As Earth Day 2014 approaches, North American computer products and consumer electronics distributor D&H Distributing has sold more than 39 million green-certified products since the official launch of its “Go Green” program in 2010, designed to encourage the use of more environmentally conservative solutions.
D&H maintains a “green” search filter tool on dandh.com, helping retailers and dealers identify green-certified products. The website also includes a “Think Green” link on the lower left-hand menu which provides information on featured green offerings from D&H vendor partners, plus facts about the distributor’s current efforts.
D&H is in the process of implementing a 62,729 square-foot field of American-made, polyvinyl solar panels that supply a percentage of energy for its corporate office in Harrisburg, PA. The panels are estimated to reduce traditional energy consumption at the headquarters by more than 40 percent annually. In addition, D&H maintains reserved parking spaces with solar outlets to encourage the use of hybrid or electric cars among its employees.
The original program was meant to raise awareness in the IT channel, and involved significant internal practices and installations to reduce D&H’s ecological footprint as an organization. This included motion-activated controls for lighting and motorized equipment; energy-efficient T5 light fixtures; in-house and off-site recycling programs for wood pallets, aluminum, plastic, and cardboard; the use of virtual and blade servers to reduce energy and heating requirements; and shipping/packaging procedures that minimize container size, alleviate the use of petroleum-based products, consume less power, and reduce waste.
“Whatever item a retailer or dealer is looking for, it can be found in an ecologically-friendly design, from mobile computing products to messenger bags to cables,” said Jeff Davis, senior vice president of sales at D&H Distributing and one of the founders of the D&H Go Green program. “We want to help customers easily locate these products, so they can proliferate more environmentally responsible merchandise. As a company, we’ve taken that a step further by establishing green processes at our locations across the country and in Canada. We’re proud that our customers have taken the effort to heart as well, and the overall campaign has led to a great amount of green-certified items being purchased throughout the market.”
