NorthStar...Leading the way

"Your Local Commercial Green Roofer!"

SHIRLEY, MA - NorthStar Construction Services, a full-service commercial roofing contractor continues to advanced its environmentally friendly initiatives. NorthStar has recently purchased reusable insulated water bottles for every employee. This initiative will eliminate the use of over 50,000 plastic bottles a year.

"Here at NorthStar we are always promoting the goals of reduce, reuse, and recycle," stated the President of NorthStar, John La Stella. "At our weekly production meetings, it was reported that our 60 plus employees were going through 150 - 200 bottles of water and 30-40 bottles of sports drinks a day. We all agreed that was a lot of plastic waste.

It is essential that NorthStar keep their crews hydrated. Previously company's practice was to provide a 5-gallon water cooler thermos on each truck and employees would use paper cups. This became a sanitation concern and the paper cups would be blown around the job sites. That is when they started supplying the water in plastic bottles which got them to where they were creating lots of plastic waste.

"It became obvious to us that we had to find a way to minimize the number of plastic water bottles we go through" reports Mr. La Stella. "Looking through some promotional materials from one of our suppliers, we found these quality insulated stainless-steel water bottles. They could hold hot or cold drinks and there was no straw or complicated cover to keep clean. We started talking about how this might work with the crews and how we could make it easy for them to use. We decided to have each employee's name decaled onto the outside of their water bottle. This enabled them to keep track of them and be responsible for it, just like the rest of their work tools and gear," stated Mr. La Stella.

In an effort to support the transition to the new bottles, NorthStar installed a new water filtration system and two special water bottle filling stations for employees to use. Each of the crew's trucks now carry 5-gallon water jugs with hand pumps for the crew to refill their individual insulated water bottles.

The new water bottles have been in place for a couple months now and the results are great. "The employees like the insulated bottles and find they are easy to maintain. Employees use them for coffee in the morning and then water throughout the day," reports Mr. La Stella.
"Environmental objectives can improve efficiency," states Mr. La Stella. "It has become clear to me that reducing waste, reduces costs. I have experienced this in a variety of ways throughout our operation here at NorthStar."

NorthStar works hard to reduce their carbon footprint on a daily basis. As part of this goal they participate in a large recycle program on a job to job basis. For example they scrap or recycle all the HVAC units that are removed, all the metal edging is recycled, the roofing insulation and any asphalt shingles are disposed of with third party companies who recycle or reuse it. The removed rubber membrane roof, even though it may be 20-30 years old, can be reused for tarps for a variety of purposes. NorthStar also has installed a fueling station to reduce and control fuel consumption. They recycle all paper, cardboard, plastic and metal. For several years now NorthStar supplies 100% of their energy needs with solar panels on the roof of their facility.

NorthStar Construction Services has over 27 years experience as a commercial roofer, helping businesses protect their investments. They use proven technologies and materials to provide the highest quality, most economical roofing solutions possible. NorthStar has received the Firestone Master Contractor status since 1998 and the Inner Circle Quality Award, and the Associated Builders and Contractors STEP Safety Award for the past fifteen years.

These Reading truck bodies are made in the USA with 100% recycled aluminum alloy, resulting in an 11% savings in fuel costs.

As NorthStar replaces older crew cabs they continue to invest in the aluminum truck bodies.  We have had a history of recycling these bodies onto newer cabs as the trucks have aged. These new Chevy aluminum trucks offer NorthStar the following advantages:

1.  This truck body is made to stand the test of time in the construction business
2.  Increased payload over the comparable steel truck body
3.  The lighter weight puts less wear and tear on the truck's chassis
4.  Inherently corrosion resistant
5.  A 10 year limited warranty - twice as long as comparable steel truck bodies

"CE" CONSTRUCTION EXECUTIVE Magazine features NorthStar in the March 2014 Issue in an article titled "High Standards"  This article discusses NorthStar's dedication to safety, technology and sustainability.  Please click the magazine title above to view the article.

Ryan Dill, Project Manager for NorthStar has successfully completed the requirements for certification from Roof Integrated Solar Energy (RISE) as a Certified Solar Roofing Professionals.This certification identifies Ryan as a Project Manager and Designer for Solar Roofing projects. Ryan is one of only 5 Certifed Professionals in Massachusetts.  This gives NorthStar a unique advantage to have an experienced roofing Project Manager now able to manage all aspects of Solar Roofing projects.

NorthStar Construction is proud to have gone solar with the panels shown here on the roof of our facility, installed by SouthPoint Solar.  This system provides 100% of our annual energy needs. We have also taken solar power from "the roof to the road!"  This fully electric vehicle is charged with 100% "green energy" from the solar panels on our roof.

NorthStar also offers access to our charging station to the community through ChargePoint, a nation-wide network of EV chargers.