Did you know that Goodwill is one of the greenest organizations on the planet? You may not realize it, but when you donate or shop at Goodwill, you set in motion a whole series of earth friendly activities. Every item that you donate or purchase at a Goodwill store is a one less item thrown away.
The fact is, Goodwill was green before it became the trend that it is today, and we are proud of our commitment to preserving the environment. There are many ways that Goodwill is green, from recycling and upcycling efforts to the use of green principles in our facilities.
For example, we use preventative maintenance designed to maximize the efficient operation of our equipment and facilities, and when building new facilities, separate construction waste and use regional and low-emitting materials to minimize our carbon footprint. We use green refrigerants in our air conditioners and are upgrading lighting in our locations to more energy-efficient fixtures. Finally, we have installed motion sensors to cut down energy use and we have installed low flush toilets and use green landscaping practices. All of these steps make a big impact on the communities that we serve.
Did you know that in 2018 alone Goodwill recycled 4.7 million pounds of electronics and kept 165.8 million pounds of material out of landfills?
Here's a few other important ways Goodwill helped sustain the health of our environment in 2018: