Happy Earth Day! This annual event is so important—and not just because it gives us an excuse to unplug for the day and join the throngs of people practicing free yoga in the park. When Senator Gaylord established it in 1970, it was a reminder to celebrate our planet every day. With that mindset, we strive to follow the tenets behind it on a daily basis and take note of our successes.

At True we are continually seeking out new and innovative environmentally-friendly components and processes to reduce our carbon footprint. This effort epitomizes our approach to manufacturing and the performance of our energy-star appliances—which are built to last.

Since our American-born, and American-made brand first opened its facilities we have improved our energy conservation each year. Our production processes involve closed loop water systems which conserve water, we powder-coat our appliances in-house which reduces VOCs, and we print with UV inks, which eliminates solvents. In addition, we use Ecomate foam insulation which does not degrade our ozone layer as other common refrigerants do. We also recycle and reuse 100% of our scrap metal.

In our partnership with Missouri’s Brightergy, we’ve installed solar power systems in 23 True building locations.This allows us to produce 756,502 kilowatt hours of energy and reduce our carbon emissions by 1,176,717 pounds per year. The initiative has yielded enough clean energy to power 48 homes a year and/or can be compared to taking 110 cars off the road each year—it’s no small feat.

In our facilities we have invested in Economizer units rather than rooftop air conditioners, allowing us to enjoy what is termed as “free cooling” during the colder months as the units engage outdoor air to lower the temperature in the buildings. During the winter, we use solar water heating. Our recycling program alone has saved 9,556 tons of materials from ending up in a landfill—the equivalent of removing the annual CO2 emissions of 2,851 homes. There are so many little practices we employ—such as our Box-on-Demand machine that custom cuts boxes for each shipment to eliminate extra waste—that ends up making a big difference. We are committed to sustainability and to improving our processes, production, appliances, and environment whenever possible. Stay green!