Sustainability
BCS Corporate Sustainability Plan
BCS has been involved in the clean energy sector since its inception and is committed to the values of sustainability. This includes launching new sustainability initiatives to “green” our operations and reduce our carbon emissions.
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We have set the following overarching sustainability goals for how we will operate our business:
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Consider sustainability in all corporate decision-making
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Strive to adopt advances in green technologies and practices to maintain a culture of
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Be a socially responsible leader in our industry and community.
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To achieve our goals, we have identified four key strategies:
Investing In Our
Sustainability
Empowering Our Employees
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Our employees are key to creating a more sustainable workplace and community. Companies wanting to achieve sustainability goals have a higher rate of success when sustainability is integrated into core operations and corporate commitment to the goals is communicated to the entire staff. We will focus on educating our employees about sustainability goals and initiatives to foster a sense of community responsibility, as well as to impart individual ownership of the process.
BCS commits to the following sustainability engagement actions to empower our employees:
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Educate our staff about our corporate sustainability strategy.
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Share sustainability efforts, best practices, and success stories in our monthly BCS newsletter and on our website, including:
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Promotional materials for our sustainability initiatives
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An “Eco-Corner” column in our newsletter to foster awareness with sustainability tips for both the workplace and at home as well as BCS sustainability success stories
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Opportunities for professional development and training
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Create an internal Microsoft Teams Channel for networking and information sharing.
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Investing In Our Sustainability
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BCS commits to investing in socially and environmentally conscious financial services and product acquisitions for our employees. BCS will work to reduce our carbon footprint by sourcing sustainable products, maintaining best practices for electronics stewardship, and incentivizing our employees to make sustainable choices. Every purchasing and financial decision can have an impact, and this impact will grow as our business grows. Investing in sustainable products and services will help BCS ensure we are making positive impacts.
BCS commits to investing in sustainability by:
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Providing socially responsible 401k portfolio options
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Joining the Corporate Capital Bikeshare Membership program
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Purchasing sustainable products.
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Minimizing Our Environmental Impact
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Up to 45% of all municipal solid waste is generated in the workplace, and 90% of all office waste is paper. BCS has an opportunity to make a significant environmental impact by using and discarding less paper, thereby conserving raw resources, reducing water and energy use for production, and preventing pollution. Waste reduction can be more impactful than recycling alone because it reduces the amount of material that needs to be collected, transported, and processed.
BCS commits to minimizing our environmental impact by:
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Effectively managing excess electronics
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Defaulting to double-sided printing
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Providing recycling bins at each workstation
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Providing employees with reusable BCS water bottles and travel coffee mugs
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Prioritizing compostable or limited packaging catering sources.
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​BCS Greenhouse Gas Emission stats can be found here.
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Taking Action For Our Community
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Organizational participation in community service projects allows companies to give back to the communities in which they operate and helps increase employee engagement and satisfaction. Employee volunteer programs are known to help foster a positive, engaged company culture. BCS recommits itself to further advance environmental and social issues through community service projects.
BCS will establish an annual calendar with quarterly volunteer activities, as follows:
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1st Quarter – Martin Luther King Junior Day of Service
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2nd Quarter – Earth Day volunteering opportunity
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3rd Quarter – Arlington, Police, Fire & Sheriff 9/11 Memorial 5k Run
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4th Quarter – Holiday food and toy drive
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Sustainability Successes
BCS is a forward-thinking company looking to innovate and adopt sustainable solutions. We will regularly evaluate our progress on the actions outlined above, as well as explore new initiatives. As our goals state, we are working toward a culture of continuous improvement. After launching our Sustainability Plan in early 2021, we have accomplished the following successes.
March 16, 2021
BCS is proud to announce we are making significant progress on our sustainability plan initiatives. Two actions we have taken this quarter include:
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Added three socially responsible funds to the BCS Principal 401k investments portfolio: Vanguard FTSE Social Index, TIAA-CREF Social Choice International Equity, and the TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond.
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These funds largely invest in firms that are strong environmental stewards; devoted to human rights; committed to high labor standards; producers of high-quality and safe products; and managed in an ethical manner.
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Diverted our excess IT equipment, furnishings, and office supplies from the landfill through charitable donations and responsible electronics recycling.
Moving on to Q2! On April 24, we will once again join the Anacostia Watershed Society’s Earth Day Clean-up Event. COVID-19 precautions are in place to ensure a safe work environment for all including pre-event health screening surveys, face masks, gloves, and physical distancing.
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April 24, 2021
In Q2, BCS celebrated Earth Day by taking action to clean up our community with the Anacostia Watershed Society. The Anacostia Watershed Society’s Earth Day Cleanup is an annual event that convenes thousands of volunteers to cleanup sites along the Anacostia River and its tributaries throughout the watershed in D.C., Prince George’s, and Montgomery Counties. This year, BCS joined over 1,000 volunteers—safely masked and socially distanced—to clean up 34 local parks throughout our community. The event was a great success, and we are proud to contribute to preventing pollution from entering our waterways, restoring healthy ecosystems, and ensuring safer, cleaner communities.
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