A Phoenix-based contractor has taken home an award for environmental leadership from Arizona’s governor. Kitchell Contractors has created an environmentally friendly way of doing business called the Construction Environmental Management Program (CEMP). Using that protocol, it carries out almost every activity on the jobsite with environmental impact in mind—aiming to reduce energy consumption, minimize air pollution, and cut back on the production of hazardous wastes.
“Our focus is proactive,” says Mark Pendleton, company president, “which gives us the ability to plan for the best environmental outcome.”
Techniques employed by Kitchell’s teams include collecting recyclable materials on all jobsites and using a “track out” metal grid that is put down over gravel at the gate of each construction site. The grid keeps dirt from being transported into the surrounding neighborhoods. Kitchell Contractors, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, has an annual building volume of about $350 million, with 70 percent of those projects in Arizona. Since introducing CEMP in 2002, it has completed 73 projects and collected a slew of environmental awards.
Learn more about markets featured in this article: Phoenix, AZ.
