The Environment and Social Justice

Our organization takes our environmental and social justice impact seriously and endeavors to reflect on and research those potential outcomes in every decision we make.

To that end,  we commit to

  1. Minimize our negative environmental impacts in the areas of waste, water, energy, and air quality by
    • meeting online rather than in person whenever practical
    • communicating via email and other online tools when appropriate
    • limiting or eliminating printing documents to paper
    • scheduling in-person meetings in a centrally-located space, and encouraging ride-sharing where possible
    • using real/reusable tableware, glasses, cutlery, and napkins for our in-person meetings and public events
    • purchasing locally-grown or organic foods, reducing the quantity of meat and dairyproducts, and favoring plant-based foods for our events and meetings
    • composting food waste for our meetings and events where applicable
  2. Ensure that our partners and supply chain have responsible social and environmental practices through in-depth interview processes before we commit to a vendor/provider.  To date, these interviews have allowed us to run our organization by
    • using environmentally sustainable hosting and website providers for our software and cloud services
    • using a locally-owned bank with a commitment to local community support,  broad and inclusive diversity policies, and sustainable environmental practices
    • printing those documents that we need to print (like business cards and event handouts) on sustainably-sourced paper (100% PCW recycled, made from plant material, or Forest Stewardship Council, etc.)

Reporting

Because our organization is a virtual one, it is difficult to measure and report our sustainability impacts.  Green infrastructure is a vital part of our programming, however, as we evolve as an organization, to find ways to evaluate and refine our business practices to benefit the health of the planet and make corporate decisions that support and uplift all its beings.

Promoting and Educating

We believe that visibility and transparency are vital components of a sustainable business.  

To that end, we

  • display the logo and link to our sustainability partners where appropriate
  • print the appropriate sustainability symbol(s) on our printed documents
  • include this Policy in our promotional materials

Last Updated: February 18, 2022  Rev. 1.1