In ceremonies this week at the company’s Corona, Calif., headquarters, Aircraft Spruce & Specialty was recognized by the city for its recent green initiatives. Although the company has worked to streamline its processes and reduce waste, two recent programs are noteworthy. First is that Spruce began using cornstarch-based “packing peanuts” that are completely biodegradable. Second is the addition of an array of 525 solar panels to the roof of the Corona building. (They say the sun always shines in Corona.) Although the investment was $500,000, the immediate payback is a reduction in energy costs by 65 percent, according to company president Jim Irwin. Within four to five years, the panels will have paid for themselves.
Aircraft Spruce was so impressed with the solar-power program that it immediately had the same style of system installed at its Peachtree City, Ga., sister plant.
