Nortra-Cables, Inc., which offers custom cable and wire harness design, prototyping and manufacturing services for medical, computer, communications, industrial, and electromechanical applications, is constantly striving to reduce its carbon footprint. They started a simple plastic recycling program that quickly grew to incorporate paper, corrugated cardboard/shipping materials, and scrap metal recycling (including copper, polyvinyl chloride insulations, etc.). The cost savings from recycling are used to pay for holiday parties and other employee perks. With no noticeable loss of brightness, they updated their lighting ballasts and used more efficient T8 fluorescent lights, resulting in a cost savings of ~$14,700/year (a 40% annual savings and a 4 month return on investment). Nortra-Cables replaced 24 toilets and faucets with low flow devices at no cost by participating in California Green Initiatives and Santa Clara Valley Water District incentive programs. They are a certified California Green Business and follow various programs to ensure manufacturing accountability for hazardous chemicals and metals.
