For more than a decade, the St. Louis Green Business Challenge has helped businesses of all types and sizes move our region to a leadership position in sustainability. As these organizations continue to serve and better their communities, The Clean Air Partnership is thrilled to shine a spotlight on Environmental Operations, Inc., this month for their recent achievements and green innovations.
In 2019, 61 companies, nonprofits, institutions and governmental bodies participated in the Challenge, integrating sustainability measures into the kinds of everyday operational practices common to every business. Last year, Environmental Operations, Inc., received the Circle of Excellence Achievement Award and secured the third place title at the Leader Level – Tenant Category for having the greatest gain from their baseline to final point totals during the Challenge.
Environmental Operations, Inc., (EOI), is a nationwide leader in guiding environmental projects of all sizes from inception to successful completion using an innovative, investment-minded approach. Located in the City of St. Louis, EOI provides a range of environmental engineering, consulting and contracting services for development projects. The company understands the importance of limiting environmental risk, and unlike many environmental firms, they share the risk and reward of environmental solutions with their clients. The company also has made great strides in implementing strategic and environmentally friendly measures in its own daily operations.
Among their extensive list of accomplishments includes cleaning out overstocked kitchen and cleaning supplies and replacing them with reusable, greener options. EOI removed single-use items such as plastic water bottles in conference rooms and substituted them with water glasses and pitchers. Additionally, the office switched to default double-sided printing, with the exception of certain state and federal documents, and swapped out regular paper towels for unbleached and recycled-content products.
EOI continually strives to make sustainability a focus of their company culture. Staff members volunteer regularly for organizations such as Zero Waste Ambassadors at the Missouri Botanical Garden and the St. Louis Area Food Bank. Employees have also participated in neighborhood clean-ups for Earth Day and company picnics aimed toward zero waste by composting food and recycling beverage containers. Other green initiatives include in-office collections of employees’ batteries, Styrofoam and electronics for proper recycling.
To further reduce environmental impact, the company implemented a new, paperless HR portal system and timekeeping system. Both are designed to safely handle important employee documents and materials, all while minimizing printed record keeping to help increase company efficiency and improve air quality.
For additional information on the sustainable efforts underway by Environmental Operations, Inc., and how other organizations can get involved in the Challenge, subscribe to the bi-monthly E-Newsletter or visit www.stlouisgreenchallenge.com. To learn more about the link between sustainability and air quality, explore our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @gatewaycleanair.