Paladino and Company Establishes Global Green Ambassador Program to Further Sustainable Mission

Oct. 28, 2009 - PRLog -- Paladino and Company, Inc., an industry pioneer and leader in sustainability and green building consulting, has introduced a philanthropic initiative called the Global Green Ambassador Program^™ to further the company’s mission to create a more sustainable future. The program will leverage the individual talent and passion of Paladino employees by enabling them to contribute time, financial resources and training to local and international organizations and communities with green aspirations.

Enhancing the already significant impact Paladino has made through its work in sustainability and green building, the program reaches beyond the built environment to address issues such as global health, microfinance, disaster recovery and habitat preservation by drawing on the collective power of its most valuable asset – its people.

The program is based on the premise that the shift to a sustainable economy will require organizations of all sizes to re-skill people and realign with changing market demands, which necessitate rethinking long held beliefs about buildings and business. Paladino and Company believes that even a small contribution can make a significant impact as training and outreach efforts snowball and more “green ambassadors” are developed. The total value of Paladino’s Global Green Ambassador program could reach $40,000 in its first year, a considerable amount for a small business employing 28 people.

“Rather than choosing a single charity to receive an annual corporate donation, we opted to encourage, empower and fund our employees’ individual passions and provide opportunities to make a difference,” said Tom Paladino, founder and president, Paladino and Company. “While our corporate contribution to sustainable buildings and organizations has been significant, we are much more effective in furthering our mission when we share our knowledge and resources more broadly than our business can touch on a daily basis through direct client engagements.”

The Global Green Ambassador Program is structured around the company’s “abundance thinking” approach. Abundance thinking focuses on opportunities to grow an asset base by leveraging readily available resources. To frame this approach, Paladino views people, the planet and prosperity all as assets and aims to grow this “triple top line” rather than solely focusing on the conservation of a diminishing resource base. The Global Green Ambassador Program focuses on three impact domains that align with the triple top line framework:

People
Paladino will award each employee eight hours of paid time off per year, in addition to standard holidays and vacation time, for participation in volunteer activities during regular work hours. The staff may freely select aligned organizations for contribution based on personal interest. Presently, staff members contribute time to organizations such as The Audubon Society, Seattle Works and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the list of recipients is continuing to grow.

Planet
In order to support longer-term sustainable humanitarian efforts in developing communities and disaster areas, the company will support a volunteer mission through the award of an annual Outbound Ambassadorship Grant to a single employee through a rigorous application process.

The selected employee will be provided up to four weeks time off at 50 percent compensation and a cash stipend to offset travel, housing and food costs. Mission activities will focus around knowledge transfer of sustainability and green building expertise to established humanitarian organizations.

Future plans include the development of an Inbound Ambassadorship Grant, which will bring sustainability and green building professionals from developing countries to Paladino and Company’s office in Seattle to be trained and mentored in the company’s sustainable approaches and methods.

Prosperity
Paladino will also provide financial support in the form of matching funds donation to an organization for which employees volunteer or are board members. Paladino will also reimburse employees for registration costs associated with volunteer events or match funds raised by staff members as part of development efforts.

Employees participating in these programs will be encouraged to document and share their experiences through social networking platforms and the Paladino and Company website. The program as whole will be reviewed and improved based on employee and recipient organization feedback.

For more information visit http://www.paladinoandco.com

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Paladino and Company, Inc. is an internationally recognized sustainability and green building consulting firm that helps organizations align business growth with the long term health and vitality of the planet. The firm’s specialized team of architects, engineers, and business analysts work collaboratively with building owners and their teams to create high performance green buildings and companies, resulting in environmentally responsible development and reduced total cost of ownership.