At SH Architecture in Las Vegas, it isn’t enough to just build green. Through its sustainable philosophy, the company encourages its 48 professionals to also live green. “Sustainability is the keystone of everything we do, not just in architecture, but in the way we live,” explained Eric Roberts, company vice president.
Demonstrating that green living really begins at the grass roots level, the company kicked off its Green Game in January with employees competing in teams for points earned in sustainable activities. Winners earned time off from work. “The Green Game really took off from the outset,” Roberts said. Employees analyzed their own personal habits and environments to discover ways in which they could adopt more green-friendly lifestyles, such as riding bikes, replacing light bulbs and appliances, decreasing water usage and recycling.
Over the three months that the game was played, participants racked up the following impressive results:
• 28 employees bought TerraPasses to offset 336,000 pounds of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from their cars.
• 20 employees switched to exclusive use of biodegradable cleaners in their homes.
• Five employees quit using clothes dryers in favor of hanging clothes to dry, saving 100 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per month per person.
• One employee persuaded his apartment complex to replace all incandescent light bulbs with CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs, saving 11,598 kWh annually.
• One employee converted 4,800 square feet of backyard to a National Wildlife Federation-certified habitat.
• All office employees installed digital set-back type thermostats in their homes.
In addition, SH workers adopted two miles of Nevada highway to keep refuse-free, planted trees at the Las Vegas Wash, installed software to power down computers not in use, and decreased use of their cars by walking, biking, riding the bus and carpooling to work.
The company continues to encourage workers to be innovative in solving global problems on a personal level and plans to have the Green Game focus on eliminating net carbon debt later this year. “It’s easy and exciting to be green,” Roberts said, citing the success of the company’s game.