During the past month, I joined my fellow CMDers for the annual Bike Commute Challenge. Okay, so in truth, I only rode to work a total of five times last month (shhh… don’t tell my team captain!). But as a team, CMD logged 2,245 miles and saved around 2,155 pounds of CO2 in the process. And that’s all that really matters, right? A group of individuals doing what they can to benefit the larger community.

That’s the philosophy that CMD has adopted for its commitment to sustainability. As a company, CMD believes that operating in an environmentally sustainable manner is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes smart business sense.

This was the guiding principle that led to the first year of our company being named one of the 100 Best Green Companies in Oregon by Oregon Business magazine. Given the caliber of leading green experts in the state, we were thrilled to be recognized. This effort lends credibility to our company as well as to the many clients and vendors we work with.

CMD’s sustainable practices are consistently reviewed and prioritized by an employee-led sustainability team that works to advance our company by setting goals, spearheading initiatives and engaging with employees. If you’re hoping to begin a similar initiative in your organization, you might find some of the programs we’ve implemented helpful.

1. Reduce waste – CMD focuses on reducing the use of raw materials by giving strong consideration to vendors who use recycled materials, offer environmentally preferred solutions and help reduce waste/increase efficiencies. We also reduce waste streams by choosing reusable products and expanding our recycling program (lots of blue bins!).

2. Conserve energy and water – CMD makes an ongoing effort to be more energy efficient and we actively assess our energy usage to evaluate solutions for continued improvement.

3. Encouraging the use of alternative transportation – Activities such as the Bike Commute Challenge, carpooling or other alternative modes of transportation are important not only to the environment, but to our company’s culture as well. Just ask the group of CMDers who bike over to the PDX food carts for lunch!

4. Making a positive impact on the community – We dedicate time, talent and resources to advancing the cause of select worthy, environmentally focused nonprofits, such as SCRAP, that are working to make a real difference in the community. In this way, CMD’s influence to foster greater environmental stewardship reaches well beyond our own core business and affects many others.