Apogee Cares
As a company, we’re grateful for many things—our customers, our success, and especially the opportunity to work in an industry that makes a positive impact on our world. We also believe that with business success comes an added responsibility of being a good corporate citizen. To this end, we try to do our part to protect the environment and give back to the community in several ways like performing service projects, adopting environmentally friendly policies, and donating a significant portion of our profits to worthy causes. Below are just a few of our environmental practices and the causes and institutions we’ve supported in the past. We love doing business this way and hope to do our part for many years to come.
How We Operate
Digital Manuals
In an effort to reduce environmental waste, Apogee Instruments began providing digital product manuals instead of printing manuals to be sent out with each product. These manuals can be easily accessed, saved, or printed at any time from apogeeinstruments.com/manuals.
Where We Work
Apogee Instruments is committed to reducing the negative impact our work place has on the environment. In 2007, the company moved from Dr. Bruce Bugbee's garage into a new state-of-the-art facility (pictured above) that was designed to work with the environment to reduce our carbon footprint. The building features passive solar windows and an open internal architecture that allows natural light to reach all work stations. The 22° overhang above the windows provide shade and reduce heat in the summer, while providing more light and heat during the winter.
To further reduce energy costs, the building uses radiant floor heating, and is "super-insulated". The roof has an R-value of 80, the walls are R-40, and the low-E thermopane glass has an R of 3.4. The building is monitored and controlled with a Campbell Scientific CR3000 datalogger coupled to 64 multiplexer input channels and 32 output control channels. Internal and external temperature, humidity, CO2, O2, air velocity, and solar radiation are graphed on displays on the wall.
By 2016, Apogee had outgrown its 2007 facility, which led to an expansion that tripled the size of headquarters (pictured above). The expansion was built with the same energy saving features from the original building including open architecture, passive solar windows, 22° overhangs, radiant floor heat, and "super-insulation".
As part of the building expansion in 2016, Apogee Instruments added 17 PV panels to the front of the building. The window below shows the energy produced by the panels at a given time, as well as a complete history of the energy they have produced. Additionally, the left column displays the energy produced in relation to the energy needed to run a fridge, charge a phone, light a light bulb, and other common energy uses.
Giving Back
Apogee Instruments and its employees believe in giving back to the community we work in. As part of our commitment to giving back to our community, Apogee actively participates in volunteer work and gives charitable contributions. Further information on our contributions to our community can be seen below.
Volunteer Work
On September 30, 2017, Apogee employees and their families cleaned up several tons of garbage from a wildlife habitat area in Logan Canyon that had become an unauthorized dump and shooting range. The project was coordinated through the Forest Service as part of National Public Lands Day, which is the last Saturday of September each year. Although it poured rain most of the day, everyone worked hard to clean up the area. We live in such a beautiful place and it felt great to help keep it that way!
Charitable Contributions
American Society of Agronomy
Sustainable agriculture is often associated with natural or organic farming, and it is indeed related to those farming systems. But sustainable agriculture is also grounded in a great deal of research and scientific knowledge, including knowledge of the interactions between crops and soils; the nutrient and water needs of crops; and handling of crop pests.
American Society for Horticultural Science
Comprised of thousands of members worldwide, ASHS represents a broad cross-section of the horticultural community - scientists, educators, students, landscape and turf managers, government, extension agents and industry professionals. ASHS members focus on practices and problems in horticulture: breeding, propagation, production and management, harvesting, handling and storage, processing, marketing and use of horticultural plants and products.
Cache Community Food Pantry
A community run organization that’s mission is to make sure that nobody goes to bed hungry. They feed approximately 165 families each week, as well as sending food to senior centers in and around Cache Valley.
Cache Valley for Hope Cancer Foundation
Cache Valley for Hope is able to assist hundreds of Cache Valley residents and their families who need additional help and aide while they focus their energies and attention on fighting and recovering.
Cache County Jr. Livestock Sale
Each year over 450 of Cache Valley’s youth participate in the Junior Livestock Program raising market animals for the County Fair. The youth learn essential life skills like responsibility, compassion, and the humane treatment of animals. They learn cooperation, leadership and community service through participation in 4-H clubs or FFA Chapters. Proceeds of the auction help fund educations and other goals the young people have set out to achieve.
Common Ground Outdoor Adventures
Common Ground Outdoor Adventures' mission is to provide life-enhancing outdoor recreational opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. We provide adaptive equipment and support, which enable people with disabilities to participate in outdoor recreation alongside their peers. These experiences reduce stereotypes, raise awareness, and empower people to realize their full potential. Our trips are not only accessible physically but also financially.
Choice Humanitarian
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals reflect a worldwide commitment to eliminate extreme poverty by the year 2030. For over thirty years CHOICE Humanitarian has been testing a variety of approaches and strategies, seeking to determine the most cost-effective method for eliminating extreme poverty.
Habitat for Humanity/Restore
Habitat for Humanity Restores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price.
Intermountain Therapy Animals
The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors. The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D) program improves children’s reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method, reading to an animal.
LDS Humanitarian Aid Fund
Blessing the poor and needy when disasters occur, many Latter-day Saints and others respond generously, donating time and money to help those in need. Because of their generosity, Humanitarian Services of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who operates LDS Charities, sends food, clothing, medical supplies, and other emergency relief assistance to bless the lives of those with urgent needs. One hundred percent of every dollar donated is used to help those in need without regard to race, religion, or ethnic origin.
Neil Armstrong Academy
At Neil Armstrong Academy, we are committed to a focus on learning, high levels of engagement, and a problem-solving process common to the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields to prepare all students with the skills they will need for their future.
North Summit Middle School
The purpose of North Summit Middle School is to provide quality educational opportunity for students to develop intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically in a safe, caring and positive learning environment during their transition from childhood to adolescence.
Thomas Edison Charter School
Thomas Edison Charter Schools provide all students the fundamental knowledge, tools, and discipline to become successful, reputable citizens in our country and to become high achievers in our ever evolving, demanding and complex society. This mission is carried out through a stimulating academic curriculum, focused on elemental skills development, in a structured classroom environment, with strong parental involvement.
USU Apogee Instruments/Campbell Scientific Endowed Graduate Fellowship
5 awards of $1000 per year.
USU Physics Day at Lagoon
USU Physics Day at Lagoon is an educational activity that gives High School and Middle School students the chance to explore the reality of physics in a fun way. It provides students with the opportunity to take concepts outside the classroom and into their memories forever.
Utah Public Radio
Utah Public Radio enriches the lives of listeners throughout the State of Utah with quality programming designed to inspire the mind, engage the imagination and perpetuate the habit of lifelong learning. Through our outreach, our programs and our use of emerging technologies, we build and bring communities of our State together by becoming a leading radio programming resource, empowering our listeners to become active participants in shaping the future.
USU Weather Station Maintenance
To survive and prosper, people throughout time have carefully monitored their environment. The ability to predict tomorrow’s or next week’s weather could mean the difference between poverty or plenty. Today, while still vital to weather forecasting, precise environmental measurements are essential to many endeavors, including: • resource analysis for renewable energy • conservation of irrigation water • sustainable food production • monitoring air and ground water quality • the development of detailed climate records Climate science is the compilation and analysis of weather observations over time. Data gathered at observatories like this one help us better understand weather and its effects upon people and ecosystems.
Walden School of Liberal Arts
Walden School of Liberal Arts, a free K-12 charter school, provides an engaging, academically challenging student-centered environment. Our program is based around two internationally celebrated educational models that prepare students to thrive in a global community- Montessori for grades K-5, and International Baccalaureate for grades 6-12.