MISSOULA, Mont. -
Missoula Federal Credit Union this past weekend held a glass recycling drive, hoping to collect the start of what will eventually be the 300 to 400 tons of clean and de-labeled glass bottles, jars and other containers necessary to pulverize into cullet for use in construction of the floor of the CU's new Russell Street branch. Glass collected during the three-day drive Sept. 28-30 was crushed on site using equipment supplied by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for use in the floor, as well as in the place of gravel and concrete in the new building's backfill.
The initiative is part of the $245-million community CU's efforts to "go green," using 100% recycled, reused and local materials in constructing the 6,000-square-foot branch, said SVP Joni Walker. Glass will be sorted by color, with lighter varieties mixed with fly ash, a waste product generated by coal-fired manufacturing and utility plants, and used to construct the lobby floor.
"We will take anything and everything we can get for glass," said Walker. "It's going to be really hard for us to get too much glass."
Ultimately, the credit union is hoping its efforts will earn the building a gold- or platinum-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Currently, the national nonprofit agency has registered fewer than 5,300 LEED-certified buildings in the world since expanding the program to cover new construction in 2000.
"The idea came from Gary Clark, our CEO, who attended a workshop on this," Walker said. "We've undertaken environmentally friendly initiatives before, but this is by far the most demonstrable initiative we've done."
Missoula FCU previously used recycled materials and environmentally sustainable concepts in constructing its Stevensville branch, but credit union officials did not seek LEED certification at that time. Costs to meet those standards for the Russell Street branch are estimated to be between 5% and 10% higher than normal construction costs, Walker said. Final bids from contractors are due in October.
The single-story branch will be constructed to capture the maximum amount of sunlight, minimizing dependency on electric lighting, and will employ solar panels to reduce total energy usage. Other recycled and renewable materials, including sunflower-seed board, cotton insulation, and countertops and exterior siding made from post-consumer recycled paper, will also be used to reduce the branch's environmental impact.
The 40,000-member credit union has undertaken other environmental initiatives as well, including recycling 2,000 pounds of IT equipment, which was dismantled and salvaged for parts. The CU offers a "green" share draft program for members who agree to write fewer than 20 share drafts per month, paying bills through debit card usage and bill-pay accounts. Participants can earn up to 3.5% interest on average balances of $5,000 or more, with interest rates declining proportional to account balances.
The credit union also has financed research into the use of fly ash in the composition of concrete. Based on a $15,000 commitment from the CU, researchers at Montana State University in Bozeman are testing fly ash, which causes the concrete of which it's a part to set differently, making contractors skittish about using it.
"The beauty of this is that by the time we construct our branch, the process should be perfected," said Walker. "We can also provide other organizations with the information so that they can also use fly ash concrete in their construction projects."
In support of its new branch construction, Missoula FCU also started a member blog on its website, seeking comments and suggestions during the construction phase. When it comes to accumulating the necessary glass, at least one member already has made a "constructive" suggestion.
"My husband, retired sales manager for Zip Beverage, suggests that for a never-ending supply of glass, you work out a plan with local tavern owners because nowadays there is a no-deposit/no-return policy on all glass bottles," wrote member Donna Grinde.
"Try contacting the Missoula County Tavern Owners Association."
