Sustainability at GreenPlaces

A high percentage of GreenPlaces emissions comes from Air Travel, and while we can't avoid flying completely, we have put in place a policy to help us fly smarter. Our policy includes utilizing tools to track and compare emissions by route -- and wherever possible, we choose the flight path with the least emissions. Typically, this means focusing on direct flights and prioritizing airlines who have made sustainability at focus. As airlines adopt sustainable aviation fuel, our policy will update to focus on those airlines. In addition to route optimization, we're also making a concerted effort to avoid short haul commuter flights and opt for virtual meetings, public transport or EV as an alternative to these problematic flights.

We're tackling employee commuting in a few ways. Our Green Commuting Policy includes a focus on tracking employee emissions, encouraging hybrid work, and recognizing employees who opt for public transit, eBikes, and walking to the office. Over the next 12 months, we'll be considering personalized public transit and clean commuting reimbursements as well as rewards for employees who choose more green options. Lastly, as we open offices we'll prioritize locations with greater access to commuting. Feel free to reach out to learn more about our policy!

The majority of electronics we purchase at GreenPlaces are laptops, and we've evaluated the environmental policies and footprint of a number of vendors. We currently purchase MacBook Airs due to a number of factors. Namely their use of recycled metals, energy efficiency (71% less than the EnergyStar requirement) and commitment to transitioning their entire manufacturing supply chain to 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Apple has also been very transparent about environmental reporting which gives us more comfort with the brand. For more information about the impact of our laptops, see here: https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/products/notebooks/13-inch_MacBookAir_PER_Nov2020.pdf

While GreenPlaces primary focus is reducing its emissions, each year GreenPlaces assesses its carbon footprint, and offsets 100% of all emissions. We recognize that offsetting does not negate emissions, nor is it a perfect solution. When paired with an aggressive, and transparent carbon reduction strategy its a good addition to our efforts to be as sustainable as possible.