Small ripples can make big waves. See how Ocient employees across the globe celebrated Earth Day 2022 all week long.
By Shannon Lahey, Associate Marketing Manager
Every year on April 22, Ocient joins together to give back to our surrounding communities and celebrate Earth Day. However, this year we decided to shake things up and extend Earth Day into a week-long celebration. We invited our team members to take part in environmentally conscious practices throughout the week and share their efforts along the way.
At Ocient, we understand how important environmental protection and sustainable growth are for creating a better future. Aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goal #15, we are committed to improving life on land for all who inhabit it. Through trail building, conscious consumption, and environmental-focused education, we believe we can create a better world for generations to come. We are also taking climate action with a commitment to maintaining a carbon neutral footprint across all operations, including our LEED certified data center, business travel, and remote workforce.
How Did Ocient Get Involved?
One of the many benefits of having a remote workforce is being able to celebrate our beautiful Earth from all over the world. Our team members are taking part in Earth Day celebrations from the sunny coasts of California to the rainy hillsides of England.
Making small changes in our everyday lives is an important first step towards making huge strides in sustainability, both for our planet and for our company. Here are some of the ways our team members are celebrating this great planet we call home this week…
Jenna, Director of Marketing, kicked off her observance with her family by making a castle out of an old cardboard box rather than buying a new toy or play structure. Her daughters loved it!
They also planted a container garden out of old empty milk cartons. Her daughter earned her Clover Petal (as Girl Scout Daisy) while learning about using resources wisely through reducing, reusing, and recycling. They are excited to see their flower seeds germinate along with the rest of fruits and vegetables they planted in their backyard garden.
Additionally, Jenna was able to lead 12 Girl Scouts through an Earth Day-themed meeting that involved making bird feeders with toilet paper rolls, peanut butter, string and bird seed.
Luiza, Senior Human Resources Generalist, swapped plastic bags for reusable bags during her trip to the grocery store. A helpful tip she shared with us is to always have a few stored in your car so you cannot forget them at home.
Richard, Software Engineer, and his dad were able to collect four trash bags full of garbage in one of their local parks. The trash was piling up along the creek, but they gave their best efforts to make it a cleaner environment for the wildlife that inhabit the area.
Shannon, Associate Marketing Manager, took a walk to Chicago’s lakeshore and picked up trash along the way. It was encouraging to see that the lakeshore was not as polluted as she expected it to be. Many people were outside enjoying the beautiful weather along the lake and soaking up the warm sun while they could.
Sadly, Lake Michigan is the most polluted of the Great Lakes, according to estimates by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). On average, nearly 22 million pounds of plastic are dumped into the Great Lakes yearly — over half of which are dumped into Lake Michigan.
Sophie, Senior Marketing Manager, and her family celebrated Earth Day by committing themselves to consume produce in a more sustainable way this year. They planned to do so by buying locally and growing their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. The dogs were great helpers in the garden, too!
Buying food that is locally grown from your farmer’s market or local grocer is a great way to minimize your environmental impact, but growing your own food takes it to the next level. By having a sustainable garden for you and your family to enjoy, you are cutting out the large-scale, long-distance transportation of food to your local grocer that relies heavily on the energy from burning fossil fuels.
Mara, Enterprise Account Executive, helped her daughter release salmon that they hatched in their second grade class. Salmon are the biological foundation of river ecosystems due to the fact that they push vast amounts of marine nutrients from the ocean to the headwaters of otherwise low productivity rivers.
Neil, Product Manager, spent a couple hours cleaning up a park on the south side of Chicago with some friends. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, soils and waters in 88 percent of parks across the United States are affected by air and land pollution which in turn impacts sensitive species and habitat.
Chris, CEO and Co-founder, did his part by spending some time at The Forge doing environmental restoration work. Chris has been working to build miles of trails at The Forge to help others get out and enjoy the beautiful forests northern Illinois has to offer. Trails are an integral part of our natural environment and can be used as a tool for conservation. They assist with preserving important natural landscapes, provide necessary links between fragmented habitats, and create tremendous opportunities for protecting plant and animal species.
Kumar, VP of Global Sales & Marketing, spent some time with his kids picking up trash in their neighborhood. According to National Geographic, 75 percent of the Earth’s land is polluted. While we recognize that most of this stems from industrial activity and agricultural chemicals, it is important to still do your part and make sure those plastic bottles laying on the side of the road do not end up in your local rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Our Commitment to Sustainable Growth
We are passionate about environmental stewardship and sustainable development, and these values have been a part of our company culture since we were founded in 2016. Earth Day is just one of the many ways that we recognize our commitment to sustainability and encourage our team to take action. We hope to continue these sustainable practices each day in hopes of creating a ripple effect that will last for years to come. If you are looking to join a team that is just as committed to sustainable growth as they are providing innovative technology to consumers, check out our careers page to view newly opened positions.