Environmental policy

Five Winds International's environmental policy is expressed through the key environmental commitments associated with its Vision and Values Statement. It commits the company to being energy and material efficient, supporting employee participation in the work of local environmental organizations, working with clients and suppliers to promote eco-efficient workshops and developing an environmental and social purchasing policy.

Sustainable purchasing initiative

Five Winds International's sustainable purchasing policy came into effect on January 1, 2006. Our sustainable purchasing initiative (which consists of a policy, implementation guidelines and targets) helps us advance our commitment to sustainable development, strengthen our bottom line performance and demonstrate our commitment to sustainability to our clients and stakeholders. In January 2010 we committed to the following new targets:

1. Travel: Offset 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our business travel.
2. Energy: Purchase green energy to power all of our laptop and desktop computers, and offset 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our office energy use.
3. Electronics: Ensure all new office equipment meets, at a minimum, the criteria set out by Energy Star® (for energy consumption) and/or EPEAT Silver (or Gold, if available) registration. EPEAT Bronze-registered products will only be purchased when EPEAT Silver or Gold registrations are not available.
4. Paper and Printing: Purchase printer/copier paper with a minimum 30% post-consumer recycled material content or paper carrying a label denoting use of wood from a sustainably managed forest (FSC, CSA or SFI-Certified). Apply the same criteria when choosing printing service providers for marketing materials and client publications.

Progress toward these targets is reviewed and reported upon regularly to our Business Management Team. In April 2009, Five Winds International took the next step toward becoming carbon neutral, by partnering with TerraPass' Carbon Balanced Business Program. 

For more information on Five Winds International's internal carbon management activities, please click here.

Greening our annual retreats

To reduce its environmental footprint, Five Winds International updates and applies environmental criteria in the planning of its annual corporate retreats. In 2009, the company offset all greenhouse gas emissions associated with the gathering, which included facility energy use and employee travel. The lodge where the annual meeting took place was the recipient of an environmental excellence award and was chosen for its central location relative to all Five Winds offices. In addition, carpooling was arranged for transportation to the event, all food was supplied from a local store, and pens and paper made from recycled materials were provided for staff to use.

Greening our offices

Five Winds International is taking the following initiatives to green its offices:

• Producing a greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory to set annual objectives for improvement
• Distributing meeting binder materials and other documents digitally to reduce material consumption
• Implementing a green printing policy that encourages employees to minimize printing and, when they must print, to use double-sided printing
• Reusing materials as often as possible and recycling when further use is no longer possible
• Conserving energy by curtailing unnecessary use of office and washroom lights
• Turning off office heating and electrical equipment (including unplugging at the source to eliminate "phantom power" use) when not in use
• Minimizing computer power usage by turning off monitors at the end of the day and utilizing low power settings
• Procuring energy-efficient office equipment and appliances according to the company's sustainable purchasing policy (e.g., purchasing new laptops according to the Energy Star standard)
• Sourcing office supplies from local businesses and making bulk purchases to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from incoming couriers
• Using teleconferences and webinars whenever possible
• Encouraging employees to use public transit and hosting meetings in local areas whenever possible

Site selection of our offices

We used proximity to mass transit systems and to employee residences as criteria for selecting our office locations in order to minimize single passenger commutes. We also considered interior environmental factors such as the availability of natural light in choosing our office spaces.

Examples of offices leading by example:

• Our Paoli office recently received the "Gold" Philadelphia Green Business Award for its work implementing green initiatives in the office. The Paoli office is close to all modes of public transportation, uses refurbished office furniture and houses a compost bin for organic materials.
• Our Chicago office uses furniture and decorations that are repurposed or purchased second hand.
• Renovations at the Ottawa office used low-E paint (no VOCs or volatile organic compounds) and low-E carpet adhesives. The carpet was manufactured with 100% recyclable BASF fibre.
• The Boulder office is provided with free bus passes to encourage use of public transportation.