One Company’s Vision For Continued Sustainability

We’d like to share what one company is doing in their efforts to create a sustainable vision. We love the various ideas that Central Arizona Project (CAP)  has implemented and we encourage you to share these ideas with your company!

CAP’s commitment to sustainability means a continuous effort, and in 2010, an internal team was formed to ensure we remain a leader in sustainability. The Environmentally Conscious Organization Team, also known as the ECO Team, includes 10 employees from across the organization.

Together, they are working to achieve their mission of maintaining a lifestyle of sustainability through innovation for the benefit of the environment, our community, and our stakeholders.
The team’s goals are to encourage all employees to be environmental champions; maintain and grow a culture that’s environmentally conscious; promote CAP as an environmental leader; reduce our impact on the environment; and encourage innovative ideas.

Reduce

CAP believes that we can do more with less and has taken many steps to reduce our consumption during our everyday business. For more than 23 years, we have participated in Maricopa County’s Trip Reduction program, and in 2011, we advanced our efforts by changing to a four-day work week. Nearly 15% of our employees are in vanpools or carpools, and we achieved a low 66.23% rate of single occupant vehicle (SOV) travel.

CAP was successful in achieving a Gold medal in the 2012 Best Workplaces for Commuters Race to Excellence. EPAS’s Best workplace for commuters standard of excellence for outstanding commuter benefits. The Race to Excellence awards recognize organizations who have taken exemplary steps to offer transportations options such as vanpool and transit benefit or compressed workweek for their employees.

We continue to reduce our paper and packaging consumption by buying oil, hydraulic fluid and transmission fluid in bulk drums, reducing printed communication, and automating workflow processes.

Extending the life of our vehicles is accomplished through regular maintenance and nitrogen-filled tires. Our fleet also includes six electric vehicles to reduce our gas consumption.

Reuse

CAP and its employees “think trash last” and instead of throwing away items like computers and office supplies, they donate them to Treasures 4 Teachers, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and Students Recycling Used Technology (AzSTRUT). Additionally, employees can bring items from home that are sent to organizations who reuse them such as cell phones for Cell Phones for Soldiers, glasses and hearing aids for the Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation, packaging material for the Heard Museum, and plastic bags for St. Vincent de Paul. CAP embraces social responsibility and the extra effort means less waste is sent to the landfill and charitable organizations are better able to serve our communities.

Recycle

CAP strives for a recycling program that does not merely comply with regulations but goes above and beyond, preserving our environment for future generations. All of our facilities have numerous drop locations for paper, cans and bottles, cardboard, plastic wrap, foam, wood, concrete, and metal. We also recycle copier and printer cartridges, most types of batteries, mercury-containing light bulbs, tires, e-waste such as circuit boards, electronic equipment and CRT monitors, and petroleum-based fluids such as oil, antifreeze and oil filters.

For more on the vision of CAP, please visit their website.