A Green Cardinal: Cardinal Laboratories Marks 'Energy Independence Day' on October 29 by Going Off the Electric Grid to 100% Solar Power

October 26, 2009

AZUSA, Calif., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Laboratories will usher in a more earth-friendly era Thursday October 29th, when it officially converts its manufacturing and distribution center to 100% solar power, a project undertaken with the Solar Partnership Program of the City of Azusa. The company will mark the occasion with a 2pm green ribbon cutting ceremony that includes a tour of its new American-made solar collection and distribution system.

The conversion has taken the 60-year old maker of popular dog and cat care products completely off the power grid - Cardinal is harvesting enough power that it's sending electricity back to its local utility.

The Cardinal building is the first completely solar powered facility in Azusa and the first manufacturing and distribution center in the pet care products industry. In addition to going solar, Cardinal replaced many power-drawing items with energy-efficient alternatives - it replaced outdated skylights with new prismatic units, installed occupancy sensors in rooms and installed a "white roof" with 320 American-made solar panels from San Diego's Siliken Renewable Energy, covering 5,440 square feet of roof space over the Cardinal facility.

These changes have so significantly reduced the energy load that Cardinal is able to install air conditioning in the factory, which the employees greatly appreciate, especially in the California summers. A state-of-the art "Sock" air control system monitors the quality of the air flow in the facility and ensures optimal efficiency of the air conditioning system.

Cardinal Laboratories president Tony De Vos believes that despite the current economy, these changes are not only good business moves, but also the socially responsible thing to do. "As a leading manufacturer of dog and cat care products for over 60 years, Cardinal is proud to be one of the companies leading the way toward a more environmentally responsible future," said De Vos. "Looking at our environment from the big picture point of view, taking steps to get off the power grid and reduce our carbon footprint makes sense for our company, our world and future generations."

For more information about the solar conversion, visit www.cardinalpet.com.

SOURCE Cardinal Laboratories