There are certain things that tend to get the interest of the public at large, regardless of the type of business you are in. Do something illegal and everyone will be talking about you—but not buying anything from you. Give something away and you’ll have plenty of people paying attention (depending on the perceived value of the prize).
While illegal activity creates drama and everyone like to win prizes there is one other thing that tends to gain the public interest even more—going green.
Helping to protect the environment is something that is near and dear to the hearts of many businesses, especially in the self storage industry. Many self storage facilities across the nation have made significant steps to lessening their carbon footprint. A number have installed solar panels and as a result are not just making their facility self-sufficient (when it comes to energy), but generate enough that they have some to sell to local power companies!
Several are helping protect the environment in another way. They have joined forces with GREENspot DROPoff, the largest collector of electronic waste in the state of California. For years they’ve been collecting things like old computers, hard drives, printers, fax machines, and so much more.
With over 200 locations in California collecting electronic waste at places like all the A-1 Self Storage locations, it was decided to expand the drive in another state, Texas. Amazing Spaces, an award winning self storage company with four facilities in the Houston area, has decided to join the fight against electronic waste and began setting up collection/drop-off points in early June.
“It’s really fantastic to see Amazing Spaces take charge in diverting electronic waste that typically ends up in our landfills. Their commitment to preserving the quality of our environment certainly raises the bar for the rest of the industry,” says Mike Wachtel, President of GREENspot DROPoff.
When many electrical products are not disposed of properly they may leak a variety of chemical compounds and/or heavy metals into the ground and eventually our groundwater. Should many of these compounds or metals be ingested they could cause some serious damage to the central nervous system.
Several other self storage companies are engaged in similar activities through other organizations. In 2010, A-America Self Storage teamed up with Greenworks Environmental LLC to collect electronic waste at its facilities in five different states. Budget Self Storage, which has facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Ontario.
Sources Used:
“Amazing Spaces Now Provides Recycling Services at Four Convenient Locations in Greater Houston, TX.” PR.com; 22 June 2012.
“Self-Storage Companies Offer E-Waste Recycling.” Self Storage Industry News; 12 January 2010.
“Florida Company is Latest to Join Growing Trend in E-Waste Recycling at Storage Facilities.” Self Storage Industry News; 03 January 2011.