Harrodsburg, KY—April 16, 2008—The Classic Company is going green beginning this spring. Show exhibitors will notice lots of “little changes” that can make a huge impact on the environment throughout this season.

Last August Bob Bell and Jonathan Rabon took some time away from their day-to-day duties at the office to enjoy the open seas aboard Bell’s sailboat, White Star. Their annual venture around the northeast harbor of Maine and Acadia National Park took on a whole new meaning this time though. “I have been moored and sailing around Acadia for the past few years. Always such a beautiful area that I guess I just took for granted the purity of it or how it stays such.”

That was until he observed the “waste nothing attitude” so prevalent throughout Maine in the form of recycling containers and the reuse of many product materials. Bob and Jonathan adapted these principals on vacation. “I was shocked by the amount of recycling two people could do living on a sailboat,” Bob mused.

Being one of the many who live in rural America where recycling programs are not available, Bob began to evaluate the areas where changes would be feasible. “I am not by nature a green person,” his confession began. “I’m not much into public transportation, I go to horse shows in a bus pulling a car. I’m not home long enough to fill up a recycling bin and I hate those silly squiggly light bulbs in hotels. I use to think as an individual I can’t make a difference, but now I understand that’s how it gets done... one person at a time.” Then added with a gleam in his eye, “BUT as a company with over 1000 people (on average) at a show, we can make a difference.”

Bell and Rabon are putting this attitude into action, starting with the horse show office at each event. Right at the front door exhibitors will find a large trash container for plastic bottles. “There are so many water bottles thrown away at shows and we all know if not disposed of properly they will just sit in the landfills,” Bob commented. Another change most people won’t even notice but can appreciate will be in the use of recycled paper for everything from simple copying to producing the prize lists. Exhibitors will be encouraged to help in this effort by using the “paper” boxes in the office to collect everything from “normal” trash to class sheets, billing papers, add-scratch sheets, and even back numbers. “All of this create new ways to save on costs too and I know my exhibitors will like that aspect of recycling!” Bob said.

And one very special box in the office will be for ribbons. “If someone just doesn’t want the ribbon or would like to do something extra nice with it they drop them off in this box. We take the ribbons and gift them to charities such as Special Olympics or Therapeutic riding centers where kids who might otherwise never receive one can experience the same excitement our riders feel when they achieve a riding goal.” At this year’s Gulf Coast 5 week winter series Bell and exhibitors donated nearly 300 ribbons to Mississippi Special Olympics. Bob said when Elizabeth Matthews of the local office arrived to pick up the gift she was overwhelmed, noting to him how much these would be cherished by their participants.

Jonathan has been finding other ways to cut back on the amount of paper wasted in the day to day running of the show office. “I’ve been working with Scott [software engineer] to make some of our most used reports more efficient,”and added an example: “We have a 1/3 or better page savings on reports by condensing the header and footer of each. Yes, some type is a little smaller, yet worth it really. Take the numeric running list of all the exhibitors and horses, it went from 40 to 14 pages!” He continues looking at the various software programs utilized by the company with the hope of finding other places to trim down the waste.

Classic Company’s long-range goals include getting the venues to participate in the green efforts by installing multiple recycling trashcans throughout the show sites. “Not only could my the exhibitors get into the 'green habit' easier, but the events coming in after ours could be encouraged and so on and so forth. This is how we ALL make a difference,” Bell smiled.

While the show’s entrants come various parts of the US, such as farming areas that may not have access to recycling programs, Bob hopes that by enlisting their help in keeping the events green, maybe they’ll be inspired to find or even create ways at home to cut back on waste. “Never thought my other passion [sailing] would lead to a life altering experience,” laughed Bell and concluded, “In the immortal words of Kermit, it’s not easy being green. But well worth the effort.”

To learn more about Classic Company please visit www.classiccompany.com or call the show office at 843-768-5503.