In its continuing effort to become the leading sustainable solar developer and EPC in the Midwest and throughout the United States, Inovateus Solar has expanded its sustainability goals to include 100% zero-waste bathrooms at its South Bend, Indiana headquarters.
Modeling “the three R’s of sustainability” (reduce, reuse, and recycle), Inovateus has closed its restrooms and relocated them to the company’s rear-end parking lot. When nature calls, Inovateus’ tree-lined yard will answer as a 100% zero-waste Earth-friendly restroom that also doubles as an employee community garden.
“This was a no-brainer for Inovateus Solar’s leading on sustainability,” said Tyler Kanczuzewski, Vice President of Marketing and Sustainability for Inovateus. “Toilets waste thousands of gallons of water every year. When the recent toilet paper shortage happened, our environmental stewardship team convened an emergency think tank session. We were stuck until I looked out the office window and saw a dog heading out of the side yard, and that was it. Mother Nature’s canine friend had provided inspiration for what we could do.”
Since closing off the office toilets, Inovateus employees have been “sheltering in place” behind two large pine trees next to the community garden. Instead of trees being sacrificed for toilet paper, employees use Indiana’s natural Black Maple comfort leaves that have fallen near the restroom area. In a pinch, employees can also pick fresh kale leaves from the community garden.
For natural and sustainable hygiene practices, employees walk a few hundred feet to a nearby creek. Set on a boulder, Inovateus has placed leftover soap squares that the sales team collected from hotel bathrooms during business trips. As for hand drying, iTeam members just give a good shake and let the sun do the rest.
“At first I thought this sustainability initiative was going too far,” said Inovateus Solar’s president and CEO, T.J. Kan. “But then I saw how the community garden was flourishing and that our sewer, water, and bathroom paper waste were saving the company thousands of dollars. Plus, a couple of times a day, employees get out of the office and get to commune with nature. Sometimes, they even get to pet that stray dog. It’s a sustainability and a business win for everybody.”
Inovateus is sharing its zero waste bathroom procedures on its website. You can also read Inovateus Solar’s first-ever sustainability report to learn more about the company’s zero waste solar construction and sustainable solar development initiatives.
