Mayor Mark Lauretti honored PerkinElmer’s Shelton site last Thursday for the company’s commitment to the environment.
“When we don’t respect the environment, people suffer,” Lauretti said. “You get it,” he told PerkinElmer employees.
The mayor’s words were made on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
PerkinElmer arrived on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton in 2001. Every year since then the company sets goals in the areas of improving the environment, health and safety, said Nicholas Dellolio Jr., a PerkinElmer manager.
This year’s goals include eliminating Styrofoam from the cafeteria, switching from the use of oil to high-efficiency natural gas heat, using eco-friendly HVAC cleaners and sponsoring wellness programs, to name a few.
The company also tries to be a good corporate citizen by doing things such as stressing water conservation.
Employees at PerkinElmer do not drink bottled water. Instead, the company encourages the use of tap water, filtered through reverse osmosis.
It’s important to conserve where ever possible, said Jon Lese, PerkinElmer’s senior manager for corporate responsibility.
“Only one percent of the world’s water is drinkable,” Lese said.
PerkinElmer, with deep roots in Connecticut, operates in some 120 countries. Employees work in several areas of scientific research.
The company analyzes everything from the fuel used in Indy race cars to lead levels in toys, said Ian Shuttler, vice president of strategic initiatives.
Locally, the state Department of Environmental Protection uses PerkinElmer-produced sensors placed along highways to test auto emission and predict ozone levels.
Lauretti gave PerkinElmer a proclamation during an informal ceremony at the company.
“Congratulations and keep up the good work,” Lauretti said.
Geraint Philips, the Shelton site’s vice-president of manufacturing and operations, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the company.
