The firm was among 19 companies recognized for the St. Louis Green Business Challenge Innovation Award this year. Champion companies have typically participated in the challenge for two or more years and have integrated a range of sustainability measures into the kinds of everyday operations the challenge addresses. These companies then have the option to plan, conduct and report on an innovation project that can advance operational green excellence or focus on a client-facing body of work. Champion work is supported by site visits by the challenge staff and customized coaching and the opportunity to network and learn at monthly challenge programs.
As part of Tarlton’s 2019 St. Louis Green Business Challenge, the firm introduced its first Green Week, which included hosting an electronics and appliance collection day, a trash cleanup day in Forest Park, participation in Operation Clean Stream, a learning opportunity on how to make and use homemade, eco-friendly household cleaners and a lunch and learn on the benefits of native plants and how to incorporate them into your home garden. Several other initiatives to reduce waste resulted in the following:
- The firm reduced paper use from an average of 3,600 sheets per week to 1,849 sheets per week, resulting in a 49 percent reduction. This reduction saved the firm approximately $880 in one week.
- The firm recycled 268 pounds of paper, which saved 2.25 trees and 12 cubic feet of landfill space.
- The efforts resulted in a change to the firm’s procedures on trash and recycling bin pickup schedules.
“The results from our collective efforts to reduce waste generated in just one week were astonishing,” said Tarlton Senior Project Manager Diane Grimsley, who led the company’s initiatives for the St. Louis Green Business Challenge. “We quickly learned how much of an impact just changing the way you do things internally can make.”
In 2018, Tarlton earned first place in the Leader Level-Owner category, which provided the impetus to strive for the Champion Level of the Green Business Challenge competition. Also in that year, Tarlton was one of 10 participants that garnered an Award of Merit at the Challenge Leader Level for advancing sustainability efforts and accomplishing a number of initiatives, including its participation in Operation Clean Stream and installing LED/CFL lighting at its headquarters.
In addition, Tarlton also was recognized this year as an exclusive member of the Challenge Green Decade Honor Roll — one of 12 firms that have participated in the challenge since the program was launched 10 years ago. Since that time, 233 companies, nonprofits and municipalities have joined. This participation has engaged over 155,000 employees and nearly 470,000 residents, for a total of 620,000 individuals influenced by this work across the regional economy. 56 percent of these companies have participated in the challenge for two or more years; 41 percent for three years or more. The St. Louis Green Business Challenge will launch its 11th year of sustainable business services in March 2020.
