For These Businesses, Every Day is Earth Day

Reduce, reuse, recycle — those are the three R’s of environmentally responsible living.  These five local businesses are already on top of that—and they’ve gone one step further. In honor of Earth Day, Patch checked in with the owners of five Northbrook businesses that have made a commitment to leave the earth a little better than the way it was when they found it.

Pro-Pak, Inc.

In a business that can generate a lot of waste, Pro-Pak owner Daniel Kravitz is passionate about protecting the environment and running his professional packing and shipping company as sustainably as possible.  More than half of the corrugated cardboard he uses comes from recycled, consumer-reclaimed materials, and he also collects and reuses Styrofoam packing peanuts. 

“Practically 100 percent of our packing peanuts are reused,” he says, “and we include a note in each package encouraging the recipient to find another use
for them as well.” 

So many things can be reused or repurposed,” adds Kravitz, who incorporated his business more than 40 years ago. “You just have to be creative.”

Kravitz came up with the idea for Pro-Pak while he was studying engineering in college and working at a Greyhound bus terminal to make money. He noticed that people shipped things in the undercarriage of the bus, but often wound up with damaged goods, especially when it came to fragile or delicate items. 

So Kravitz used his engineering knowledge to design a double boxed packing system and was soon using the perfected method to ship valuable items all over the world. Scientific instruments, heirloom antiques and artwork for traveling exhibits have all been expertly packaged and shipped out of the Northbrook office. Once, Pro-Pak even had the opportunity to return some priceless, gold plated silverware to the Royal Family in London. 

“We had to pack it in the middle of the night under the watch of armed guards,” Kravitz recalls. “I never knew the whole story or why the silverware was in Chicago, but I did get a letter from the Queen thanking us!”

The company uses soy based spray foam, which is cut to fit delicate pieces like sculptures or wall clocks, and their website offers tips on how to keep offices “green” and reduce waste as well.  Kravitz, who has regularly participated in Earth Day Celebrations in and around Northbrook, was also instrumental in starting the recycling program at the Heller Nature Center in Highland Park over 25 years ago.

To learn more, visit his website at www.propakinc.com or call 847-272-0408.

Cartridge World

Did you know that it takes about one gallon of oil to make a new laser cartridge and that almost eight cartridges are thrown away every second in the U.S.? Here’s another piece of mind-boggling information: In North America alone, more than 350 million cartridges are disposed of in landfills every year. It can take up to 450 years for a laser cartridge to decompose, and some components made of industrial grade plastics will take more than a thousand years to decompose.

Formerly headquartered in Northbrook but now located at 9336 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie, Cartridge World provides customers with a cost effective, environmentally friendly alternative to purchasing new printer consumables.

Since most printer cartridges can be refilled or remanufactured, by bringing in your used cartridges to Cartridge World you can help to protect the environment and keep more green in your own pocket as well.  The business also repairs printers, another environmentally friendly alternative to buying new, and according to production manager Kris Kaminski, repairs start at as little as $17.50.

"Of course it’s like bringing a car to a mechanic,” he says, “it depends on what’s wrong, but the average repair is probably somewhere around $30.00.”

Before being resold, cartridges are put through a rigorous process of cleaning, refilling and testing before being repackaged. Inkjet cartridges can be refilled  four to five times and laser toner cartridges can be refilled many more, depending on the original condition, Kaminski says.

For more information, go to www.cartridgeworld.com or call the Skokie location at 847 329-9096.

Norwex

Lisa Foley Cavanaugh started a home sales business with Norwex just over a year ago. The former science teacher and mother discovered the Norwegian-based company through a friend who sold their products in Minnesota. Cavanaugh’s son, Sean, suffered from severe mold allergies. She tried the company’s mattress cleaner, a spray that is supposed to remove organic matter on mattresses, sofas and bedding and eliminate dust mite growth. After her son stopped sneezing in the mornings, she was hooked on the products.

The company makes personal care and cleaning products with natural ingredients and components that do not negatively impact the environment, including antibacterial microfiber cloths, wet mop pads, dry mob pads, odor eliminators, laundry detergent and dryer balls.

“Our skin is our largest organ, and the chemicals we are exposing ourselves to are causing all kinds of problems,” says Cavanaugh, who lives in Northbrook. “Indoor pollution is becoming one of the biggest environmental problems in America.”

Beyond selling Norwex products, the busy mom is also going back to school to earn her masters in educational technology at Concordia. Although she has less time to promote her business, Cavanaugh says she has about 25 customers at the moment, many of whom are realtors who use the antibacterial cloths on door handles at open houses.

For more information, visit her website at www.lisafoley.norwex.biz or call 312-519-2282.

Living Green Now

Northbrook residents Terry Black and his wife, Hope, focus on education through their green consulting business, Living Green Now. 

“We teach people how to run their offices and homes more efficiently to conserve resources,” explains Black. “It’s great if it’s green,” he laughs, “but if it’s not saving you money, what’s the point?”  

Although most of their clients are businesses focused on the bottom line, the couple also consults with homeowners as well.

“We go from room to room and show the client how to do things differently to save energy and money and create healthier environments.”  The couple offers more than 400 American made products online to aid in a “green” transformation, including healthier alternative cleaning products, shower heads and fixtures that reduce water waste and even “smart strips” that automatically turn off power when electronics are not in use.

They also offer an organic line of soaps and lotions made in Wisconsin and encourage the use of green plants in the home or office to filter toxins.

“Just adding plants is one of the best ways to positively influence your environment,” he says.

For more information or to access their product line, visit www.livinggreennow.biz or call 224-723-5253.

Scott Simpson Builders

Partners Scott Simpson and Tom Kenny of Scott Simpson Builders were recently awarded their first LEED Platinum Certification on a house they built in Glencoe. The certification is quite an honor, as it marks the capstone of a lengthy process and requires adherence to strict specifications.

Regularly attending green building workshops and continuously studying to find lower impact building alternatives, the duo uses green and recycled materials whenever possible. One of their goals is to make sustainability more accessible and attainable to the average homeowner.

They walk the walk, too. Kenny’s home was the first house in Northbrook to have a geothermal heating system.  He also used recycled brick and hybrid insulation.

 “Through our education we are able to bring green ideas to customers,” comments Simpson’s wife Stacy, who does the marketing for the company. “A lot of people want to be more environmentally conscious, but don’t know how.”

For more information visit www.scottsimpsonbuilders.com or call 847 291-2457.