Our Business is Also a Green Business

The same green features you get from Allen Associates can also be found in our offices. In fact, we remodeled our new office space using environmentally sensitive products, and adopted an alternative transportation policy for our employees.

We remodeled our current office by using the same green building practices we provide for our clients. We added more natural lighting, used energy efficient lighting fixtures, and incorporated materials made of renewable resources that do not emit formaldehyde or other volatile organic compounds into the air. Green products include bamboo and marmoleum floors, and cabinets, countertops, and desks made of sunflower board (an agricultural waste), Richlite (recycled paper and resin), and Lyptus (a sustainable hardwood).

We also installed a 5 kW photovoltaic system that supplies 40% of the total energy needs of the office. And even though we lease the office space, the energy savings will pay for the system within 10 years, giving us a big portion of our energy for free.

Encouraging Our Employees to Walk and Pedal

In January 2005, we adopted an alternative transportation policy that encourages employees to bike, walk, take the bus, drive a high mileage car or truck, carpool, ride an electric scooter, gas scooter, or motorcycle to work. It also motivates them to work at home. When an employee uses one of these methods, they are eligible to participate in a monthly "Clean Commuter Drawing" for a $100 prize.

We also partially subsidize an employee's purchase of a high mileage, hybrid vehicle, and reimburse them for their additional cost to use an alternative fuel such as bio-diesel. We now have ten employees that drive Priuses. A number that will always keep changing – but can we do it now.