Environmental Policy

Taking action for a sustainable future.

We believe in using business as a force for good to help create a sustainable future, community, and planet.

The GREEN Program is proud to be a triple-bottom line, public benefit company.

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Our Approach

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Sustainable Travel & Program Operations

All of our programs are accredited courses that are focused on our world’s most pressing issues around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As advocates for sustainable travel, we partner with locally owned vendors and prioritize women and minority owned businesses. In addition, TGP tracks and offsets the flights emissions of our students’ and team’s flights. We always use a verified third party to offset the emissions to a sustainable project that is voted upon by our alumni community every year. Read more about our carbon offsetting initiatives. See our commitment with the U.N. SDGs Partnerships Platform since 2015 here.

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Ethical Service-Learning Opportunities

Our programs provide unique opportunities climate action through service-learning opportunities in several destinations. We’ve supported local communities with their sustainability efforts which include projects such as  reforestation in Iceland, clean water access in Peru, and clean energy access in Nepal.

 

We don’t just teach sustainability, we practice it too. Learn more about our programs.

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Company-Wide Sustainability Practices

Sustainability is at the core of our decision-making at every level of our organization. TGP has a company-wide environmental purchasing and offsetting policy that institutes sustainability best practices. This includes reducing waste by increasing product efficiency and effectiveness, purchasing products that minimize environmental impacts, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting sustainably and locally sourced products. 

Contributing to the field

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We get our hands dirty and do the work. The best way to teach sustainability is by example.

Melissa Lee, Founder & CEO

Meet the team

How We’re Walking the Talk

Environmental Purchasing

The mission of TGP's environmental policy is to guide sustainable decision-making at all levels of the organization. We aim to conserve natural resources, minimize environmental impacts, and create a sustainable purchasing model that encourages other members of our community to adopt similar goals.

Strategies for Implementation

We've implemented clear steps for sustainable decision-making which include: reducing waste, encouraging reuse, avoiding single-use products, requesting that all vendors eliminate packaging and recycle, electronic distribution of documents, purchasing products that meet the EPA's minimum recycled content guidelines, promoting the use of energy efficient and water saving products, utilizing Green Building practices in office settings, protecting wildlife habitats, stressing pollution prevention, using bio-based and forest conservation products, and more.

Responsibilities

The health and safety of our students and employees are our priority and take precedence over all other practices. TGP will continue to invest and improve our systems, policies, and actions that support sustainable practices to advance sustainability throughout the organization.

Implementation

TGP has implemented this policy as an on-going effort in coordination with our partners, vendors, ad personnel. TGP will prioritize businesses that are certified by local green business programs in purchasing requests for products and services. TGP will continue to encourage vendors and partners to comply with applicable sections of our policy for products and services provided to TGP.

Evaluation

TGP will evaluate the success of this policy's implementation on an annual basis and report to the team and organization's stakeholders. We encourage and may seek out a third-party partner throughout this evaluation process.

Supplier Diversity

TGP will award contracts to local small businesses, minority owned businesses, women owned businesses, disadvantaged, and veteran owned businesses. We have a commitment to purchase core products (at least 50% of expenses) from independent suppliers local to where the product will be used or where the company operates.

Read our full environmental policy and strategies for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

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The GREEN Program Blog

Sustainability in Peru: Meet Oscar Ortega

Sustainability in Peru: Meet Oscar Ortega

As you may have seen, this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released an updated report, urging countries to take measures as soon as possible to keep the global temperature from...

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