Last week, millions of people all over the world celebrated Earth Day, an annual day of recognition that was established in 1970 to promote environmental protection. Not so widely known is that Goodwill has been engaged in protecting the environment since 1902, and their efforts to recycle and conserve continue on today.
In addition to accepting donations of used clothing, house hold items and furniture, Goodwill is also a leader in refurbishing and reselling computers and video games which otherwise would have ended up in landfills.
“By refurbishing computers we are not only having a positive impact on the environment, we’re also making technology available to students and families at a reduced cost when they purchase these items in a Goodwill store,” said Jaymie Eichorn, vice president of marketing for Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina.
And proceeds from sales at Goodwill stores go to support workforce development, which, in turn, trains and prepares thousands of people for the job market.
Goodwill is also committed to building “green” facilities. One example is the Goodwill retail store at 514 Waughtown Street in Winston-Salem, which has been recognized as a certified Silver Level LEED building. Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina currently owns and operates seven LEED certified facilities. Certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the national benchmark for high performance “green” buildings.
“Goodwill has been in the recycling business for over 100 years, so constructing a ‘green’ building was a natural extension of our mission,” said Ms. Eichorn. “Throughout the planning and design of the Waughtown facility, our goal was to reduce our pull on local resources through reduced energy and water consumption. We also sought to improve our facility for both employees and customers, and to reduce its impact on the environment.”