How do we Conserve Electricity with Lighting?Leaders Furniture has been using daylight harvesting since 1995. We currently utilize daylight harvesting throughout our 150,000 sq. ft. campus to cut back on electricity used for lighting, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. Utilizing massive skylights in our 57 foot high ceiling, the multi-level "runway" lights are automatically turned off every day by 8:30am when the sun's rays become bright enough to adequately light the heavy traffic work areas.
On the shipping docks where brighter color corrected bulbs are required, Leaders Furniture uses high output low energy consumption T8 fixtures with electronic ballasts. These give the necessary color correction and lumens to ensure the highest quality inspection to review our product with a fraction of the cost of traditional fluorescent fixtures. Furthermore the lighting system over the shipping docks is divided into zones. If a zone is not being worked by an employee, the lights are switched off to save even more electricity.
It gets over 90 degrees in the summer time! Instead of running expensive A/C systems to help our warehouse team members stay cool in the hot Florida summer we utilize evaporative cooling systems. With very minimal water consumption these highly efficient fans can reduce the air exiting up to 14 degrees by taking advantage of the properties of water as it evaporates. This air cooling is done with almost no energy consumption compared to an air conditioning compressor unit.
All of the cardboard and paper packaging materials received in our distribution center is sorted, compacted and picked up and recycled several times a week. Any boxes that can be reused are utilized to ship product out to our customers. This reduces our dependence on paper products manufactured from natural resources. In addition, when a delivery is sent on one of our fleet trucks, it is not boxed and wrapped with paper products. We use reusable linen packing blankets to cut back on the waste we produce that would otherwise go to landfills.
How does Leaders Conserve Fuel?All Leaders product is delivered on our own fleet: using computer aided routing to help the drivers reach all of the customers in the most efficient manner possible. All of our longer range deliveries that ride on our semis are guided by live GPS to help the drivers efficiently navigate around traffic and other obstructions ensuring the most direct route to the consumer using the least amount of fossil fuel.
We also have Alternative Power Units (APUs) installed on our over the road semis to drastically reduce the carbon output and fossil fuel used while our trucks are at idle. The unit will allow the drivers to maintain a comfortable environment with A/C, heat and accessories while at a delivery stop or on overnight time off without idling of the 500+ Horse Power diesel engines. This will also prolong the life of the lubricating oil in the engines reducing the frequency of their change.
Our rattan, a product found naturally in the forests of the tropical Pacific, comes from replanted government controlled sources in Indonesia and the Philippines. The rattan is harvested from national forests or off of plantations that grow agricultural crops such as cocoa. As the rattan is harvested from these sources it is replanted at a faster rate than it is harvested ensuring quality sustainable material for generations. Additionally, the traditional harvesting of rattan allows the base of the plant to remain in the ground, which regrows at a very rapid rate.