Green Initiatives
Stewardship is everyone's responsibility
L
ong after Adam was tasked with tending the first Garden, the mandate to preserve, cultivate, and enjoy the Earth was passed along to all God’s children. Leaving the planet better than we found it is one way to demonstrate care for our neighbors and future generations. As a business, PSI is taking advantage of opportunities and technologies that allow us to conserve resources and operate more efficiently.
Going Native
Native bluebonnets, pecan trees and salvias populate the crushed granite around PSI’s central Texas facility. Honey bees are annual visitors (as are the middle school students next door, who flock to PSI to take pictures among the bluebonnets!) Through use of native, low water-use plants, mulch, and efficient irrigation, we are conserving central Texas water resources and eliminating the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
Solar Power
On a sunny day, PSI acquires more than 2/3 of our power from the sun. Installed in 2018, three banks of 300-watt solar panels and microinverters are capable of up to 42,600 watts of power at peak capacity, with an estimated annual energy production of almost 60 Megawatt-hours. (That’s the equivalent energy of burning 35 barrels of crude oil, or the equivalent annual CO2 offset of planting 1,083 trees.) We almost can’t wait for another red hot Texas summer!
LED Lighting
PSI began transitioning to energy efficient LED lighting in 2014, replacing all halogen, incandescent, metal halide, and traditional fluorescent ballasts with lower wattage, LED bulbs. This includes all shop floor lighting, exterior safety and security lighting, and drop-ceiling fixtures.
Recycling
PSI began recycling scrap electronics and other metal waste in the 1990’s. More recently, PSI has rolled out an electronic order management system, ACH payments, and electronic invoicing, with an eye toward reducing our paper consumption and improving operational efficiency.