Class: Going green can get you some green
JANESVILLE — Small business owner Edmund Halabi quickly did the math.
Each week, he goes through two cases of paper towels in the restrooms at his Italian House restaurant on Janesville's east side.
At $40 per case, the towels cost Halabi nearly $4,000 each year.
Thanks to his son Brandon and one of Brandon's fellow students at Blackhawk Technical College, Edmund Halabi learned last week that the paper towels also create waste that cuts into his bottom line.
From an environmental perspective, the production of those paper towels requires trees and creates carbon dioxide emissions.
Brandon Halabi and Terry Hofmann are students in the Business Sustainability Planning class at BTC. Earlier this semester, they formed a team to strategize ways for Italian House to be greener and boost profits.
Other students in instructor Helen Proeber's class did the same at three other area businesses. The teams made their presentations last week.
Beyond the paper towels in the bathrooms, Brandon Halabi and Hofmann pointed out other areas of concern, namely a water heater that could be replaced with a tankless model, inefficient light bulbs, poor or missing door seals and a leaky faucet.
They did the math and found that Edmund Halabi—after some upfront expenses—could make improvements that would save him nearly $40,000 over about 13 years.
"Obviously, I can't do all these things at once, but, wow, these students really opened my eyes," Edmund Halabi said. "As the lights burn out, I'll replace them with LEDs, and I think I can probably put hand dryers in the restrooms for about $1,500."
The restaurant business, he said, is one with notoriously tight margins. Fifty percent of his budget is typically food costs. Labor adds another 30 percent. Throw in mortgage, marketing, energy and other costs, and he's quickly approaching 100 percent.
"Then we pay property taxes, personal taxes, federal taxes, state taxes, sales taxes, city taxes and on and on and on," he said. "We make a product, sell a product and try to break even.
"Some may not see it, but a few hundred dollars here and there can make or break a small business."
Proeber said the three-credit course, which has been around for about two years, is a core class in BTC's business management degree program.
Course concepts include green business, planning sustainability programs and leading corporate social responsibility efforts that can lay a foundation for both business profitability and environmentally friendly processes.
Typically taught on baccalaureate campuses, it's a somewhat unusual offering for a technical college, Proeber said.
"It shows that not only are these things good for the planet, they can save businesses money," she said. "It's becoming a more important topic for business owners, entrepreneurs, managers and leaders who run businesses."
Edmund Halabi watched all four presentations last week. He was so impressed that he encouraged the students to start their own green consulting companies.
"You can help businesses learn and show them how to save money," he said. "I'm old-school and sometimes reluctant to change.
"But I've certainly learned some things that I can use in my business."
Dec 23, 2012 at 3:55 p.m.
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By the way, billnewbie, re: your December 19, 2:19pm comment: "[S]elf-promoting commercials": Your bible's "dominion over the earth" clause allows everyone to run slipshod over the planet. The bible does not support a hand dryer over paper towels.
But what about the bible's opposition to the money changers and it's ordination of living a non-market-based communal life (communism)? Shouldn't that swing support over to the paper towels?
Does the Religious Right truly have the Green thing sorted out?
Dec 20, 2012 at 5:21 p.m.
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billnewbie, you are projecting; the only way you can hold the nonsense of religious belief (the enemy of Evolution) is with a closed mind. How can anyone have assumptions that are satisfied by the subject of Evolution? The subject of Evolution requires an analytical challenge. Almost everyone is exposed to religion before Evolution. The childishness (immature assumptions) of religion needs to take hold when someone is a child because religion is a remnant of our species in childhood. Therefore, to survive and transcend religion requires an open mind. Religion shuts it down.
Your reason for not debating is more projection. Consider the arrogance of your having a special relationship with the almighty creator of the universe while that character decides that it's okay to neglect the thousands of children who die each day from dirty water and starvation. Shut down indeed.
Open up. Reconsider a challenge to Evolution.
Dec 20, 2012 at 4:54 p.m.
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I would, Gazettefan, and I have because I have an open mind. Of the 2 of us though, you could stand to question evolution just a bit instead of accepting it lock, stock and barrel. However, you don't question it because it happens to fit your preferred assumptions and world view. Just like Janesvillean when global warming is questioned, you personally attack anyone that holds any kind of opposing view, proving yourself to be arrogant and closed minded, a waste of time to debate with.
Dec 20, 2012 at 2:41 p.m.
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billnewbie, feel free to question Evolution right here.
Dec 20, 2012 at 1:37 p.m.
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Sorry I don't want to mix up the story. Out of the bathroom stall passing by the sink, outside to smoke, then back to work behind the counter- while pregnant.
Dec 20, 2012 at 1:29 p.m.
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mccarguy- they saved at Burger King by coming out of stall straight back to work.
Dec 20, 2012 at 9:43 a.m.
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Anyone who washes his face in a restaurant washroom (?) and drys his hands and face with toilet paper in a restaurant washroom needs to consider the spray factor from toilets.
Dec 19, 2012 at 8:01 p.m.
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The real question is...does Al Gore's 6,500 sq ft home use paper or air ?
Dec 19, 2012 at 4:57 p.m.
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Panama
Has Bill ever anointed himself as an anthropogenic global warming expert? No I dont think so.
Janesvillean-since you seem to be concerned with Carbon dioxide-I am certain you knew that this year-in 2012-CO2 emission in the USA have declined to 20 year lows. And if you'd like-I will sell you some carbon credits.....this way you wont feel so guilty when india, China, europe, and the rest of the competing world fires up coal and natural gas to produce goods, move products and people.
I will make a global warming prediction. In Janesville- August 2013 will be warmer than 2013 December (the average temperature) will this be due to my daughters Yukon i.e. human activity, an increase or decrease in CO2 or perhaps the distance the earth is to the sun?
Dec 19, 2012 at 3:53 p.m.
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WOW, billnewbie, you sure have presented plenty of scientific and physical evidence to back up your claim that global warming either does not exist or that it's not the result of human activity. I'll bet we can find your extensive study that disproves any evidence of global warming in the next "Myth Becomes Fact" newsletter distributed through Rove's "Xenophobia" publications.
Dec 19, 2012 at 2:19 p.m.
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So, "carbon dioxide is THE major gas causing climate change", eh? I suppose if that is repeated long enough it becomes truth. Just don't look at the East Anglia scandal. You don't want to see what you don't want to know.
"Please stop spouting your uneducated nonsense." That seems such a time honored cliché of the folks who claim to be enlightened but can't stand divergent opinions. I get a chuckle from the Science Channel when I see their self-promoting commercials. Their motto is "Question everything". Yeah, right. Except global warming, The big bang theory, Evolution, and a handful of other conventions. If you do, folks like Janesvillean will castigate you for being "uneducated". To be educated then must mean that you are thoroughly indoctrinated is said conventions since questioning them is a sign of a lack of education. Too bad that more people don't "question everything".
Dec 19, 2012 at 2:09 p.m.
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What I like the best is those toilet tissue dispensers that come on big rolls that you have to dig around for and hope to find the end. Then the paper towel dispensers that give you one little square. Best bet is to leave your hands wet and go back to the table and use the table cloth. I really like it when you run into a friend just outside of the restroom and he or she wants to shake your hand and it is all wet. Sort of makes eating at home more enjoyable. No wonder drive through is so popular.
Dec 19, 2012 at 1:47 p.m.
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"From Vondrehle Corp website, a paper mfg in NC"
von Drehle’s innovative and proven methods lead the industry in total environmental responsibility, sustainability and conservation.
Not a single tree is harvested to supply von Drehle’s paper mill
von Drehle’s paper is processed chlorine-free
von Drehle does not use solvents containing lead, mercury, nickel, or xylene in the de-inking process
Dec 19, 2012 at 1:41 p.m.
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No one likes a loud screaming blow dryer. Most paper products are made from recycled fibers anyway. It is also not very sanitary to have employees not using paper towels. You end up drying your hands on your dirty apron or pants instead. Edmund should contact Jay's Big Rolls in town, they can cut your costs substantially.
Dec 19, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.
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Once again Sigma dispels the myth that a good quality education really matters.
Dec 19, 2012 at 12:50 p.m.
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Sigma40, carbon dioxide is THE major gas causing climate change. Please stop spouting your uneducated nonsense.
Dec 19, 2012 at 12:18 p.m.
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Mgcarguy,
You should try the air dryers that "The Rock" has, those things will blow you across the room!
But I agree that most of those air dryers you see are pretty pathetic.
Dec 19, 2012 at 7:55 a.m.
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-"From an environmental perspective, the production of those paper towels requires trees and creates carbon dioxide emissions."
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it isn't bad! it is the stuff we breath out. without it the plants couldn't turn it into oxygen and then we would die. stop talking about it as if it's some sort of toxic gas. Geeez! our society is so mislead in uneducated is sick.
Dec 18, 2012 at 6:48 p.m.
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In restaurants that have the air dryers for you hands, I use toilet paper instead. It is nearly impossible to get your hands dry without paper towels. At McDonalds, I take napkins into the rest room. Just don't like those dryers. Try washing your face, just a little and drying it with a blower. Can't be done.
Dec 18, 2012 at 4:40 p.m.
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"Italian House restaurant on Janesville's each side."
Come on. Just read it once before it goes to print. For just a second I thought he had two places.
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