Plenty of remodelers put time and energy into earning professional certifications for themselves, but John Caletti and Jeff Jungsten went a step further, earning a green certification for their entire company. Surrounded by California’s strict green initiatives, in 2007, Caletti-Jungsten became one of the first contracting firms to complete Marin County’s rigorous Certified Green Business program.
“Earning a certification like this is really challenging,” Jungsten says. “When you have 35 jobsites, internal processes, trucks, deliveries, utilities — how do you change all that to become a certified green business?” The answer has come one impressive step at a time. The firm implemented waste reduction and recycling programs in the office and at jobsites, worked with suppliers to consolidate deliveries, encouraged staff to bike to work or use car-share programs, and reduced overall energy and water consumption.
Jungsten says the certification has “completely changed our business practices,” but Caletti-Jungsten’s efforts don’t end there. The company is also well-represented at a municipal level, helping to lay the groundwork for an overarching green building code for the area.
Green Speak The Caletti-Jungsten team is engaged in creating “a consistent green building language in Marin [county],” Jeff Jungsten (right) says.