Tom Baker & Associates make going green a priority

When you’re in the insurance business like Tom Baker, there are sometimes so many forms and contracts involved in a claim that when printed, the paper can stack up to higher than an inch.

“If we never even print that out, it’s big,” said Baker, whose Hilliard-based insurance agency went paperless five years ago.

Not only was going green a priority for Tom Baker & Associates, it was something that was almost mandated by the insurance industry, which for the last 15 years has been promoting online archival, email approvals and electronic signatures. Not only is the behavior change saving the environment, but Baker said his paper orders have been cut down by half.

The papers Baker’s team has been required to print and save for at least seven years are recycled instead of pitched after being shredded. Baker said the recycling company picks up about three 50-gallon containers filled with paper every two months.

“By shredding the paper and monitoring what we print, we’ve been able to eliminate one whole room in the office that used to be filled with files,” Baker said.

In addition to recycling paper, the office also promotes recycling plastics and aluminum. One of the company’s agents set up bins in the office when it first opened in December 2005. The recyclables are transferred to a local church that has them picked up.