by Nancy Marshall | December 3, 2019

“Making a difference today for a better world tomorrow” is our company tagline.  It was developed by our President, Bill Flederbach, and me as we were creating our new website in 2018.  Bill’s mentor had this motto, “Do the next right thing,” which Bill used as a foundation when he started ClimeCo 10 years ago.  As our company has grown and changed, the motto still serves as our foundation but, going forward, we felt that we needed to refresh it to carry us into the future.

For us as employees, our motto resonates so strongly, we want to make a positive difference today so that when the sun rises tomorrow, the world is a better place.  We do this with our project work – capturing greenhouse gas emissions and destroying them so that they don’t enter the atmosphere, or by converting waste methane into Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) and energy.  We do this in our environmental commodity transactions – we help companies who want to be greener, who wish to support projects that are making the world better by preserving an ecosystem while sequestering and or destroying carbon.  We do this in our policy and advisory work – keeping clients updated on the latest policy changes and advise them on how best to proceed in this everchanging world.  As we support this tagline in our everyday work, do we as a company do this in every aspect of our business? Does this carry down through to our employees’ personal lives?  Do we walk the walk 24/7?

As I reflect on our company retreat that was held the week before Thanksgiving (U.S.), we celebrated a successful year and were ecstatic to plan and strategize for 2020.  Our leaders talked about being real, honest and truthful, which has been a constant in everything we do as a company.  It started with Bill and continues with each one of us who works for ClimeCo.  What you see while visiting our offices, hear while talking to us on the phone, or see when you run into us with our families – we are always the same.  You do not see one side while at work and a different side while at home in our personal space. We live and breathe what we do – making the world better. 

There are two things we do at ClimeCo that we probably don’t talk about enough, but I would like to share with you today: 

1. We Don’t Emit Gas
2. We Volunteer

Pass The Gas

Everything has a carbon footprint!  Your business, your family (yes, even the dog), your favorite airline, your hotel chain of choice, the city you feel happiest in, your local sports teams, your favorite band and even that shoe brand you’re constantly getting ads for on Instagram. You name it, it probably has a carbon footprint.  Many of our clients work hard to lower their carbon footprint so that they, too, can make the world a better place.  At ClimeCo, we not only offset our company’s carbon footprint, we also offset each of our employee’s footprints as well.  This is a wonderful gesture ClimeCo generously makes for its employees.  It not only allows us to walk the walk, but it makes us proud to say we can talk the talk. In 2020, ClimeCo is going to be expanding our services by developing a website that allows everyone, from a small business, to an individual or family, or even an event to easily calculate their carbon footprint, receive tips on how to be greener, and purchase offsets.  What a great way to further influence others to make a difference today for a better world tomorrow.  I am very excited about this new venture and can’t wait to share it to help make an even bigger difference in 2020.

Volunteer Day

The second thing we do that doesn’t get enough exposure is our Volunteer program at ClimeCo.  At ClimeCo every year, each employee gets a paid day off to volunteer.  This day allows us to volunteer our time and truly support something we personally believe in and can make a difference in people’s lives.  Here are a few examples of what our team have volunteered for:

• VP, Voluntary Markets, Dan Linsky, helped neighbors board up for Hurricane Dorian;
• VP, Business Development, Dave Priddy served at a free dental clinic for underprivileged members of his community.
• Marketing Coordinator, Dani Pingitore, cooked Thanksgiving turkeys and 100’s of cookies to provide for individuals and families who were experiencing food insecurity over the holidays, in the City of Reading.
• VP of Policy & Advisory, Chelsea Bryant, Director of Policy & Advisory, Bennett Chin, Business Development Manager, Erik Cramer, and Policy Analyst, Zach Harmer volunteered their time and money by donating to Calgary Food Bank. 
  
  

This year, I decided to volunteer at my local elementary school’s Literacy Library.  This library is different than libraries we are used to seeing in schools.  The Literacy Library is a resource for teachers to have access to books for students that are at different reading levels than their peers. I was personally introduced to this unique library when my then 3rd grade daughter (now a 6th grader) was diagnosed with dyslexia.  This library is a valued resource for the kids, and I personally wanted to pay it forward so that future kids could access the same books my daughter did.  It felt great to do something for this library that would make it better for those who need it.

So, as we close out another year, I like to say I am thankful for what we do.  I am thankful for our company and its leaders. I am thankful that we not only make a difference today, but every day in everything we do as a company and as individuals.  As you reflect on your year and future goals, are you doing what you can to make the world better?  I encourage you to speak to your company’s leaders, your family, and your friends and say, let’s be green together, let’s volunteer together, let’s make this world better together!

About the Author

Nancy Marshall is the Corporate Marketing Director at ClimeCo and soon ClimeCoGreen.  She is happily married to her husband for 18 years; they have two daughters and one fur baby.  She is from Maryland but is currently living in Houston, TX.  She loves to go boating and fishing on Lake Livingston, cook and bake (especially at Christmas), and enjoys crafting.