The water tower at the 2010 Assembly Plant of the Year is blue. But, the assembly lines inside the factory walls are green. The 380,000-square-foot Eaton Corp. plant in Lincoln, IL, has an ambitious strategy to reduce its carbon footprint.

Each year, goals are set for a reduction in greenhouse gasses. At the Lincoln facility, this includes reduction in water, electricity, air and gas. “Our overall approach to green is covered through our MESH (Management of Environment, Safety and Health) program,” says Rich Wyatt, plant manager. “This cross-functional team is comprised of employees from the production floor, engineering and support functions.

“Champions for each category are responsible for leading and implementing change,” explains Wyatt. “In addition, employees in technical services and human resources have personal goals to achieve the targets.”

Examples of processes or projects that promote green activities at Eaton Lincoln include:

“As a result of these endeavors, our hazardous waste generation, normalized against cost of goods sold, was reduced from 0.11 percent to 0 percent in 2009,” claims Wyatt.