First, Our Goals. These inform all company decisions.

1. Reduce Waste
   Highlights: We compost and recycle as much as possible. We avoid plastic bottled water in favor of reusable bottles, and use washable rags, towels, and cloth napkins where possible to minimize paper towel use. We're actively seeking channels for recycling and composting items currently not accepted by the City of Lexington. We also separate out wet/dry trash and track waste in order to set reduction goals.
2. Reduce Carbon Footprint
   Highlights: We encourage our employees to reduce car usage and take advantage of our Bike-Friendly Incentives. We unplug everything at night (see below for details), and we're always expanding our eco-friendly cleaning materials, buying in bulk and/or sustainable packaging materials, making sure our HVAC systems are efficient, and hope to participate in food up-cycling programs.
3. Support & Foster Local Initiatives
   Highlights: We actively support Lexington’s efforts in sustainability, including waste reduction, recycling, and energy efficiency. We're a certified Gold member of Lexington's GreenCheck program. We contribute through donations and sponsorship, community outreach, and volunteering efforts. Similarly, we make serving local clients our priority (see below for more details).

Second, Our Policies. All team members embrace these practices.

• Turn off lights when not in use and use natural light when possible
• Turn off all computers, terminals, speakers and other office equipment at the end of every work day
• Turn off power strips at the end of every work day
• Activate the powered-down or low-power features on computers and monitors when not in active use
• Unplug equipment that drains energy even when not in use (cell phone chargers, fans, coffee makers, desktop printers, radios)
• Utilize videoconferencing and conference calls as an alternative to travel when appropriate
• Limit the use of space heaters

• Ping Teagan or Shawn when you take trash out, and we'll log it so that we can set/track goals for reduction.

• Wet Trash: Any non-compostable trash that might decompose unpleasantly (think food containers, dampened paper/tissues)
• Dry Trash: Any non-recyclable trash that would not decompose on its own if left for an extended period of time
• City Recycling: Items accepted by the City of Lexington (there's a guide on the side of the fridge, find up-to-date details here).
• Shredded Paper: Any sensitive paperwork should be shredded, and we'll compost it
• Compost: Compost goes in the copper bin under the sink
• E-Waste: See section below.

• When possible, deal with IT vendors practicing sound e-waste management
• Maximize utilization of all IT assets to their full productive life (through internal re-use, or through donations to philanthropic institutions)
• Hand e-waste over to a manager for proper disposal, conforming to regulatory requirements and best practices (see details here)
• Only non-operational IT assets, unable to be used in any other capacity, are considered e-waste
• This practice includes equipment such as:
  • Desktop computer, laptops, monitors, keyboard and mouse
  • Printers, scanners, cartridges, toner
  • Routers, servers, switches, patch panels, modems,
  • Accessories: CD/DVD, hard drives, speakers, hand-held devices, flash drives, power and data cables

• Follow the City of Lexington’s Fats, Oils, and Grease (F.O.G.) guidelines while in the workplace
• Follow the City of Lexington’s Household Hazardous Waste guidelines while in the workplace
• Consider adopting these habits at home

• Avoid purchasing Styrofoam products for company use
• Consider asking restaurants to avoid using Styrofoam for to-go orders
• Opt for reusable dish-ware whenever possible
• Ensure Styrofoam items are not placed in recycling bins

• We purchase local products whenever possible, including cleaning products, hand soap, and other office supply item from local vendors selling independently-produced products (ex: Good Foods Co-Op).
• Here's our guide for sourcing vendors in our supply chain, and our commitment to purchasing locally. 
• Here are some suggestions for sourcing vendors locally.

• To keep our local economy thriving, we commit to serving at least 75% local and independent clients.

• We purchase environmentally-friendly cleaning products whenever possible. For a list of suggested products, please ask a manager.
• To the extent practical, no cleaning or disinfecting products should contain ingredients that are carcinogens, mutagens, or teratogens.
• These include chemicals listed by the U.S. EPA or the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on the Toxics Release Inventory (40 CFR, Section 372, Subpart D).
• If products containing these chemicals must be used, only the minimum amounts should be used and the product must be disposed of properly.

• Avoid idling in parked company-rented vehicles. Exceptions may be made if temperatures are below 40° F or above 75° F
• Avoid idling in personal vehicles on company property

• No planting of invasive species on the property. 
• We will vet all lawn care products to the best of our ability to ensure we are not using chemical pesticides or fertilizers in a harmful way.
• When engaging landscape contracts, we will work with companies that agree to abide by and prioritize our sustainability policies.

• We stock our office printer with at least 50% post-consumer recycled paper.

• We get our HVAC system evaluated, inspected, and cleaned every 2 years by a certified services provider.