Empire Education Group Partners With Hair Recycling Program

EMPIRE EDUCATION GROUP

Creates a Green Model for the Future with the Opening of its Lauderhill School

Lauderhill, FL - From hair recycling to building design to the products Empire Education Group students utilize, the new Empire location in Lauderhill, Florida is an environmentally-friendly concept school and a meaningful first step in the greening of the entire company. Consistent with the company's core value of continuous improvement, Empire has developed a plan to become more environmentally conscientious. The goal is to improve the eco-practices of the school operations and products, while continuing to provide exceptional cosmetology education to thousands of students across the country.

Empire's sustainable vision includes design changes in all new school designs, corporate operations changes, and an overall effort to heighten students' environmental consciousness. This includes Empire's new partnership with a hair recycling program run by Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that collects human hair to be used in the cleanup of oil spills.

Hair is extremely efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces and even out of the water, including petroleum. Matter of Trust creates "hairmats" that have proven to be very effective in the cleanup of spills. The hair can also be used to surround and contain a spill. According to Matter of Trust, the average salon collects about one pound of hair a day, most of which currently goes into the waste stream, whereas much more could be going into the creation of hair mats that help clean and protect our environment.

Empire Beauty School, Lauderhill Green

Empire has taken various steps to ensure that its new school in Lauderhill, FL could be classified as eco-friendly. The location just achieved the designation of "Green Conscious Salon Certification" by the Florida Association of Beauty Professionals (FAB PRO). The specific eco-friendly design features include the following:

o Empire has installed water saving devices for a 50% reduction in water consumption in shampoo sinks, 50% reduction in hand washing faucets and a 60% reduction in front load washing machines, which also result in a reduced drying time for salon hand towels.

o Empire has achieved a 40% reduction in natural gas usage by using a more efficient water heater model.

o Low voltage halogen lighting has resulted in a 60-70% reduction in energy usage from lighting.

o Motion sensing light controls result in lights going out automatically when rooms are left unoccupied.

o LED lighted exterior signs will be installed which will use less energy and less maintenance than a traditional neon sign.

o Floors are constructed out of 100% post consumer and post industrial material.

o Empire also used flooring products that are 100% recyclable and comply with indoor air quality and emission requirements adapted in California, the nation's leader in pro-green legislative standards.

o Green paint products were also incorporated into the design of the school.

o A heat recovery ventilation system maintains indoor air quality without the loss of tempered air, potentially saving 1000 BTU's daily.

o Custom built recycling centers in the school's common areas will make student recycling of paper, plastic and glass convenient and second nature.

Empire has also switched over to more eco-friendly product lines for student usage, including Regis Designline PURE Results. The shampoos and conditioners are certified organic, coconut-derived, vegetable, rapeseed or babassu-derived, gluten, paraben and sulfate free, wild collected and are not tested on animals. Other eco-conscious products used at student salons include the Jane Carter Solutions-Nourish line.

A More Sustainable Business Model

From a planning standpoint, Empire considers the debut of its Lauderhill school location to be the first step and a model for a comprehensive plan to go green. As the company continues to grow, all new school facilities will be designed in an environmentally friendly way, while conservation efforts will be a priority at the company's corporate headquarters in Pottsville. Indeed, the company is recycling more than hair. Thanks to a company-wide recycling initiative, Empire has recycled a significant amount of office equipment, such as computers, phones, printers, as well as nearly 17.5 tons of paper in 2008 alone. Empire has also significantly reduced its overall energy usage, with approximately 33% less energy currently being used per month overall.

"This initiative is about looking at every single thing we do, from education to construction to administration and making it as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible," says CEO and chairman, Franklin K. Schoeneman. "Lauderhill is an exciting first step for us, but we still have work to do."

For more information visit www.empire.edu and www.matteroftrust.org.

Empire Education Group

Empire Education Group provides quality in cosmetology education, offering students the finest training tools and facilities. For the past 75 years, Empire has grown to become one of the largest providers of beauty and cosmetology education in North America. With 87 accredited cosmetology schools in 18 states Empire graduates over 8,000 students annually. All locations use exclusive Certified Learning in Cosmetology (CLiC) education curriculum; the company prepares students for successful careers in cosmetology (hair care, skin care, and nail care.)

Schools accredited under Empire Education Group include Empire Beauty Schools, Artistic Beauty Colleges, Blaine, Concorde Academy, European Academy, The Hair Design School, Natural Motion Institute. For more information and a complete listing of all schools under the Empire Education Group name, visit www.empire.edu.