Tetra Tech compiles best practices from our operating units and corporate service groups by means of a Sustainability Survey. This survey is used to identify sustainable practices that can be transferred enterprise-wide. This survey is also used to assess participation in our Sustainability Program.

Selected examples of sustainability initiatives throughout the company include:

Companywide

• Tetra Tech's IT Department initiated a process to shut down all company computer monitors after 15 minutes of inactivity. This switch amounts to a potential energy savings of 2.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) hours per year — enough to power more than 220 households — and a companywide cost savings of about $300,000 per year.
• Tetra Tech's Payroll Department switched from mailed paper pay stubs to electronic-only pay stubs. This switch reduced paper cost and the costs associated with mailing hard-copy pay stubs.
• The Technical Support Services (TSS) Business Group piloted an Operational Efficiency Program (OEP) that provides office-specific tracking and reporting on sustainability. Each office nominates an Operational Efficiency Monitor to compile an office baseline and then track utility costs and consumption; implement office conservation measures; and motivate and educate other Tetra Tech employees. As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Leaders Program, the EMI unit of TSS set a goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 20 percent from 2006 to 2011. Based on the 2009 reporting period, the unit successfully met its goal.

Offices

• When Fransen, A Tetra Tech Company, moved to new offices in Richmond, British Columbia, they selected a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold and Energy Star rated facility. Tetra Tech evaluated building construction (energy and water savings, indoor air quality, and building materials) and green programs (transportation, waste minimization, cleaning services, and pest management). The property, which scored 92 percent on our Sustainable Office Lease Considerations checklist, featured recycled materials in its construction, a shuttle to the local SkyTrain transit station, bicycle lockers and showers, and sustainable landscape elements.
• The Tetra Tech office in Fort Collins, Colorado, joined the city's Climate Wise program, upgrading to more energy-efficient lighting, switching to reusable dinnerware and utensils, installing energy-efficient dishwashers, and changing to a double-sided default setting on printers. The office also initiated a "Bike to Work" program that logged more than 1,550 miles in 5 months and installed a composting system that prevents organic waste from entering the waste stream.
• Our office in Warner Robins, Georgia, led the entire office park in recycling paper, cardboard, and glass. This program not only diverts 5,000 tons of refuse from the landfills, but raises funds for Happy Hour Service Center, which provides job and social training to developmentally disabled citizens in the community.
• The Tetra Tech office in Cincinnati, Ohio, sponsored a public outreach program at the Cincinnati Nature Center, where employees demonstrated and installed rain barrels for Nature Center use and as examples of how individuals and businesses can install their own.