Our Approach

Evergreen takes a programmatic approach to helping you achieve a sustainable enterprise.  Our methodology consists of five essential phases: Assess, Define, Design, Implement, Communicate

  

 


The Enterprise Sustainability Life Cycle is a continuous improvement process that is embedded into strategic, tactical, and operational management processes of the organization.  This process empowers your company to consider sustainability as a core competency and is critical to the success of the organization.


Assess

Before implementing any sustainability strategies, it is critical to assess the environmental impact of your operations.  As they say, you must measure in order to manage.   Understanding environmental impacts across the enterprise, and in relationship to your business processes, revenues, expenses, and employees, will help to determine which areas present the greatest risks and opportunities.

Assessment Activities

• Building Inventory
• Vehicle Inventory
• Accounting Analysis
• Business Process Analysis
• Vendor Analysis
• Product  Analysis
• Commuter Survey
• Energy Evaluation
• Water Evaluation
• Waste Evaluation

The deliverable from this phase of the project is the Enterprise Environmental Assessment.  To assess your environmental impact, Evergreen determines your enterprise environmental footprint, based on a series of evaluations.   The evaluations cover all aspects of your operations: the workplace, transportation, supply chain, and human resources.  The results of the evaluations are applied against an inventory of environmental metrics from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and other research agencies to determine your environmental footprint.   Your footprint is expressed in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MT CO2e), which is the common denominator across all environmental measurements.   We use CO2e as a baseline measurement because it is an indicator of environmental impact and it applies to any type of company.


Define

Once we understand your enterprise environmental impacts, we are able to define your sustainability strategy.  An Enterprise Sustainability Strategy consists of a series of actions your company can take to reduce your environmental footprint, lower your expenses, improve the quality of your products and services, minimize your risks, and improve your community.

Each action within the Enterprise Sustainability Strategy is qualified within the context of your business operations.  A life cycle cost/benefit analysis is created to clearly quantify the impact that each action will have on your organization.  We believe that the most sustainable actions are those that provide both financial and environmental benefits that positively impact your company, your customers, and your community.

What is Enterprise Sustainability?

Enterprise Sustainability is a process to ensure long-term success for your company and your community.  It combines risk management, process and product improvement, and corporate social responsibility into a series of strategies that create efficiencies and reduce environmental impacts.  Enterprise Sustainability recognizes the synergies that exist between your company, your community, and your environment.


Design


Now that environmental impacts are understood, and mitigation strategies are defined, it’s time to design the Enterprise Sustainability Program.   This program establishes the scope, priority, and timing to implement the actions defined by the Enterprise Sustainability Strategy based on available investment and recognition of competing company initiatives.   If appropriate, RFPs are distributed to vendors and related products are evaluated and selected.  Project definitions, containing detailed work plans are created for each action in the program. 

The Enterprise Sustainability Program establishes a comprehensive and coordinated schedule to ensure that all actions are successfully delivered on-time and on-budget.  It is essential that all stakeholders are included in the design of, and commitment to, the program.


Implement


The plan is set, stakeholders are engaged and the Enterprise Sustainability Program is sponsored by your company’s management team.  Now it’s time to execute.  We will assist an internal “Green Team” through each of the projects identified in the program to ensure they are successfully completed and the company realizes the associated benefits.


Communicate


Having successfully executed your sustainability strategy, now it’s time to fully leverage your sustainability investment through internal and external communications.  It is essential to inform your employees, customers, vendors, external stakeholders, and your community of the actions you have taken to minimize your impact on the environment and to improve your community.  A properly designed communications program will enhance your image within the community, increase morale and productivity among your employees, and expand your customer base for your products and services.