Paragon’s Commitment
to Sustainability
     
  Letter from the President
     
  Our Green Thinking
     
  Paragon Foundation
     
  Paragon Environmental
Responsibility Program
     
  Sustainability and Business
     
  Tools and Helpful Links
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

Paragon’s Commitment to Sustainability

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”
- Sustainability, as defined by the Bruntland Commission

Sustainability as a Culture

Everyone can benefit by incorporating sustainability into everyday life and long-range planning. Paragon’s goal is to inspire our team members to be builders of their communities by being sensitive to the environment and possibilities for conservation around them. We are dedicated to creating an attitude of community pride through awareness, enrichment and involvement. In observance of Earth Day 2009, Paragon will lead by example, not only with the best thinking in relocation solutions, but as a strong advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Recycling Plastics, Aluminum and Paper

At all U.S. locations, recycling bins have been placed in the lunchrooms to collect plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Our Rancho Santa Margarita headquarters has taken the recycling program one step further. It separates the plastics bottles from the aluminum items, and gives the plastic items to local schools. The schools recycle them and use the money they receive to purchase school supplies which were unavailable to them due to state budget cuts.

This location also recycles used printer, fax and copier toners, as well as, used cell phones. These items are collected and sent to charities like HopeLine. HopeLine recycles the used items and products to raise money for individuals who have been victims of domestic abuse. This is a win, win for all involved.

United States:
Our offices have provided individual recycling bins to each employee in an effort to manage waste. Thanks to this program, we have less waste to dispose of and more materials ending up in the recycling bins.

Recycling programs, such as ours, ensure that many office products are being used to their full potential. These programs include:

Darlene Bustamante, Facilities Manager
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
  • Encouraging staff members who purge old files to re-use folders again.
  • Recycling paper clips, binder clips and other similar items. These items are collected in bins in a central location in the office and re-used.
  • Conserving electricity. Lights are on a timer and we use T8 lamps which use fewer watts per lumen, last longer and require less maintenance.

Ireland:
Thomasina Quinn, Marketing Communications Specialist Paragon Dublin
At our EMEA office in Dublin, Ireland, many see an opportunity to take advantage of the government’s Cycle to Work tax incentive. The program encourages employees to cycle to work rather than drive thereby reducing air pollution. The program allows employees to benefit from a long term loan of bikes and commuting equipment such as lights, locks and panniers completely tax free.

United Kingdom:
Our United Kingdom office contributes by keeping electronic files of all our transferees, saving paper, printer ink and space.

Two-thirds of the London staff walks to work instead of driving. They also buy recycled, fair-trade or organic items for their office whenever possible.

Hong Kong:
In our Hong Kong office, we use recyclable printer cartridges and minimize the amount of printed hard copies for filing and circulation, and regularly adjust the air conditioning temperature for energy saving. In celebration of Earth Day 2009, Paragon celebrates our efforts and encourages green initiatives, both at the office and at home, as after all, we are The Best Thinking in Relocation. We want to raise awareness for the global sustainability movement that is encircling the globe.

Here Today, Here Tomorrow.

 
 
 
 

President's Letter

On this Earth Day, I thought it would be a good time to highlight Paragon’s commitment to sustainability. A sustainable community seeks to maintain and improve the economic, environmental and social characteristics of an area so its members can continue to lead healthy, productive, enjoyable lives there. It is no longer acceptable for companies to ignore their corporate responsibility to the environment. A thriving company can no longer be defined as one solely focused on increasing profits - the focus must also fall on increasing the richness of the environment and community at large through corporate social responsibility. Many of our customers have implemented sustainability policies and initiatives as well.

At Paragon, we believe that being involved means more than making financial or material contributions. Through the effort and participation of our employees, we continue to set a level of excellence when it comes to giving back and making a difference in our community.

Already through the many programs that we have implemented in our offices, we are making a difference around the globe. Our practices not only benefit the environment but our communities as well. We donate many recyclables to local schools and charities, who then recycle the items to purchase necessary supplies for their classrooms. Our used printer toner cartridges go to a charity that benefits relief efforts in Darfur. We could do more!

“Going Green” is about minimizing the possible negative impacts we have on the environment. By using our resources efficiently both at home and at the office, and continually seeking to eliminate all types of waste, we can protect the environment and increase operational efficiency to become more sustainable.

Sustainability isn’t just about “green practices.” It’s about being poised to move into the future as a secure, successful company.

Operating a green business is not only good for the environment but good for our bottom line because conserving resources and cutting down on waste saves money. The good news is that there are simple things we can do to run an environmentally friendly business.

On this day, I’d like to announce the creation of a new Paragon award. The Paragon Green Award will be given in recognition of any individual or team that positively impacts the environment. This award will be given as part of our Double Diamond Award Program.

I hope you enjoy this special edition of Paragon Press.
   
 
 
 
 

Our Green Thinking…

“Going Green” is on the agenda of business leaders who are recognizing that there is a correlation between business growth and sustainable development.

Here are ten easy-to-implement ideas that you can put into practice right now to make your office or home a more environmentally friendly place:

  1. Turn off equipment when it's not being used. This can reduce the energy used by 25 percent; turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 percent.

  2. Ensure your email signature is updated. In Paragon's policy, you will find the following sustainability statement questioning whether it's necessary to print them. If it's not, don't!


  3. Meet virtually: use gotomeeting.com or other web conference/teleconference tools to reduce travel, cost of gasoline, etc.

  4. Produce double-sided documents and limit the use of color printing whenever possible and use a supply of paper with maximum available recycled content.

  5. Do not leave taps dripping; always close them tightly after use. (One drop wasted per second wastes 10,000 litres per year.)

  6. Reduce Snail mail and fax-related waste: use paperless Adobe Acrobat or scanning, or eFAX where possible.

  7. Save resources by drinking from a glass whenever you can, or use a refillable, bottle when you are on the go. Avoid plastic water bottles that go into landfills, where they live on and on. If you must, try to throw them into recycling bins.

  8. Choose suppliers who have recycling/sustainability policies.

  9. Instigate an ongoing search for "greener" products and services in the local community. The further your supplies or service providers have to travel, the more energy will be used to get them to you.

  10. Introduce E-Marketing practices to reduce the amount of hard copy mailers.
 
 
 
 

Paragon Foundation

Paragon is dedicated to creating an attitude of community pride, through awareness enrichment and involvement. Paragon’s Community Giving Program invests volunteer, monetary and in-kind support in communities where our associates live and work.

Contributions are made principally in the areas of education, health and human services, civic affairs, cultural enrichment, and the environment.
   
 
   
 

Paragon Environmental Responsibility Program:

Given that Paragon is a provider of services and not a manufacturer, our practices focus on energy conservation and environmental awareness. These practices include:

  • Recycling and prevention of pollution through efficient use of natural resources to minimize waste generation.
  • Promoting energy efficiency and waste recycling.
  • Integrating “carbon footprint awareness” and environmental consideration into daily operations and business decision making processes.
  • Partnering with suppliers and companies that are environmentally friendly.
  • Participating in projects and events and fundraisers for environmental causes.
 
   
 
 
 

Sustainability and Business

Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It’s everywhere and especially in business today.
 

Fortune 500 Corporations Surpass EPA Green Power Goals

Intel Corporation now leads the nation among EPA Green Power Partners as the top buyer with a purchase of 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours per year. PepsiCo is second, followed by Wells Fargo & Company, Whole Foods Market, The Pepsi Bottling Group, and Johnson & Johnson. Cisco Systems and Kohl’s Department Stores recently made sizable purchase increases to place them at seventh and eighth on the list, respectively. Rounding out the top ten green power purchases are Starbucks and DuPont Company.

EPA's Green Power Partnership works with more than 850 partner organizations to buy green power voluntarily as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use and to support the development of new, renewable generation resources nationwide. Overall, EPA Green Power Partners are buying more than 13 billion kWh of green power annually.

Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and biogas, as well as low-impact hydropower. Green power resources produce electricity with an environmental profile superior to conventional power technologies and produce no net increase to greenhouse gas emissions.

To see the complete list: www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/fortune500.htm.
 
 
 
 

Tools:

Here’s an Eco Calculator to see how much you can save by switching light bulbs. Make a simple switch and calculate your savings now!

http://applications.nam.lighting.philips.com/ecocalculator/

 
 
Coming Soon! Paragon's recyclable
shopping bag

Stay Informed:

There's an abundance of information available!

www.greenbiz.com
www.wbcsd.org
www.energystar.gov
www.enn.com
www.sustainablebusiness.com
www.thedailygreen.com
www.seri.at
www.friendsofeurope.org
www.worldwildlife.org