>In Depth

A SALON TODAY Case Study:

going green In a bold, brave move, Chicago’s Marianne Strokirk Salons submits
its operation to a team of sustainability strategists for a green
evaluation and carbon footprint analysis, then shares the data and
recommendations with SALON TODAY readers.
By Stacey Soble
Photo by Akin Girav

28 | APRIL 2009 www.salontoday.com

A
s many good salon ideas do,
this one started with a conversation
at the chair.
Marianne Strokirk, owner of Chicago’s
Marianne Strokirk Salons, was cutting the
hair of Georgy Oliveri, a client of 14 years.
As a sustainability strategist and president of
GO Initiatives, Oliveri helps companies of all
sizes develop realistic sustainability strategies
for competitive advantages.
“I asked Marianne where the salon industry
was in its journey toward sustainability,” says
Oliveri. “She responded that with the excep-
tion of some product companies focusing
on natural ingredients and salons decorating
with eco-friendly furniture, she didn’t know
if the industry had gotten too far.”
A native of Sweden, Strokirk grew up
in an environment where energy costs were
>The Case Study Subject
Established in 1989 by Marianne and her
husband John, the Marianne Strokirk
Salons, with two locations in downtown
Chicago, have become nationally known as
top destinations for hair care services. This
case study evaluated the company’s Chestnut
Street location, which employees 35 staff
members and sees an average of 1,500 clients
per month. It is one of several rental tenants
in a 1950s-era building, and occupies 3,800
square feet on the first floor. The location is
operated 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through
Thursday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and
Saturday, or 52 hours per week.
Strokirk’s managing partner, Jason
Frieman, provided expertise on the everyday
management of the business, the salon
facility, and financial implications of
proposed recommendations.
>The Energy
Conservation
Evaluation
A site visit and in-depth audit of the salon’s
energy consumption and expenses was
conducted by Robert Nemeth, a research
architect from Illinois Smart Energy and
Design Assistance Center (SEDAC). Funded
by Illinois Department of Commerce and
managed by the School of Architecture at
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
SEDAC’s mission is to encourage com-
very high. “By comparison, gas and elec-
tricity in the United States are so cheap that
in the past conserving hasn’t really been a
concern for most business owners here. But
I believe they are precious commodities,
and we have to change our views.”
With the idea of sharing lessons learned
in various markets, Oliveri approached
SALON TODAY about developing a case
study focusing on a high-profile Chicago
salon resulting in a suggested salon ap-
proach to sustainability. Realizing an op-
portunity to report on what we believe is
groundbreaking research, our editorial team
naturally said, “Yes!”
Oliveri suggested the case study focus
on opportunities with maximum impact. As
a tenured LEED-accredited professional
and a member of the U.S. Green Building
munities, small-business owners, design
professionals and building contractors to
incorporate energy-efficient practices and
renewable energy systems.
“Most commercial buildings use 10
percent to 30 percent more energy than
necessary and have abundant opportunities
to save,” says Nemeth. “Cutting a building’s
energy use by 30 percent yields the same
bottom-line benefits as a 5-percent increase
in net operating income.”
Nemeth was complimentary about
several of the energy-savings initiatives
the salon already had implemented. For
example, the salon had installed program-
mable thermostats to control temperatures
and the stylists were required to unplug
appliances at the end of the day. Because
most of the salon’s exterior is surrounded
by other occupied spaces or the building’s
interior, the space is well insulated.
“Several factors contribute significantly
to the salon’s energy and cost savings, the
largest of which is the turning off the HVAC
system during time periods when the salon
is closed,” says Nemeth. “The next largest
contributor to savings is maximizing the
use of outside air for cooling purposes
and only running the AC when necessary.
Additionally, the HVAC and water heating
equipment at the salon is fairly new and
well maintained, which contributes to
efficient operations.”
Council, Oliveri shared that more than 70
percent of greenhouse gases contributing to
global warming are attributed to buildings.
Conserving resources, through energy sav-
ings from the salon’s facility and reduction of
its carbon footprint, logically presented the
salon its most significant opportunities.
“With reason for fresh introspective, the
beauty industry has an opportunity to look
to the future while gaining valuable insight
from business sectors that have successfully
established sustainability programs,” says
Oliveri. Early adopters in diverse markets,
including the chemical, forestry products,
office equipment and machines, computers
and suppliers to the green building/construc-
tion industries, have pioneered voluntary
agendas to conserve resources and ensure
environmental protection.”
Through his evaluation, Nemeth found
opportunities for significant improvements
and proposed detailed recommendations
complete with 15-year life cycle costing.
SEDAC also introduced ideas for available
energy efficiency incentives, tax incentives
and rebate opportunities.
The audit identified four energy-cost
reduction measures that offered attractive
economics. Together, the measures would
result in a 20-percent reduction in annual
utility costs, or a savings of $3,772 per
year, after an initial investment of $17,225.
Currently the salon spends $4.85/square
foot/year on utilities (it pays for gas and
electric, but the landlord pays for water) and
implementing the recommendations would
result in almost a $1/square foot/year savings.
The recommendations included: >>
www.salontoday.com APRIL 2009 | 29
going green
foot,” says Nemeth. “For lighting, this is
very high use of energy per square foot.”
SEDAC made two lighting recommen-
dations. The first was replacing the existing
50-watt halogen lamp with 35-watt lamps.
“This represents a 30-percent reduction in
energy consumption, resulting in an annual
savings of $564,” says Nemeth. “However,
the lumen output also reduces, so before
implementing this measure throughout the
salon, a trial-run should be conducted on
only a few fixtures to see if they provide
enough light.”
The second lighting recommen-
dation was to replace the current
Linestra incandescent bulbs fram-
ing the client stations with 30-watt
fixtures, which would save the salon
approximately $1,845 a year. These
specialized lights contribute heavily to
the salon’s electrical draw and input heat
into the space that requires cooling.
>A Desuperheater
Air conditioning systems typically eject heat
to the environment. Desuperheaters, which
can be installed between the compressor
>Lighting and the condenser, transfer energy from the
The salon has a variety of lighting fixtures, refrigerant to the domestic water system.
including 50 150-watt Linestra incandescent Water heating is thus accomplished with
bulbs; 95 50-watt halogen ceiling directional waste heat, while the efficiency of the air
spots; 70 34-watt fluorescents; 21 100-watt conditioning is increased.
regular incandescent and three 150-watt spot SEDAC recommended the installation of
halogens. Overall, lighting constitutes 46 a desuperheater. Although the price for the
percent of the salon’s electrical costs. unit and installation can cost up to $3,725,
“Dividing the total wattage by the salon the salon’s gas and electrical savings were
square footage equals 4.63 watts/square estimated to be $1,154 per year.
Carbon Reflections
David Gardiner and Associates determined
the Marianne Strokirk Salons’ carbon footprint
equaled 98.37 metric tons per year. To give
this number some perspective, the salon’s
total annual greenhouse gas emissions are
equivalent to:
• CO2 emissions from 11,166 gallons of
gasoline
• C02 emissions from 229 barrels of oil
• CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 13.6 homes for one year
• Carbon sequestered by 2,522 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
• Carbon sequestered annually by .69 acres of forest preserved from deforestation
30 | APRIL 2009 www.salontoday.com
>Commercial Washing
Machine
As all salon owners know, laundry needs
at the salon are constant. Although the
Strokirk salon does not pay for water, it
does pay for heating the water. Installing a
new Energy Star-certified washing machine
would reduce water consumption, saving
heating costs and electricity. Drying costs
would also be reduced since new washers
extract more water out of laundry through
high spin cycles. SEDAC estimated a con-
servative savings of $200 per year.
>Carbon Footprint
Once SEDAC completed the energy audit,
the data was sent with additional
information provided by Freiman
to David Gardiner and Associates
in Washington D.C. There, Senior
Research Associate Ryan Hodum
scrutinized the data and devel-
oped the salon’s carbon foot-
print. A carbon footprint is the
new effi- ciency standard, and is defined
by UK Carbon Trust 2008 as, “The total
set of greenhouse gas emissions caused
directly and indirectly by an individual,
organization, event or product.”
This process helps determine the salon’s
baseline. “Like they say, you can’t manage
what you don’t measure,” says Hodum.
“Once the size of the salon’s carbon foot-
print is identified, we can develop a strat-
egy to reduce it.”
In addition to the quantitative energy
efficiency data gathered by SEDAC, Freiman
also shared with Hodum detailed informa-
tion regarding staff transportation, including
energy purchase, mileage, fuel usage and
the number of occupants in each car.
With the data, Hodum determined the
salon’s carbon footprint equaled 98.37
metric tons of CO2 (carbon) emissions.
“We couldn’t find many carbon footprint
measurements for other salons out there,
but when you compare the salon’s results to
those of other small business, which typically
average between 60-75 metric tons, it was
on the high side for its size and number of
employees,” says Hodum. Though Hodum
agrees the result wasn’t surprising when you
considered a salon’s unique needs for ap-
propriate lighting and hot water.
“You can’t
manage what
you don’t
measure.”
—Ryan Hodum,
David Gardiner and Associates
Hodum’s initial findings support
SEDAC’s suggestions for capital invest-
ments enabling the company to set internal
targets for improvement. It was the staff
transportation analysis that yielded surprises
and additional opportunities for improve-
ment. Almost all of the employees drove to
work and drove alone. One employee drives
11,500 miles annually, using 575 gallons
of fuel. Hodum suggested the employees
participate in a car-pool program to help
reduce the salon’s carbon footprint. “As
an incentive, many corporations are now
providing financial rewards for employees
carpooling,” adds Oliveri.
>Moving Forward
A few weeks after the re-
ports were released, Strokirk,
Freiman and Oliveri began
considering the salon’s next
steps:
SEDAC Recommendations
The salon’s first step was to purchase a
new, energy-efficient commercial wash-
ing machine to replace the salon’s existing
aging machine.
Although the lighting was one of the
biggest areas identified for energy-sav-
ings improvements by SEDAC, it also
presented the biggest concern to the salon.
Since lighting contributes significantly to
the salon’s ambiance and the appearance
of the client’s hair, skin and clothes, and
is a critical factor in delivering a superior
color service, both Strokirk and Freiman
stressed that any changes would have to
be critically examined.
So, Oliveri arranged for them to meet
with lighting expert Mark Horning of
Lightology in Chicago.
Horning toured the salon
and recommended that for new
salon construction or major building
renovations, a lighting designer can
provide fluorescent solutions with
maximum aesthetic qualities and
significant energy/cost savings.
Horning shared that new devel-
opments in fluorescent bulbs now
feature up to five color temperature options.
They can be a very effective, warm and in-
viting light source when layered properly,
and the draw produces 75-percent energy
savings and extends bulb life eight times
longer than incandescent bulbs.
Not ready to make the capital investment
in new lighting fixtures they were concerned
wouldn’t meet the salon’s needs, Freiman
and Strokirk instead decided to replace bulbs
in the existing fixtures to the bulbs Horning
recommended. This gives them a chance to
save energy, while evaluating the new light-
ing options, before making a bigger invest-
ment in replacing the fixtures. >>
 going green
Although the idea of the desuperheater
was the most intriguing to Freiman and
Strokirk, it also would take seven years
for the savings to outweigh the upfront
investment. At this point, the salon has a
few more years left on the lease, and they
don’t yet know whether they will be resign-
ing or looking for another location that will
better meet their needs.
Being armed with the information in hand
is a powerful tool though, stresses Bill White,
senior vice president of David Gardiner and
Associates. “Today, landlords are increasingly
amenable to making upgrades, especially
when they are cost-effective and they raise
the asset value of the commercial building,”
he adds. “If there are other tenants interested
in similar improvements, going together to
talk to the landlord strengthens your posi-
tion. Sometimes, you may agree to share in
the cost of improvements, or agree to pay a
slight increase in rent that would more than
be offset by the improvements.”
In addition, there are a number of pro-
grams that provide incentives for energy-
efficient commercial upgrades. White
suggests searching online or contacting
utility providers to see what programs
might be available.
>Transportation
The salon’s next step could be to look at
employee transportation and evaluating
how they might help schedule work times
to accommodate employees who are in-
terested in carpooling with one another,
says Oliveri.
But then she takes it one step further in
the thinking. Now that we know the carbon
impact of employee transportation, can you
imagine the impact if you evaluated transpor-
tation of the clients which the salon draws
from a wide geographic area, including the
city and surrounding suburbs? Oliveri her-
self drives 45 miles each time she has an
appointment with Strokirk.

Green Steps
As president of GO Initiatives, Georgy Olivieri helps organizations develop
sustainability programs centered on their customers. “We know consumers are willing
to pay a little more for products if they believe they are healthier, safer or better for
the environment. As sustainability strategists, we help companies establish direction
building on their existing capabilities of their people, products and processes. Then,
we build momentum for change throughout their organizations, and we promote
accomplishments to internal and external customers.”
Based on the Marianne Strokirk case study, Oliveri was able to suggest a number
of steps all salons could take toward sustainability:

•Become educated on sustainability and what it means to your clients. Suggested

readings include Cradle to Cradle and Natural Way.
• Develop your leadership vision of sustainability. “Make it personal,” she
recommends. “Perhaps you are an outdoors lover and enjoy hiking—invite your staff
to join you on a beautiful day this Spring.”
• Routinely communicate sustainability with your team. “Consider starting your staff
meetings with a ‘green moment’ with someone sharing an interesting new idea they
saw or heard about,” she says.
• Initiate a Green Team and designate a Green Guru to lead the team and empower
them to recommend and deliver actions.
• Recognize and reward accomplishments, such as carpooling, biking to work and
other innovative ideas.
• Integrate sustainability into your business strategy, focusing on your clients. Create
a dialogue asking them about what they have done at work or home to help protect
the environment. Share great green suggestions on the salon website.
• Actively promote your position, aspirations and successes. Create a dialogue with
local press and green organizations to build your profile.
• Help other members of the beauty industry and fellow salon owners learn from you.
Take a leadership role in the industry. “You can make an exponential difference by
helping your competitors to develop their contribution,” Oliveri concludes. “Sounds
strange, but it works.”

32 | APRIL 2009 www.salontoday.com

 “The beauty industry is known for its to mitigate carbon emissions. “It’s a good
creative approach to business—why not way to consider using your cost savings
consider establishing invitational dates from your energy-efficient investments,”
for social networks based on geographical says Hodum. To help evaluate different
areas,” she recommends. “For example, programs, Hodum also recommends Clean
North Shore Days every third Tuesday; Air—Cool Planet’s Consumer Guide to
South Side Suburban Days Carbon Offsets, which can
every third Wednesday, and The market is be found at www.cleanair-
West Suburban Days every begging us to coolplanet.org.
third Thursday. Carpoolers ask ourselves “A word of caution,
could get a free service. though. This is a relatively
Not only would that help
significant new area; it is unregulated
reduce the salon’s extend- questions and there are a number
ed carbon footprint, but it about our of companies sprouting
could improve customer industry’s up making claims,” says
loyalty and introduce new White. “Another option
clients to the salon.”
green is to explore green pro-
practices. grams in your community
>Carbon Offsets or contacting your utility
Both White and Hodum stress that the first company about the possibility of purchas-
step in a sustainability program is to use ing green power.”
tools like energy audit and carbon footprint “Overall, the research and the process
to develop a baseline. The next most impor- has definitely been an enlightening ex-
tant step is taking action to reduce energy perience,” concludes Freiman. “We have
usage and lowering the carbon footprint as always tried to be environmentally re-
much as possible. sponsible and do our part by doing things
Interested businesses can take a third like developing a recycling program that
step by purchasing carbon offsets, which recycles all packaging and plastic sham-
are projects and programs, such as solar and poo bottles. This information helps take it
wind power or reforestation, that attempt to another level.”

For more green ...

Visit www.salontoday.com in April, where:
• Georgy Oliveri discusses great sustainable questions to ask your existing landlord
or a potential future landlord.
• You can access the entire reports from SEDAC and David Gardiner & Associates.
• Panelists of the second annual Sustainability Summit, which was held at America’s
Beauty Show, share ideas

www.salontoday.com APRIL 2009 | 33

>Green Beauty
Compiled by Megan Vickery and Alison Shipley
A
round the country,
there’s a green
revolution arising in
salons and spas. From Earth-
friendly charitable events to
green construction, salons voice
their recent eco-actions.
Bigger is Better
“We focus retail sales of shampoo and
conditioner on 32-ounce bottles,” says The
Affinity Salon and Day Spa owner Craig
Burkholder. “The larger bottles offer a 30-
percent savings over four eight-ounce
bottles, which means fewer bottles are
produced and discarded.” This energy-
saving tactic from the Dayton, Ohio, salon
requires fewer materials to be produced
and transported.
Light Swap
Aria Salon Spa Shoppe in Alpharetta,
Georgia, replaced its light fixtures with
fluorescents. Although the upfront cost was
high, the salon benefited in the long run
both financially and environmentally. “The
bulb switch significantly lowered our
cooling costs and they require less
electricity,” say owners Matthew and
Mechelle Khodayari.
Designing Minds
Avantgarde Salon in Destin, Florida,
relocated the main salon/spa and opened
an additional location using an eco-friendly
design firm for both. Some of the earth-
friendly elements include: a focal wall
composed of reclaimed wood, concrete
walls polished down to expose rocks and
textures, and large windows that bring in
natural light. “The lights are energy-saving
halogen and many are on dimmers,” says
owner Joseph A. Rogers.
From Broom to Shrooms
Hailing from Brecksville, Ohio, Bella
Toccare dé Spa and Salon’s latest “going
green” initiative is participation in the
Matter of Trust program, which recycles hair
from clients. The hair is made into mats
designed to soak up oil from oil spills. After
the hair mats soak up oil, they are turned
into compost for mushrooms. The roots of
the mushrooms produce enzymes that
break down the oil and mat for a complete-
ly waste-free process.
34 | APRIL 2009 www.salontoday.com
Great Green Garage Sale
Centre Salon and Spa in Arvada, Colorado,
organized a company-wide garage sale,
promoting the environmentally friendly
principles of reduce, reuse, recycle. The
garage sale, along with other Earth Month
fundraisers, raised $1,500 to support clean
water. “Of course, we also recycle all plastic
bottles, aluminum cans, glass, paper,
cardboard and packing paper,” says owner
Jim Pacifico. “Our team takes turns driving
these items to a nearby recycling center.”
Road Warriors
Each year for the past 10 years, Entourage
Salon and Spa in Sheboygan, Wisconsin,
participates in the Adopt a Highway
program. The salon sponsors a stretch of the
interstate highway and, as a team, partici-
pates in a clean up of the area. “It is with
sincere effort that we look for ways to do our
part to help the environment,” say owners
James and Janet Goking.
Green Thanks
The staff of Life SalonSpa in Nova Scotia,
Canada, had classes of elementary-aged
children draw pictures of clean water and the
positive results clean water has on the earth.
One picture from each class was selected, and
a total of six were printed on thank-you cards.
The money raised went to support clean water
practices in the Northumberland Strait.
Salon Unplugged
The Hair Benders Salon in Kingsport,
Tennessee, has taken multiple small steps to
help the environment. “We are unplugging all
we can at night and ask that everyone unplug
their power strip when they are finished,
instead of just turning their tools off,” says
owner Shelia Ferguson. Unplugging tools
ensures energy doesn’t drain unnecessarily.
The salon has also switched their laundry
wash and rinse cycle to cold to reduce the
energy used to heat water.
From the Floor Up
Art + Science Salon/Spa in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, is celebrating their new location
with a green overhaul. “We are reclaiming the
floors and using computer-controlled energy
efficient lighting that lowers and brightens
throughout the day,” say salon owners
Stephen Falvo and Jeff Ramsey. And the list
goes on: The new salon will have furniture
made from Chinese Rubberwood and
stainless steel, no VOC paint will be used and
the carpeting is made from corn. The new
location will also be paperless with computer
terminals around the salon.
Lake Keepers
Pure Natur Salon and Spa in Fairview
Heights, Illinois, planned a 5K walk/run to
raise money for Alliance for the Great
Lakes. The successful event grabbed local
attention and resulted in newspapers, the
YMCA and about 50 vendors participating
in the Get Fit for Clean Water Fair.
Wood Shop
“When the decision was made to change
our front desk (a custom piece of hardwood
furniture), we had our desk dismantled,
reconfigured and reinstalled instead of
buying a new one,” says Salon Soca owner
Brigette Sobus. When in need of other
new furniture, this Chicago salon searches
for old treasures to reuse. “When practical,
we have bought furniture pieces from resale
shops and then refinished them ourselves.”
Going Tankless
Joseph and Friends Lifestyle Salon and
Spa uses a tankless water heater. Owners of
the Roswell, Georgia, salon Joseph Golshani
and Oksana Gerasimenko say, “Although
they are more expensive than storage water
heaters, they can be eight- to 14-percent
more energy efficient and last five to 10 years
longer.” Tankless water heaters heat water
directly, without the use of a storage tank,
thereby avoiding standby heat losses
associated with storage water heaters.
Clean Power
Salon by Debbie in Hunt Valley, Maryland,
purchased a renewable energy certificate from
Windstreet Energy, which allows clean power
producers to enter the competitive market-
place. For every green kilowatt or megawatt
purchased, that much less dirty power is
produced. This reduces pollution emitted into
the atmosphere, specifically carbon dioxide,
nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide.
As the Wind Blows
Parlor Hair Salon in New York City leaves a
lighter eco-footprint by switching to 100-
percent wind-powered, pollution-free
electricity. Although they now pay an extra
2.5 cents per kWh, an increase in their
monthly bill, no emissions or pollutions
result from the massive amount of electric-
ity they use daily. Says owner Gwenn
LeMoine. “I feel it’s worth paying extra to
make an effort toward a better environment
that tells leaders of our country that there is
a desire for change.”
For more salon-inspired ideas visit
salontoday.com

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For more information, contact Joyce
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>Greening of the Industry
As part of SALON TODAY’s eco-themed issue, we invited this
month’s sponsors to highlight their latest green initiatives:
AVEDA
www.aveda.com
Light the Way is a limited-edition soy wax
candle sold during April in honor of Earth
Month to raise funds and awareness for
clean water rights across the globe. This
year’s candle, timed for Aveda’s 30th
anniversary, features a new, French-inspired
stress-relieving aroma formulated with
certified-organic ingredients, including
lavender, lavandin and clary sage. The
candle provides a meaningful way to
support clean water rights for only $10.
AWARE PERSONALIZED BRANDING
www.club-aware.com
Aware Personalized Branding has moved
away from the use of parabens in all of its
new product development. The company has
also begun to use certified organics in its new
hair care and spa formulas. In March 2009,
Aware reformulated its Color Retention
System to make the entire line 100-percent
vegan, using sulfate-free shampoos and
paraben-free preservative systems.
As part of Aware Products, Aware
Personalized Branding is a proud member of
the National Products Association. The
company’s laboratory has produced a
complete line of NPA certification-compliant
bases that are available for custom formula-
tion of hair, skin and body care products.
MOVING TARGETS
www.movingtargets.com
Moving Targets’ new resident direct mail
program has added two demo videos, Why
New Movers and How We Work, to their
website to reduce the number of paper
documents they mail to prospects. These
short videos replace nearly 50 pages of
printed materials.
OPI
www.opi.com
OPI Products is committed to a policy of no
animal testing on any of its products, and to
seeking out and using raw ingredients that
have not been tested on animals. All
packaging has minimal impact on the
environment. OPI works with suppliers to
design packaging according to the following
principles: Facilitating recycling by reducing
the variety of raw materials involved;
labeling product with details of its compo-
nents and their recyclability; continually
involving packaging suppliers in efforts to
produce environmentally sound packaging;
reducing the variety of plastics employed
and using plastics of similar composition.
RENÉ FURTERER
www.renefurterer.com
“Beautiful hair only grows from a healthy
scalp” is the core mission behind René
Furterer. Symbolic to the brand philosophy,
Complexe 5 is a scalp treatment containing
more than 50-percent pure essential oils of
36 | APRIL 2009 www.salontoday.com
orange and lavender. It is free from sulfates,
silicones, parabens, artificial fragrances or
colorants, and packaged in a fully recyclable
glass bottle. It tones the scalp, elates the
senses and strengthens hair from the root.
SAM VILLA
www.samvilla.com
The staff at Sam Villa was interested in
developing a virtual corporate office to
reduce their carbon footprint. “This
drastically minimizes the consumption of
office products and utilities such as paper,
ink and electricity,” says Kurt Garehime,
founding partner and president of Allvus
LLC, dba Sam Villa. “We also utilize the
latest telecommunications technology to
reduce fuel consumption and carbon
emissions. We’re instantaneously in the same
virtual room together when we need to be.”
VERASOFT
www.korvue.com
PrimeServ, a Verasoft subsidiary, plants five
trees for every new PrimeServ eBlast client.
For every 1,000 new clients 5,000 trees are
planted. This initiative is headed by Plant-It
2020, which is dedicated to properly
planting, maintaining and protecting as many
indigenous trees as possible worldwide. In
addition to replenishing cities and forests,
Plant-It 2020 also periodically provides
educational workshops on forestry issues to
thousands of children. Founded by the late
singer John Denver in 1992, Verasoft’s
reforestation projects in many countries often
directly help humanity by increasing crop
production, fresh water availability and fuel-
wood via dropped branches.
SHORTCUTS SOFTWARE
www.shortcuts.net
Shortcuts has many clients who are
concerned with going green and it is one of
the primary drivers behind salons becoming
computerized. From e-mail receipts to
exporting reports instead of printing,
Shortcuts encourages cutting back on the
usage of paper in the salon by distributing
reusable client information cards. When a
new client comes in, they fill out a laminated
card with an erasable marker; the information
is entered into the computer and the card is
wiped clean for the next guest. Shortcuts also
supplies Energy Star compliant hardware that
has been tested for energy efficiency.
SALON TRANSCRIPTS
www.salontranscripts.com
Salon Transcripts takes the steps to be a
green-conscious company by
reducing paper usage by minimizing
printing, offering documentation and
manuals for download, recycling internal
documents and printing on recycled stock
when possible. The company also recom-
mends educational webinars, in place of
traditional on-site training.