October 2008: For The Record

Words: Dan KamysOctober 2008

Greening Your Office

JenniferJennifer Morrell Editor jmorrell@lionhrtpub.com

We talk a lot about going green through the building materials and methods we choose. But are you operating your office using green practices? Although most mason contractors are out in the field, you may have a staff that stays behind at the office. The opportunities to waste energy are countless. To accompany our story in this issue on green building (p. 18) are the following tips from the Sierra Club on keeping your office green.

• Be bright about light

Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can. Buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting, and install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they're not needed.

• Maximize computer efficiency

Turn off your computer — and the power strip it's plugged into — when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil. During the day, set your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks. Screen savers don't save energy. Make it a policy to invest in energy-saving computers, monitors and printers and make sure old equipment is properly recycled. Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can be donated to organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. You may even get a tax deduction.

• Go paperless when possible

Before you print, ask yourself if the document could this be read or stored online instead. When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item. Make it a policy to post employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distribute print copies.

• Ramp up your recycling

Recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes and junk mail, can be recycled, along with your old cell phone, PDA or pager. Place recycling bins in accessible, high-traffic areas, and provide clear information about what can and cannot be recycled. Return to Table of Contents
Helical Beaming: Your Top 6 Questions on Installation, Cost, and Limitations
March 2026

Although helical masonry beaming is still an underutilized and relatively unknown method in masonry repair and restoration, the number of questions and requests I get on this topic increases every week, which I view as promising. Helical masonry beaming i

Technical Talks
Read More
Wired for Safety: Electrical Maintenance for Fire Prevention
March 2026

Could your company survive if an electrical failure sparked a fire at your business? Electrical malfunctions cause thousands of non-residential building fires annually.1 Proactive maintenance and action are essential to help safeguard your operations.

Patrick Cunningham
MAP Partner
Read More
The Behind-the-Wall Secrets Every Mason Already Knows (But Some Ignore)
March 2026

You’ve been around long enough to know this already: stone doesn’t fail on the face; it fails behind the wall. You can lay the prettiest veneer in the county, but if the prep is junk, that wall’s gonna start telling on you after a couple of winters. Manu

Rob McKay
Technical Talks
Read More
From the Mound to the Mortar: Jon Rauch’s Tall Order in the Masonry Industry
March 2026

In the record books of Major League Baseball, Jon Rauch is a literal giant. At 6 feet, 11 inches, he remains the tallest player to ever step onto a Big League mound. But today, the Olympic Gold Medalist and 11-season MLB veteran isn’t looking for a strike

Robert Melgaard
Industry News
Read More