FBG Service Corporation, a full-service commercial janitorial and facility maintenance company, has been named 2013 Sustainable Business of the Year by WasteCap Nebraska during its annual Business Awards Luncheon held in Omaha.

WasteCap Nebraska has hosted the Annual Awards and Membership Luncheon since 2003 to recognize the recycling and stewardship efforts of a select group of high-performance Nebraska businesses.

“The bar is set high for companies that compete in this category,” according to Julie Diegel, director of sustainability programs at WasteCap Nebraska. “You have to be very deserving.”

The award is presented to a business or organization with an active green team that incorporates sustainable business practices supporting innovation in management, purchasing, energy, waste, facilities, employees and the community. Past Sustainable Business of the Year recipients include Telesis Inc., Lincoln; Lindsay Corporation, Omaha; RDG Planning & Design, with offices in Omaha, Des Moines and Fort Myers; and Assurity Life Insurance Company, Lincoln.

“We are honored to join such a distinguished group of companies in being recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices by WasteCap Nebraska,” said Terri Gogetap, president. “At FBG, our entire executive team is committed to being good caretakers of our customers and our planet by becoming more sustainable in our day-to-day operations.”

Gogetap cited FBG initiatives to minimize environmental impacts in the areas of air quality, waste and energy for its business customers and in its corporate office. FBG was one of the first janitorial and facility maintenance providers in the nation to adopt certified “green” cleaning products that release zero toxic chemicals into the air of the buildings it cleans.

“More than 30 percent of all chemical products used by FBG are green certified,” Gogetap said. “This drastically reduces the number of harmful chemicals in the air of our customer’s businesses.”

FBG customers also benefit from the HHPC Day program, which involves cleaning businesses during daytime hours instead of at night.

“Businesses that employ this method not only enjoy a green cleaning program, but also reduced energy and utility costs,” Gogetap explained. “On average, asset managers report 4 to 8 percent cost savings due to lower energy costs and increased productivity.”

At its corporate office, FBG has reduced wasted energy by replacing its outdated roof with a new eco-friendly white rubber roofing system composed of recycled tires, saw dust and slate dust. The company was an early adopter of variable frequency drive (VFD) optimizer technology that adjusts the fan and compressor speed of its rooftop air conditioning unit resulting in a decrease of nearly 43 percent in peak electricity demand. The company has also reduced paper consumption in its corporate office by more than 50 percent.

“In reducing the energy in our corporate office, we have been able to lessen our carbon footprint and decrease the amount of energy taken from the power grid,” Gogetap added.

In 2008, FBG received the “Environmental Leadership Award” from the University of Minnesota, and was nominated by Diversey for the “Sam Johnson Leadership in Sustainability Award.” In 2007, the Sierra Club presented FBG with its “Friends of the Environment Award.”