, including slab waste as well as the aluminum plates that are used in the print process.
- The Company recycles waste paper in all of its offices, pressrooms and printing plants.
- The plastic delivery bags are produced using a high percentage of recycled material.
- Employees participate in a variety of local recycling and conservation programs, designed to manage waste appropriately, conserve energy and water and support mass transit and telecommuting alternatives where possible.
Other Initiatives
- In 2008 The Times installed a "cool roof" at its printing facility in College Point, Queens. It uses a reflective white acrylic coating applied to the 200,000 square feet of roof surface. In hot, sunny weather, cool roofs reduce air-conditioning costs by 20 percent or more, along with the resulting reduced energy consumption. This type of technology was the focus of reporting by Felicity Barringer in her article, "By Degrees: White Roofs Catch On as Energy Cost-Cutters."
- The Company printed its 2008 Annual Report/10-K and 2009 Proxy Statement on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.
- In February 2009, the Company hosted a Green Fair for its New York area employees with the goal of introducing them to real-life environmentally sustainable practices, products and ideas. Twenty-two organizations attended the event and seven others provided additional samples and door prizes. The Company estimates that the fair was attended by 500 business side and newsroom employees.
The New York Times Building
- In June 2007, the Times Company completed the move to its new headquarters at 620 Eighth Avenue in New York City. The New York Times Building features numerous environmentally-sustainable innovations, many of which are first-of-their-kind ventures. The Times Company has freely shared information, and some innovations are now becoming part of a manufacturer's standard commercial offerings. Learn more about the building
- Lighting and Shading: By engaging Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory and with financial assistance from New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Times Company created a
very advanced dimmable lighting system and a dynamic shading system
with real energy savings of well over 50%.
The lighting system is the first of its kind in the world. By using daylight harvesting, it maximizes use of natural light so that electric lighting is used just as a supplement. Each of the more than 18,000 electrical ballasts in the system contains a computer chip that allows it to be controlled individually. This means that lighting levels can be adjusted to different spaces based on the occupants' lighting needs.
The shading system is programmed to use the position of the sun and inputs from an extensive sensor network to act as determinants to raise and lower shades, either blocking extreme light to reduce glare or allowing light to enter at times of less direct sunlight. The daylighting and shading systems work in concert to ensure that the building efficiently uses natural light whenever possible. - Underfloor Air Distribution: The building features a versatile underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system. With this system, the Company is able to air condition 10 degrees warmer than a typical system — at 68°F — and gently pump this chilled air up from the floor rather than pushing air down from the ceiling at high velocity. Cooler air naturally fills the lower area of the room and rises when it hits warmer objects such as people or computers. The warm air then exits through vents in the ceiling. This system not only saves energy, it also ensures a much more regulated, comfortable temperature throughout the space. The Company is also able to use free-air cooling, meaning that on a cool morning, air from the outside can be brought into the building.
- Co-Generation On Site: The building also features a co-generation plant that makes energy on site. Using clean-burning gas, the co-generation plant supplies 40% of the power for the Times Company’s space. The plant’s heat by-product is used to heat the Company’s space during the winter and to provide cooling during the remainder of the year. This is very unusual, especially in New York City where very few commercial office buildings have co-generation plants. Funding support for the co-generation project was received from NYSERDA.
The New York Times Building
Our new headquarters includes numerous environmentally friendly features such as the ability to generate one-third of its power using clean burning gas. Learn more about the building.
No comments:
Post a Comment