Our Green Team

The Society launched the GoGreen initiative in February of 2007 and invited all employees of the National Geographic Society and National Geographic Channel to help National Geographic walk the talk! The resulting seven cross-divisional subcommittees have led the Society to an impressive list of accomplishments since then that have put us on the path of sustainability, a path we are all committed to and that stands as a shining example of employee-driven change.

Our major accomplishments since Feb 2007:

2007

• Joined the US EPA Climate Leaders
• Measure the carbon footprint of the Society's headquarters
• Certified one of our headquarters buildings as Energy Star (US EPA) compliant
• Initiated two-sided copying
• Introduced local organic foods and eliminated plastics from our cafeteria
• Began composting all food waste and non-recyclable paper products, including bathroom hand towels
• Installed video conferencing and reduced staff business travel by 20 percent
• Carbon footprinted all of our Expedition travel (educational travel service)
• Implemented an alternative commuting plan to encourage car pools, mass transit use, work from home, etc.
• Committed to developing a comprehensive carbon assessment of all our products

2008

• Developed a carbon footprint for all the locations in North America where the Society does business
• Calculated the carbon footprint for all Society air travel, accommodations, and rental car use.
• Implemented Green Fridays that close the office ten days in summer to reduce energy use in our buildings
• Announced a goal to reduce business travel by an additional 20 percent
• Purchased offsets for all Expeditions travel, and built that into the program cost
• Implemented after-hours computer hibernation that shut off all related equipment
• Eliminated all plastic clamshells from cafeteria and all bottled water from our campus
• De-bulbed all buildings of excessive lighting and installed CFLs
• Bought wind-power renewable energy credits to offset all electrical use in our buildings (signed a five-year contract)
• Eliminated unsustainably harvested seafood (shrimp, tuna, salmon) from our cafeteria

2009

• Achieved carbon neutrality for our buildings
• Joined World Wildlife Fund's Climate Saver Program (made a commitment to reduce our electrical use by 10 percent)
• Achieved LEED EB Gold Certification for our buildings (in 2003 we were the first LEED EB silver certified building in the U.S.)
• Qualified our entire campus to be Energy Star certified
• Completed a very comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) on National Geographic magazine
• Calculated our energy reduction that showed the results of a ten-year initiative. Found electricity consumption was cut by 18 percent; water usage was down by 20 percent; gas usage was cut by 3 percent
• Calculated the carbon footprint for all Society products and services, including TV and Channels programs
• Held training classes for safe bike commuting, and installed additional bike racks and promoted Bike to Work Day, which culminated in the Society being designated a Bike Friendly Business
• Expanded local and organic offerings in the cafeteria
• Changed the temperature setting of our buildings (down in winter, up in the summer)

2010

• Upgraded our Energy Management System allowing building services and engineering staff to monitor and better control energy use in our facilities
• Launched EnerNoc energy reduction initiative – a tangible effort that engaged staff at all levels in energy reduction efforts
• Implemented/updated 20 LEED operating policies for the complex
• Achieved 60 % recycling rate
• Developed sustainability policies for travel, general purchasing and paper purchasing
• Expanded composting efforts by placing compost bins on every floor
• Provided and promoted locally-sourced and organic food options in the headquarters cafeteria
• Launched the Society’s Sustainability public-facing website
• Calculated the Society’s total carbon emission for all products & services
• Implemented a commuter strategy program that includes:

• Mass transit commuter subsidy
• Parking discounts for LEED certified green cars
• Increased discounts for car pools

As a result of these actions, the Society today:

• Uses 2.5 million fewer kilowatt hours of electricity each year
• Saves 4.7 million gallons of water each year
• Has expanded its recycling of all materials to 66 percent of all products used
• Has engaged its staff to be participants in finding sustainable solutions for the Society's operations

We have picked many of the low-hanging fruit and now must reach higher to achieve the reduction in energy use we have targeted. To do that, here are some of our 2011 goals:

• Continue to develop an energy reduction plan and strategy.
• Continue efforts to increase local and organic food sources for our HQ cafeteria
• Develop more offset programs for products and services
• Investigate possibilities of an onsite biogas compodigester or fuel-cell.
• Organize a Society-wide volunteer day to help green a local school
• Increase our recycling rate to 70 percent