Tape Solutions' Earth Day: Team Celebrations & Initiatives

Please tell us about yourself.

Landon: I am an Application Engineer in our Essentials of Manufacturing Program located in Hoosick Falls, New York. I am a recent graduate (May 2023) from the University of Cincinnati where I got my B.S. in Chemical Engineering and my MBA. In my free time I enjoy hiking, taking care of my house plants, and spending time with friends.

Ashley: I am the Product Stewardship Specialist for Tape Solutions NA. I transitioned from Process Engineering into Product Stewardship in 2022, and I love both the challenges and opportunities this role presents to improve our products for a better and more sustainable future. Outside of work, I spend most of my time with my husband and children and I enjoy reading and cooking.

Richard: I work as a Marketing Manager for the construction and industrial markets worldwide and I have worked with the company for 20 years. But, my broader experience with coatings industrial markets covers 30 years. Last year for Earth Day, I helped our team plant 150 trees.

What simple ways can people show care and appreciation for our planet?

Landon: Some simple ways include reducing energy consumption, reducing water usage, and reusing. Turning off lights and unplugging electronics reduces energy consumption. Being aware of water usage can assist in helping reduce water usage throughout cooking, taking showers, etc. and switching from disposable to reusable products helps reduce waste overall.

Richard: A few simple ways include planting a tree, volunteering for a community clean-up event, or trying to eat more vegetarian meals.

Why do you think company-wide activities and celebrations of Earth Day are important?

Ashley: These activities are important so that our Green Solutions Team can show others what we have been working on. Our activities help educate our co-workers on how they can make small changes that positively impact our environment.

Landon: These types of celebrations contribute to overall awareness and responsibility regarding the environment. Everyone can learn something that may allow them to be more sustainable in the future either at home or in their job.

Richard: Each of us, in our daily activities, can take small actions to reduce energy use and recycle more. It is good to take the time to think about how we can help, and if we can convince a lot of people to participate, the effort will be much more impactful.

Could you describe some of the Earth Day activities that took place at the Granville and Hoosick Falls sites? Why do activities like this matter?

Ashley: In Hoosick Falls, we set up displays and presented current Green Solutions’ initiatives. Some of these initiatives include ongoing industrial waste recycling programs, education regarding better-for-the environment cleaning products as well as a sunflower and wild seed giveaway.

These activities matter because employees need to understand that they are or can be part of something that is making a positive impact on our environment and community.

Specifically, regarding industrial waste recycling — this is a new program that was deployed earlier this year, involving many different products made in multiple departments. It is important to show the employees that we are actively working on diverting materials they touch every day from the landfill to be made into something new!

Landon: We had educational sessions and workshops regarding corporate recycling, corporate sustainability initiatives and more. We also had a clothing drive for local school children and we recycled certain toiletry products that aren’t normally recyclable and promoted the making of nest balls to help the local wildlife build nests.

If you could have a conversation with nature, what would you say? What questions would you ask?

Richard: I would ask about the platypus. I mean, how does that kind of mixed-up creature even exist? And then I would ask how I can help to prevent these kinds of unique creatures from becoming extinct. Extinction is very sad, and I would like to prevent the next loss of an animal like the dodo bird.

The dodo is a lesson in extinction. Found by Dutch soldiers around 1600 on an island in the Indian Ocean, the dodo became extinct less than 80 years later because of deforestation, hunting, and destruction of their nests by animals brought to the island by the Dutch.

What actions do you incorporate into your daily life to help support a healthier planet today and in the future? 

Landon: Some of the things that I do to promote a healthier planet include taking shorter showers, turning lights off when they are not in use, finding creative ways to reuse items whenever possible, and reducing my purchasing of items that have a lot of waste. 

In my spare time, I have also volunteered with local organizations to plant trees and remove invasive species from the area.

How do you promote the three R's of recycling (reduce, reuse, recycle) and incorporate it into the Tape Solutions culture?

Ashley: We are always looking for ways to reduce waste — this is a huge driver for our business. We are continuously improving our processes to reduce our waste and to reuse materials, if possible. An example of material reuse is multiple passes on a liner that in the past may have always been discarded after the first production run. We are also actively engaged in developing recycling streams, where possible.

The celebration of Earth Day, every year, is a great way to inspire communities around the world to take action, no matter how large or how small.

By encouraging employees to engage and serve as ambassadors of positive change, we can more easily foster organization-wide unity and solidarity when it comes to tackling today’s environmental challenges one step at a time.

A company-wide celebration of Earth Day reaffirms everyone’s commitment to preserving nature and creating a sustainable future for all.