Happy Earth Day! First organized in 1970, Earth Day has become one of the most important environmental events of its kind, carrying powerful connotations of ecological responsibility and taking ownership of our planet and its precious resources. CH2M HILL takes that responsibility seriously and to mark the occasion we offer you a “green” issue of NewsSplash. Each item in this month’s edition deals with some aspect of sustainability and the environment. You’ll read about what the company does internally to lessen our imprint on the planet, how we’re helping clients save money through sustainable initiatives, and meet some of the people who champion the cause of environmental awareness every day. We invite you to join us in celebrating Earth Day today and every day.

 

CH2M HILL continues to build our reputation as a global leader in sustainability, integrating this core corporate value into every project we deliver. This commitment begins at home, and for the sixth consecutive year the firm has improved its internal environmental management systems. Key accomplishments include:

• Offsetting 20 percent of North American facilities’ energy use and carbon footprint
• Leasing 23 percent of North American office space in Energy Star office buildings
• Providing recycled and materials reuse programs in all offices
• Reducing leased square footage by 6.5 percent through teleworking and mobile workforce development programs
• Increasing teleworkers by 29 percent, decreasing energy use and commuting impacts
• Increasing use of recycled paper to 85 percent of paper purchased
• Decreasing overall paper use by 49 metric tons from 2009 to 2010

In 2011, CH2M HILL will work to further reduce paper use and increase recycled paper purchasing, procure environmentally preferable products and services, increase the number of teleworkers and reduce the firm’s carbon footprint.

Based on initial reports from a new green building database instituted last year, CH2M HILL is helping clients save 8.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity, 310,000 therms of gas, and 36.3 million gallons of water annually. Implementation of a sustainability pilot program for municipal operations and maintenance clients has resulted in 5,634 tons of waste diversion, 2.1 billion gallons of effluent reuse and $1.2 million of documented savings. A new focus for 2011 will be monitoring and reducing the firm’s water use, both in our own facilities and in collaboration with clients.

 

Fayetteville’s LEED-certified library made USA TODAY’s Top 10 list of best places to take a library tour during the recent National Library Week. Opened in October 2004, the 88,000-square-foot facility boasts a collection of more than 300,000 books, audio-visual items and periodicals.

“This regional library hosts programs featuring local writers,” the article notes. “The building, named Library Journal‘s Library of the Year in 2005, has a green design and features beautiful valley views. It’s equipped with a fireplace and welcomes visitors to stay and chill. ‘This is a true place for relaxing,’ Rebecca Miller of Library Journal magazine says. ‘The design is one of the most innovative in the country.’”

CH2M HILL has provided operations and maintenance services for the City of Fayetteville’s wastewater system since 1987. CH2M HILL Lab Director Robert (Bruce) Richart also serves on the city’s sustainability team. The team meets regularly to discuss various aspects of sustainability, share reports and ideas, and promote initiatives such as low impact development and investment in “green infrastructure.”

If you’re in Denver on Earth Day, the Bluff Lake Nature Center has several events scheduled to celebrate the occasion. A unique urban wildlife refuge and outdoor classroom, the 123-acre center’s goal is to encourage interest from both children and adults in natural science and stewardship through curiosity, observation, activity and a sense of wonder. Bluff Lake offers a variety of native habitats including a seasonal lake, wetlands, short-grass prairie, a riparian zone and wetland woodland, and a refuge for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, songbirds, deer, fox, beaver, reptiles, amphibians and other types of wildlife that visit or live at the site. The center has been a favorite beneficiary of CH2M HILL employees’ volunteer efforts, spending approximately 150 hours over the past two years clearing out non-native vegetation, planting trees, and otherwise maintaining the facility. According to the center’s recent annual audit, volunteers allow Bluff Lake to nearly double its capacity to meet its mission.

 

CH2M HILL Chairman and CEO Lee McIntire recently became one of the latest corporate leaders to sign his name to the United Nations’ CEO Water Mandate. Launched in July 2007, the CEO Water Mandate is a unique public-private initiative designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. The CEO Water Mandate recognizes that the business sector, through the production of goods and services, impacts water resources. Endorsing CEOs acknowledge that in order to operate in a more sustainable manner, they have a responsibility to make water-resources management a priority, and to work with governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to address this global water challenge.

Every cause needs its champions to succeed. As CH2M HILL increases sustainability across its own operations and as an integrated component to delivering clients’ projects, employees are stepping up at their locations to become “sustainability champions.” One of the first to come forward is Lynn Kronowit, administrative assistant in Rio Rancho, N.M.

Lynn’s sustainability “a-ha” moment came about eight years ago, when she volunteered at the Albuquerque Children’s Water Festival. Water scarcity in Rio Rancho’s desert setting made her understand the need to conserve resources and kindled her desire to educate others. She loves working with children, so she got more involved with the Albuquerque festival and then recreated a version in Rio Rancho. She also spends a lot of time presenting water education programs in local schools.

“I love working with children … seeing their faces when they hear I work with wastewater is priceless,” Lynn says. “For many years I felt that my job wasn’t important. After I started getting involved with the children and our sustainability program, it is a very rewarding feeling.”

Lynn says it has been challenging getting other employees on board with sustainability, as she has expanded her work from Rio Rancho to CH2M HILL’s other New Mexico projects. But she’s seeing old habits begin to change both on the job and at home as people increasingly do things such as opt to purchase “green” products, eliminate the use of bottled water and increase recycling efforts.

She and other sustainability team members continually share ideas and best practices, seeking to identify new ways to expand sustainability efforts and quantify the economic benefit of those efforts for both the company and the clients.

“Water and other resources are not going to be around forever if we don’t start changing out way of thinking,” Lynn says.

Business leaders across all industry sectors and their government counterparts are investing in sustainability. Our clients are increasingly interested in optimizing their operations with a longer-term view toward returns on their investments and better stewardship of resources.

Both governments and businesses are learning that integrating sustainability into their operations pays big dividends. It helps reduce operating costs by extracting value from waste streams, reducing water usage, becoming more energy efficient, and utilizing natural capital and ecosystem services. It also minimizes compliance and safety risks, and allows for greater adaptation to issues such as increased water scarcity and climate change.

For business, a focus on sustainability provides enhanced market opportunities for different or new products and services, and increased profitability. It also appeals to current and potential employees, provides positive differentiation with investors, and improves the corporate brand in the eyes of all stakeholders.

On the government side, citizens in jurisdictions big and small around the world now expect their leaders to bring an environmental focus to the table when creating policy. Whether it’s water, waste, transportation, or planning and management of natural resources, the public demands more sustainable approaches to addressing today’s issues.

At CH2M HILL, we are proud to be a recognized leader in this rapidly growing market. What makes us different is that sustainability is built into the way we do business, it’s not an afterthought. It’s not just about addressing climate variation, energy, water, or any other single issue. It’s about solving these interrelated challenges using an integrated approach. As a result, we help clients effectively manage their “triple bottom line” position on social, economic and environmental considerations. Looking through this “sustainability lens” allows us to create a new world view and redefine success.

This year marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day. Former Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin is credited with launching what became, in the words of American Heritage magazine, “one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy.” In honor of the occasion, I ask you to join me in heeding the words of Paul Hawken, author of “Ecology of Commerce”:

“..leave the world a better place than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the environment, make amends if you do.”

Respectfully,

Elisa M. Speranza
President

 

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