Going Green With Kitchen Cabinets

A Green Country business that's been around since 1953 is now greener.  Newson6.com anchor Margaret Stokes reports the locally-owned Jay Rambo Cabinet Manufacturer is now part of an Environmental Stewardship Program.

"Two years ago the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturer's Association designed the Environmental Stewardship Program.  We became active in that program because it's something we felt our customers desired for us to do," said Jay Rambo President Ralph Lackner.

There are 118 kitchen cabinet companies working to go green across the nation.  But, in Oklahoma the Jay Rambo Company is a pioneer.

"This is new technology it's a little more expensive technology that eventually everybody will have to use," said Jay Rambo President Ralph Lackner.

There are five categories that must be met to become a member of the program which is quite rigorous.

"There's a lot of products out on the market.  But, not all of the products meet these standards. A lot of products are coming in from China right now that does not meet these standards. There's a lot of documentation involved. There is a chain of custody on the material we use. We have to know where it came from, and what products went in it to make it. Plywood, hard wood, particle wood. All of those products use formaldehyde in the past to glue them together. 75% of what we buy now can have no formaldehyde in it," said Jay Rambo President Ralph Lackner.

Not only are the products more environmentally friendly, but so is the process. Huge vacuums are used to suck up all of the extra saw dust. That saw dust is turned into more products that can be used as mulch.

"We have about 700,000 worth of dust collection here. 90% of all of the dust and saw dust that we produce in this factory are recycled," said Jay Rambo President Ralph Lackner.

So how much more do consumers have to pay to be green?

"It adds about 5% to the product overall. It's definitely worth it. To the end user it's really not that much of a difference. One of the things that's nice about it here in Tulsa you've got a national manufacturer based here in Tulsa so the people can actually buy a product here that meets these standards. I drive a smart car.  There's only so much we can do. We use a lot of diesel fuel in our trucks, but we conserve in other places. I think the certification for the end user will give them the feeling that they're doing their little part to help improve the environment," said Jay Rambo President Ralph Lackner.