JK Moving & Storage, Inc., Announces 2008 Environmental Sustainability Award Winner

JOC Staff |
Sterling, VA – March 4, 2009 – JK Moving & Storage, Inc., announced today that the Crystal City Business Improvement District (Crystal City BID) is the winner of the inaugural 2008 JK Moving & Storage, Inc., Environmental Sustainability Award.

The award was fostered by more than ten years of developing, strategizing, and following through with JK’s own sustainable practices. Under the determination and leadership of Steve Kuhn, Executive Vice President, these initiatives involve every aspect of the business, lead by a sustainability task force comprised of industry experts, environmental experts, and JK’s own employees. Now, after ten years of discipline, development and practice in the “move towards sustainability,” JK demonstrates they really do “walk the talk.” JK’s efforts have diverted more than 540,000 tons (over 1M pounds) of waste in the past 7 months alone and has become a hub for information collection and guidance when clients wanted to make similar shifts toward more sustainable practices. All JK clients, including community partners, industry leaders and Fortune 100 companies were included in and considered for this honor.

When asked about the changes he spearheaded over the past ten years and why the award has only now come to fruition, Steve Kuhn responded, “The first part of our internal Environmental Values Statement was the commitment to ‘Walk the Talk.’ At this level, it’s an undertaking that should not be considered lightly and one I felt should be executed with caution, rather than promotion. Now that we have done that for over a decade and proven ourselves, we feel it is our public duty to provide others with the opportunity and means to participate in, and even try to duplicate our programs. Because green-washing and mere lip service have taken advantage of undo promotion, and JK has now qualified the difference between true environmental impacts with quantified measurements, we feel that we have taken the subjectivity and lack of accountability out of the equation. JK’s quality service standards have been identified as trend-setting in the moving and storage industry, and with the standards and tracking at all levels that we have developed for waste stream management, we now have a system which can be qualified and certified to protect our company’s and client’s interest. We are thankful to have so many active participants in our environmental programs and are delighted to take this opportunity to honor the Crystal City BID with this year’s Award.”

Criteria for the 2008 Award was based on SMART objectives, all of which can be implemented into community or workplace programs, like those at JK.

S - Support community efforts around sustainability
M - Make a change. Set small attainable goals.
A - Adopt your surroundings. Get started where you live, work, and play.
R - ReUse. Recycle, donate and give away what you can, don't just throw things away.
T - Tell others. Share ideas and experiences…everyone can make a difference, and get involved at some level.

This year’s winner, The Crystal City BID, stood out among the rest. From the launch of their Crystal Green Program in March 2008 which sought to reduce energy demand and the area's carbon footprint, minimize automotive travel, increase recycling, and promote the environmental awareness and sensitivity of area businesses, restaurants, and residents, to the number of events which followed, the Crystal City BID embodied the spirit and purpose of sustainability at its best.

Among the many initiatives delivered by the Crystal City BID in 2008, the highlights included a volunteer clean up day with Canon U.S.A and Arlington County FreshAIRE which brought new life, including a litter-free welcome, to the area, and a new park (Long-Bridge Park). The Crystal City BID also created the Crystal Farms Program in May 2008 to bring Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) to employees and residents of the area. CSAs allow members to purchase shares of a farm's crops in the form of weekly fruit and vegetable deliveries. Locally grown products have a much shorter distance to travel to the consumer, leading to reduced fossil fuel consumption. They then followed with a landscaping partnership to add, save, and reinforce “green” practices, and to lay out a program that utilized best “environmental” practices for property maintenance, including the use of Integrated Pest Management techniques to minimize spraying of pesticides and herbicides, as well as making strategic enhancements, such as new plantings that require minimal maintenance and no irrigation or watering. Beyond those environmental initiatives, Crystal City helped divert thousands of pounds from the waste stream through the Crystal Green Power Purge. Held in the summer of 2008, the Power Purge provided area businesses and residents with an opportunity to safely, securely, and sustainably recycle unwanted electronics. The Crystal City BID collected more than 50,000 pounds in materials from close to 300 community visitors. All of which were sustainably recycled state-side, adhering to guidelines approved by the Department of Defense.

JK will officially present the 2008 award during an open house at their Sterling headquarters offices on March 26, 2009.

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JK Moving & Storage, Inc. (JK) is the largest independent moving and storage company in the Washington, DC, area and the second largest in the nation. Founded in 1979, JK offers local, long-distance and international mobility solutions for both residential and commercial customers. JK’s commitment to employee training and retention, coupled with unparalleled customer service, has made them a leader in the industry. Now, after ten years of practice and integration, they are bringing environmentally sustainable options to their customers to further develop their reach and support their clients in any and every way possible. For more information, visit www.jkmoving.com.


About the Crystal City Business Improvement District
Established in April of 2006, the Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) is creating a soul for Crystal City. A public-private partnership, the BID is providing a higher level of service to visitors, workers and residents in Crystal City, driving to become world-class destination in both Arlington and the greater DC region. For more information, visit www.crystalcity.org.