Community IT Innovators has a long-standing commitment to being a triple bottom line business: serving our community, walking lightly on our planet, and having a sustainable financial bottom line.  We give constant attention to how we use natural resources and whether we are going about our business in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Being Green

Community IT Innovators takes the following steps to ensure our ongoing sustainability:

• We are carbon neutral through the purchase of 100% wind energy for our office and the purchase of renewable energy credits for all commuting and business travel for our staff.
• We purchase products from environmentally and socially responsible vendors.
• We use 100% recycled, high post-consumer content paper materials for all office paper, business cards, and paper products.
• We reduce the amount of paper we use through electronic invoicing, duplex printing, and electronic record-keeping.
• We set quarterly goals and track company performance around energy use, paper use, sustainable purchasing, and more.
• We implement innovative, energy-saving and cost-saving power reduction technologies, such as virtualization and desktop power management.
• We encourage our clients to do the same!
  

Measuring Our Impact 

In 2008, we conducted our first greenhouse gas audit, compiling statistics on the amount of carbon emitted by the energy we use, modes of transportation that get us to and from the office and our clients, and air travel.  Since we do purchase clean wind credits for our energy use, we calculated the approximate carbon equivalent as if our energy was produced by coal and other non-renewables, and then accounted for the energy credit offset.

From the staff transportation survey used to calculate our emissions, we also determined that only about 26% of our commuting mileage in 2007 was by automobile, with most of our mileage being from public transit, cycling, and walking.  A national commuting survey showed that 87% of commuting miles across the nation are typically by auto.

CITI takes pride in the fact that we are located close to transit, and provide incentives for staff to use Metro and other alternative means of travel to go to and from clients.  We also have programs to encourage staff to use bicycles and even walking for clean urban commuting.