A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News January 14, 2008 - New Group Focuses on Environmental Change By: Tom Janke, for the Daily Tribune I’m often amazed by how many people in this community share a resilient attitude and a desire to make a positive difference. I saw it again earlier this month when I attended an inaugural meeting of a group dedicated to “Creating a Green Future,” focusing on the environment. This effort comes out of the Community Progress Initiative. I was pleased by the broad representation of participants attending, including municipalities, local business owners, environmental experts, the League of Women Voters, and concerned citizens. As the meeting progressed and we shared information, it became clear that there are many recycling opportunities in our community that will benefit both the environment and local businesses. For example, at Corenso North America we are rebuilding Stora Enso’s former No. 12 paper machine into a board machine, while retiring our 1917 vintage board machine, No. 13. We are investing $35 million to upgrade Corenso’s board operations, which will increase the amount of 100% recycled coreboard we make from 35,000 metric tonnes per year to 85,000 metric tonnes. This conversion is scheduled to be completed in mid-March 2008 and will create up to 10 new positions. The new technology on this machine will make it one of the premier core board machines in North America. But it will also require a greater fiber supply. By fiber, I mean wastepaper. This presents a great need and opportunity for the Corenso Mill and this community. Frankly, we need your help. Because No. 12 will produce 100% recycled board, we need your wastepaper, including boxes, newspaper, magazines, office wastepaper, and cardboard. Corenso operates a Recycling Center at 800 Fremont Street open six days per week. Anyone can drop off their wastepaper. It stays local and we process it to make recycled board for paper, tape and film cores. At our meeting, Wisconsin Rapids Works Commissioner Jim Borski provided a surprising statistic when he told the group that the city picks up 22 tons of garbage and 3 tons of recycling every day. Imagine how much of that 22 tons is wastepaper and could be recycled here in this community, instead of going to a landfill. As a resident in one of our area communities you can get involved by recycling. In November, residents brought 125 tons to Corenso’s Recycling Center. I know there is great potential for substantially increasing this number, with citizen contributions alone. Or, take it a step further and join our environmental group. If you’re interested, the next meeting is set for Wednesday, February 6, at 4 p.m. at Hotel Mead. Call Melissa Loken at 422-4856 for more information. And thanks for helping make a difference in your community. Tom Janke is President of Corenso North America and a member of the Manufacturing Cluster.
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