Like many companies in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, our organization is comprised of people that love the great outdoors. When we are not working, we like to hike, bike, golf, camp, and swim in clean lakes, in addition to many other activities focused on the great outdoors.

Since inception of POD, we have recycled all possible paper materials via the relationship with our recycling partner, Weyerhaeuser.

In 2007, we embarked on two other key initiatives to take our stewardship of the environment to the next level. The first was an executive directive to create a Toxics Use and Hazardous Waste Reduction (TUHWR) plan. To facilitate this, we approached the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to look for ways to reduce the amount of waste streams that we generate.

Prior to this year, our organization was rated as a SQG (small quantity generator of waste), which is actually quite good for our industry. Part of the reason for that is all of our press equipment is less than five years old, which allows us to use less caustic or harmful chemicals during the manufacturing process.

POD has completed a significant project this year to achieve exempt status from the DEQ, which means that when we are next reviewed in 2008, we expect that we will be rated conditionally exempt, which means that we will not be generating any wastes that cannot be put directly into the waste water treatment process. This will be a significant accomplishment and is very unusual in our industry.

The second initiative was to achieve Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain of Custody Certification. The Forest Stewardship Council Chain-of Custody Certification provides a system of tracking certified wood and wood products from the forest through each stage of production and distribution to the point of sale. The goal of the program is to identify and promote forest management practices that most successfully sustain timber resources while maintaining the ecological viability of the forest and benefiting the larger community and environment as a whole.

A certification label helps both concerned consumers and responsible forest managers buy and sell products that come from well-managed forests. By purchasing products that come from independently certified well-managed forests, consumers are able to vote with their pocketbooks for sustainable forest stewardship practices worldwide.