IMEG refreshed its Sustainability Plan in 2024 to help our more than 90 offices integrate environmentally friendly practices, conserve energy and water, lower carbon emissions, and reduce waste. This plan mandated some new initiatives (such as tracking office energy usage) and added optional initiatives (such as providing in-office composting) to allow each location to take actions best-suited for their office, whether corporate-owned or rented. 

A year later, we checked in with three IMEG sustainability champions to see how the new plan is being implemented in their office.

Portland – Anchila Monks  

What initiatives have had the greatest success/impact in the Portland office?
Bringing plants into our office and incorporating biophilic interior design has been a truly impactful initiative for our team. Not only has it created a more connected and nature-inspired space, fostering a sense of responsibility toward the environment, but it also has an immediate positive effect on how we feel in the workplace.

What makes you the proudest?  
As the Portland Office Sustainability Champion, I take pride in our collective initiative to establish a baseline and gather initial carbon footprint data last year. This foundational step enables us to monitor and improve our energy consumption, waste management, and commuting practices over time. Achieving our sustainability goals requires total team effort, highlighting the impact of collaboration in reducing our workplace’s carbon footprint.

Moreover, our team has actively engaged in community initiatives by “adopting a block” to enhance the cleanliness of our neighborhood. We have been dedicated participants in the biannual “We Believe in Portland” community clean-up events, further demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship and community involvement.  

Are there new initiatives in the works?  
In addition to Meatless Mondays, our team is dedicated to decreasing beef consumption on various other occasions, such as team huddles, “lunch-and-learn” sessions, and potlucks. This commitment offers a straightforward and attainable approach to contribute positively to the environment, all while avoiding the need for drastic lifestyle alterations. We are also very fortunate to be in Portland, Oregon, a city known for its vegan-friendly establishments, offering a diverse range of vegan dining options!

Has anything changed?  
Yes! Our workplace’s carbon footprint has decreased over the past year. In the spring of the previous year, our carbon footprint stood at 10.2 CO2 emissions in tons annually. However, the latest measurements show a notable reduction to 6.8, marking a substantial decrease of 3.4 in just 12 months. This reduction translates to a positive impact on the environment with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

St. Louis – Olivia Paxson 

What initiatives have had the greatest success/impact in the St. Louis office? What makes you the proudest?
We recently added a compost collection bin to our office kitchen with the help of Ryan Graves, one of our office Sustainability Champions, and Scott Thomas, who is composting our food scraps at his home. We also have been adding in lots of plant-based options at office events, which has been great to see! We also recently worked with a local charity that is near the office (Home Sweet Home) to donate home goods to people in need. I was able to organize this, and I loved the opportunity to give back to the community.

Are there new initiatives in the works?  
We’re working to reduce excess office supplies and general waste in the office. We were able to donate excess binders to local schools, we’re looking to collect and donate e-waste from within the office and homes of the employee-owners, and we’re hoping to collect and distribute excess office supplies from around homes and the office to reduce the number of supplies that we need to purchase.

Has anything changed?  
We’ve had lots of positive feedback about the items implemented. The St. Louis office is full of creative and innovative thinkers, and everyone has been so supportive and helpful with new ideas and recommendations.

Chicago – Allie Periman 

What initiatives have had the greatest success/impact in the Chicago office? What makes you the proudest?  
The initiative that has had the greatest impact is the composting program and is also the one I am most proud of. The Chicago office is in a LEED-certified, all-electric building that had already implemented many energy efficiency measures so there were only a handful of sustainability opportunities beyond composting we could implement.

Has anything changed? 
There has been office-wide interest and engagement in the composting program and overall office sustainability.