Sustainability

Corporate Office

Green Team
Universal Companies has an internal "green team" comprised of approximately 15 employee volunteers. This team is divided into four groups: recycle, reuse, reduce, and company awareness. Its accomplishments include the installation of recycling containers throughout the corporate office and warehouse, the creation of a rain garden, the usage of "green" cleaners for housekeeping staff, the production of an electronic educational newsletter for all employees, the adoption of chlorine-free recycled content plates and bowls for the kitchen, and recycled content/managed forest office supplies. The team was also instrumental in the purchase of a cardboard baler for the warehouse, which aids in the recycling of up to 81,000 lbs. of cardboard per year.

Professional Associations:

A non-profit organization, the Green Spa Network is dedicated to promoting environmental awareness in the spa industry and supporting its members with expert advice, media exposure, and networking opportunities.

Full-Time Sustainability Specialist
Universal Companies has a full-time sustainability specialist on staff, Lisa Sykes. Lisa rigorously examines products for earth-friendly attributes, encourages vendors to reformulate, redesign, and implement their own environmental strategies, researches sustainable solutions, and writes informative articles for publication.

She holds a Master's degree in English and is currently working on a Certificate in Sustainability Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. While Lisa began her writing career teaching composition, grammar, and literary criticism at universities and colleges in Virginia and Tennessee, her real lifelong passions are scholarly research and green living. She is an organic gardener, a vegetarian cook, and a concerned mother, which also makes her a serious and efficient label-reader. Because Lisa is able to intertwine her enthusiasm for research and sustainable living, she feels fortunate to share her talents with Universal Companies as its full-time Sustainability Specialist.

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