Marie Burns
Office Supply/House Gift Shop
Green the Capitol Award
Marie Burns is set to receive the first ever Green the Capitol Award.
She’s earned it.
“We really look at everything we’re buying and doing to see if it can be more sustainable and eco-friendly,” Burns, the director of the House Office Supply Store and Gift Shop, said.
Those efforts include providing shopping bags made from recycled water bottles and selling eco-friendly blankets and 100 percent post consumer waste paper.
It’s a challenge, Burns said, especially considering that the store sells only products made in America.
The search for environmentally-friendly bubble wrap typifies that struggle, “We did Google searches for hours and called all over the country trying to find a manufacturer that was nearby. We didn’t want to cause greenhouse gas emissions just to get it here.”
With a lot of persistence, Burns was able to find bubble wrap that was manufactured near the District.
Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard, who nominated Burns, was impressed with her drive and with a change she made to her registers.
She added a software application that allowed her to print out just one receipt instead of two. The fix allows th store to save thousands of sheets of paper a year.
“Those kinds of beneficial choices and a willingness to help are just what we need to green the Capitol,” Beard said. “We can’t do it alone.”
Burns said she will continue to do her part for the Capitol and for the environment. “I’ll keep looking for green products to stock our shelves,” she said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
2008 ACE Award Winners
Brent Conran |
Andrew Graeub |
Joseph Adams |
Nicholas Garner |
John Heeb III |
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Angel Goldsborough-Lee |
Saint Juan "Angel" McFadden |
