Going Green

going-green Californians have always had a passion for “Going Green” and preserving the land on which we live. California MENTOR knows it’s important for everyone—all organizations and businesses included—to adopt this way of life. For that reason, we have introduced our Going Green initiative to make sure that our employees and the individuals we serve are thinking green and reducing our carbon footprint.

We reduce the amount of paper we use by …

“Thinking Before We Print”
Buying recycled and recyclable products whenever possible
Recycling 100% of our paper products
Using email, scanners, routing slips, and e-fax to send and receive paper documents
Eliminating unnecessary subscriptions and junk mail
Consolidating forms
Saving documents as electronic/scanned copies whenever possible

We are environmentally friendly in our use of office supplies by …

Purchasing recycled or environmentally friendly products
Using binding systems instead of three-ring binders whenever possible
Not purchasing Styrofoam products
Using environmentally friendly cleaning supplies
Using shared water dispensers and not purchasing individually bottled water
Utilizing reusable shopping bags for office purchases

We recycle 100% of products we do not use and …

Have a recycling plan for every program
Make it easy to recycle by having bins available in high-traffic areas
Follow the proper protocol for disposing of medications and equipment

We reduce the amount of energy we use by …

Turning off computers, lights, copiers, and printers at night whenever possible
Replacing all light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs
Using heating and cooling efficiently with energy consumption in mind
Assessing the energy consumption of new equipment when making purchases

We reduce our carbon footprints by encouraging employees to …

Bring personal utensils to the office instead of using disposable utensils
Pack our lunches in reusable bags and containers
Carpool and use public transportation as much as possible
Conserve water
Support and encourage each other to be environmentally friendly

In addition, we are currently exploring options for natural gas conversion for our vehicles and solar panels for the roofs of select day program buildings.