We deploy Corporate Social Responsibility strategies for clients on a regular basis, not simply because it’s the ‘right’ thing to do, but because CSR is a powerful tool in influencing employee and consumer decisions.
As we advise on sustainability, we take the subject seriously for ourselves. Below, we’ve outlined the steps we’ve taken and hope to take in the near future. We welcome feedback (negative as well as positive) on our approach.
Recycling & Re-use
Our ‘desks’ are doors made of FSC-certified timber and recyclable steel saw-horses. Every desk and work-station has a recycling bin next to it. We recycle paper, plastic, aluminum, grocery bags, batteries, coat hangers, ink cartridges, and electronics waste.
Mailing materials – if you receive a package from us, there’s a good chance it will be in a re-used mailing box from Staples or Amazon. Forgive the re-use. We’re just being cheap…
We have a goodwill station in the studio for team members to drop clothing and items from work or home to be passed to Goodwill for re-sale.
We use 100% post-consumer recycled paper for all our printing and copying. We re-use our paper, printing on both sides (simple but having a 50% impact in efficiency). We use whiteboards and digital cameras rather than flip charts where possible.
Bottled water is not available in the studio. We provide filtered water and reusable Sigg water bottles.
Used books and magazines are sent on to local coffees shops, libraries and schools.
We recycle plastic bags and #5 containers for drop off at Ellwood’s 
Organics & Composting
The fruit we purchase to feed the grazing team at the Studio is purchased from our local Farmers Market.
Our in office coffee is fair-trade and organic, from locally-owned Blanchard’s Coffee Company.
Our catering waste and coffee grinds, along with cardboard are all composted.
Energy & Travel
We carbon offset our flights and car rentals.
We’re members of Zipcar, a proven, holistic transportation program for business (and personal) travel which results in our reduced use of rental cars while traveling on business in the US and Europe.
Our studio is in a downtown urban location, ensuring a low average commute for our team.
We’re located two blocks from Richmond Main Street Station, providing direct rail links to Washington DC and cities north. We offset our rail travel.
The Studio is lit with CFL energy-efficient lighting and we use rechargeable batteries for the Studio’s electronic equipment.
Our preferred hotel group is Kimpton Hotels, based on their Earthcare program.
When shuttling around in NY we like to use OZO Car Service, New York’s first hybrid private car service offering Service, Style and Sustainability.
Bike Rack: We don’t have one yet but it is not unusual to see a bike hanging around the office.
We use BioTaxi service, fueled by recycled fryer grease, to tote clients around RVA.
Urban Regeneration
We’re vested and committed to our downtown neighborhood in Richmond. Our Studio is based in the Superior Production Exchange, a converted warehouse in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood – an urban, regenerating neighborhood.
TFP2, our client event space, is a converted, restored old bank building in the re-emerging Manchester district.
We source the catering for our workshops from locally-owned urban restaurants. And if we take you for lunch, expect ‘local’ Lebanese, Dominican or Ethiopian food…
Program Resources
We encourage clients to use TFP2, our offsite venue. A converted bank building, the facility benefits from tons of natural light as well as composting, recycling and water capture facilities. Located in a regenerating neighborhood of the city, TFP2 offers clients the opportunity to redirect their resources to urban regeneration.
All of our group coaching materials are printed on recycled paper. Catering is provided by local restaurants using locally sourced food. We serve organic coffee and filtered water in compostable containers or reusable serverware. All of our materials are recycled or composted.
Many of the case studies we use in the coaching sessions showcase companies challenging the status quo in a socially responsible way.
Social Projects
We aim to apply 15% of our chargeable consulting time to social pro-bono projects. We’re currently supporting the International Hospital for Children’s mission of delivering pediatric medical care in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For those projects that are not pro-bono, we have a reduced commercial rate for non-profit organizations.
We test-pilot our corporate learning programs with non-profits. Providing the non-profit team the chance to learn the corporate skills without charge and allowing our corporate clients to hone their programs.
We integrate social projects as business challenges for our corporate programs, allowing non-profits to benefit from corporate learning resources and corporate executives to benefit from working on real issues instead of hypothetical business cases.
Community Art
The walls of our studio showcase the work of local artists. We rotate exhibitions every few months (we encourage clients to purchase any piece they love from the artist).
If you would like to view any of the work featured in the studio, throw a line to Jennifer at jennifer@thefrontierproject.com
On the list for improvement…
Installing ceiling fans to reduce air conditioning and heating use.
Working out how to un-pry the ancient windows in our studio so we can have a natural breeze in Spring and Fall.
A bike rack and shower.
We’re investigating (it’s hard to find) 100% post-consumer recycled paper for our corporate stationary – hold us to account – we’ll get there soon.