Vanderbilt prides itself on being a firm specializing in ESG & Impact Investing, finance with a purpose. We take satisfaction in knowing that many of our Advisors are steering their clients into investing in a better and healthier future for our planet. While we support those methods to create a more sustainable planet through investing, we also do our part as a firm directly.
This Earth Day we wanted to highlight how exactly we do this and what steps we are taking to ensure our planet's future is bright.
Vanderbilt adheres to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and these goals are the pillar of the G.R.I.T.T. (Gratitude, Respect, Innovation, Teamwork & Trustworthiness) culture that makes Vanderbilt unique and successful. The UN SDGs are a set of goals that were "adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." Vanderbilt's Chairman and Founder, Steve Distante was even the UN Ambassador of Entrepreneurship for the Entrepreneur's Organization and spoke at the UN on Entrepreneurship and the SDGs.
Through the SDGs, Vanderbilt has created a blueprint to create a sustainable firm. This includes the firm-wide use of paperless business practices, the use of renewable energy for our home office, and our recycling and repurposing initiatives.
Our firm embraces technology platforms like Docupace and Docusign with almost exclusive use. These platforms, along with many others, allow advisors and their clients to do a majority of their business digitally, allowing for more sustainable yet intuitive business practices. Vanderbilt's paperless client accounts have resulted in saving 26.558 lbs of wood, 71,122 gallons of water, 3,922 lbs of paper waste, and further reducing our carbon footprint by 59,822 lbs of CO2.
In September of 2015, Vanderbilt Financial Group completed a 360-degree renovation to our Headquarters and was awarded the prestigious LEED Platinum Certification in recognition of its leadership in energy and environmental design, making it the first of its kind on Long Island.
Our utilities and business overhead have dramatically reduced our energy consumption and waste production due to our adoption of solar technology. Through the 295 solar panel array located on our white roof, we typically generate 115 MWH annually, which covers an average of 95.3% of our energy usage. Our state-of-the-art HVAC system promotes fresh air exchange to purify the air while reducing energy usage by 50%.
We also promote renewable energy usage through our EV charging stations. Vanderbilt was the proud recipient of a NYSERDA grant, which were given out to increase the number of electric car charging stations in New York. We received 85% funding for two on-site electric car charging stations available for employees to use at no cost.
Furthermore, our Founder & CEO is Tesla’s Number 1 Fan!
In order for us to maintain our LEED status, our firm must comply with strict recycling guidelines. Vanderbilt HQ has multiple on-site recycling centers to ensure recyclable materials make their way to the proper facilities where they can be reused, as opposed to simply dumped into landfills. In addition, all of the materials used in our renovation, including paint, carpeting, bricks, furniture, etc. came from within a 500-mile radius of the building to ensure that excessive amounts of fuel was not used in the transportation of materials.
Our firm leads by example of creating a sustainable future with our adherence to the UN SDGs. But, we can't do this alone, so for this Earth Day here are 10 ways you can start your sustainability journey.
