Bank’s ‘green’ savings not just dollars





A recycling pilot program at Santa Barbara Bank & Trust could keep as much as eight tons of waste out of a landfill.

The company had no formal recycling program in place for its 1,400 employees until it began developing one with the city of Santa Barbara about this time last year.

“We wanted to step it up,” bank spokesperson Randy Weiss said.

The bank and the city developed a plan to recycle 40 percent of the paper, plastic, metal and glass that the 10 Santa Barbara branches no longer need.

The bank hopes to reach the 40 percent goal in a month or two and is already diverting almost eight tons of recyclables from a Goleta landfill, said Alelia Parenteau, city of Santa Barbara’s recycling coordinator.

The bank said it hopes to include all 32 branches in Northern California and Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties—including two branches in Camarillo, two in Simi Valley, one in Thousand Oaks and one in Westlake Village—in the effort to keep recyclables out of California landfills.

The 40 percent target doesn’t even include the stacks of paper documents that are shredded and recycled.

When branches purchase new printers, they opt for those that don’t have replaceable cartridges. The company also stocks recycled grocery bags, which employees can order and which the company gives away as promotional gifts at special events and to customers.

In its effort to protect the environment, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust also encourages employees to use alternative transportation.

By logging on to an internal company website, employees can search for carpool partners inside and outside of the company, learn about the availability of other forms of transportation, and map the most efficient route to work.

An incentive program pays eligible employees up to $35 for taking public transportation and allows them to use pre-tax dollars to pay for additional transportation expenses. Although the program is in its infancy, it’s showing signs of acceptance.

Since August, employees using alternative transportation have saved 185 vehicle trips, 274 gallons of gasoline and more than $3,000, and kept more than 5,300 pounds of emissions from being released into the air, Weiss said.

“It’s an ongoing process, so we’re always looking to do more things as we can,” Weiss said. “It’s just a part of who we are.”

Pacific Capital Bank operates Santa Barbara Bank & Trust and four other banks in Central California and has a total of 48 branches and $7.4 billion in assets, according to the company’s website. Pacific Capital Bancorp is the parent company.


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