Amgen staff share a passion for supplying vital medicines to patients. Many bring this same passion to their environmental commitment and through outstanding individual and team efforts make Amgen a more environmentally-friendly place to work or protect the local environment.
Substitutes for Mercury Thermometers Reduce
Hazardous Waste
Farah Shamszadeh had an idea to reduce hazardous waste in Amgen Thousand Oaks. She knew that almost one quarter of HazMat incidents – events requiring clean up of hazardous material – involved broken laboratory thermometers that spilled mercury. But, she also knew of a substitute – spirit-filled thermometers that are filled with a liquid in place of mercury.
Shamszadeh and a group of dedicated volunteers developed an awareness program targeting Amgen scientists using mercury thermometers. The group estimated that approximately 1,000 pieces of equipment required the use of thermometers. To encourage the switch-over, they sponsored a three-day event where scientists could exchange mercury thermometers for new spirit-filled thermometers free of charge. The group used e-mail and a site-sponsored Earth Day event to raise awareness of the exchange program. The result? The group collected over 240 mercury thermometers.
“In hospitals they have been implementing programs to reduce mercury thermometer use for years,” continued Shamszadeh. “It’s natural that we as a company that cares about health should try to do the same. It’s not that hard to fix this problem.”
Ten Years to Build a Model Recycling Program
Monica Cantu has been working at Amgen for over ten years. During these years she worked with other devoted staff to build a model recycling program at Amgen’s California headquarters. After winning the EPA WasteWise award, Cantu presented details on the waste reduction program to EH&S staff from other Amgen locations, where recycling and waste reduction programs are underway or are being instituted. “I’m eager to partner with other sites, and I hope to consolidate our results so we can report our data to the EPA jointly in the future,” said Cantu.
“Our job has been to make recycling easy and accessible,” said Cantu. “People are busy, and this effort is far removed from our core business. We wanted to create an environment where staff wouldn’t have to go out of their way to recycle, and I really think we’ve done that. But we’re constantly looking for new ways to recycle more products, and we conduct regular audits to monitor our efforts.”
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| Pictured: Monica Cantu and Amgen colleague Steven Moyer accepted the EPA’s Large Business Partner of the Year Award 2006 from Susan Bodine of the EPA |
Amgen Staff Help Support Greenway
Bob DuBose, Amgen Washington, and Scott Patterson, Amgen Thousand Oaks decided to turn a summer 2006 teambuilding event into a chance to enrich their staff and support the Washington environment. Nearly 40 of their staff members spent the day outdoors helping to prepare native plants for installment along the I-90 corridor as part of the Mountains to Sound Greenway project. The Mountains to Sound National Scenic Byway is a linked network of green spaces, recreational opportunities and historic towns in Washington State.
“It was fun to get out into nature and do something for the environment,” said Megan Duncan, administrative coordinator, Research and Development Informatics.
Earth Day Celebrations Around Amgen
Each year, Earth Day is celebrated in a variety of ways across Amgen sites.
The Thousand Oaks Site Earth Day and Energy Conservation Fair had 28 booths in 2006 and attracted 3,000 participants. Among the displays at the event were a pyramid constructed of used paper coffee cups to illustrate what would end up in a landfill if a staff member used one disposable cup per day over the course of a year.
In Rhode Island, staff saw a Model T that had been converted by local high school students to run on alternative fuels, as well as a display of what waste is generated from a typical meal. Staff planted an Earth Day garden on site and learned about recycling and proper disposal of household hazardous waste.
In Colorado, a group of Amgen staff participated in a restoration effort at the nearby St. Vrain State Park.
In Puerto Rico, staff listened to folk music and learned how to be environmentally responsible. An environmental handicraft contest was held as well.
Amgen Staff Member is Longtime Bike Commuter
Mike Husovich has been a bike commuter since the late '80s. Husovich commutes nearly 30 miles a day biking to and from his work at the Longmont campus in Colorado.
“The main reason I ride is because I'm protecting the environment, and I thoroughly, thoroughly, enjoy doing it. I think it helps my effectiveness as a leader at Amgen and at home,” said Husovich. “The endorphin flow I get from the morning bike commute along with the time on the bike being outside versus in a car stuck in traffic really helps me plan for the challenges of the day.”
Husovich, with the company since 2002, appreciates that Amgen supports his commitment to the environment by providing bike lockers and shower facilities on site.
Said Husovich, referring to a bike event in California attended by Amgen CEO, Kevin Sharer and other executives, “I am very encouraged by our leaders’ commitment to fitness and active lifestyles. How many companies can say that their entire executive team rode 50 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway?”
