By Julie Lawrence, National Events Marketing Manager, Sodexo Education

Sodexo Inc., a leader in Quality of Life Service Solutions, is moving sustainability issues forward with action in many ways, including partnering with Second Nature, sponsoring and supporting the mission of ACUPCC, and listening to our clients and effectively helping them achieve their sustainability goals. Sodexo’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy focuses on the environment, nutrition, health and wellness and local community development.

Sodexo is partnering with Net Impact in launching a new sustainability fellowship program. Net Impact is a global organization of students and professionals using business to improve the world. This fellowship program allows tomorrow’s leaders to help Sodexo and its clients across North America measure sustainability programs to ensure they meet the goals of business, people and the environment, while gaining valuable business experience.

“Learning how to measure and report on a company’s sustainability efforts is an increasingly important business skill,” said Arlin Wasserman, vice president of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. “We will challenge and enrich promising young business leaders with this professional experience, which will in turn help our clients and company improve sustainability performance.”

Through this program, Net Impact Fellows will better understand the scope and impact that integrated facilities management plays in helping companies, colleges, hospitals and other organizations improve the environmental performance of their buildings and campuses. Fellows will complete Sodexo’s SMART training modules to gain a better understanding of Sodexo’s overall sustainability strategy and how changes can be implemented to achieve the company’s goals. SMART is the Sustainability Measurement And Reporting Tool, a resource that provides the company’s 6,000 North American client sites with a quantitative and qualitative method of measuring their sustainability performance and giving site level operators an implementation plan that outlines next steps for continuous improvement. Including an inventory of best practices, SMART provides a framework for analysis.

After successfully finishing the training, Fellows will have the opportunity to serve as sustainability assessors and consultants at Sodexo sites across the four markets Sodexo works in: education, corporate services, government and healthcare. The results of the benchmarking projects and research will provide Sodexo with fresh insight into its performance, while making a sound investment in the future by providing future business leaders with the experience they need to grow more sustainable communities. Sodexo regards the benchmarking process as integral to improving clients’ sustainability performance as well, helping to achieve their business goals, creating savings and a more efficient environment.

This partnership is one such important step toward a successful sustainability program. Site managers are already busy trying to make budgets and serve clients. While sustainability is seen as increasingly important among Sodexo managers, many lack the resources to start operationalizing sustainability best practices in their day-to-day work. The Sodexo/Net Impact Sustainability Fellows will provide business sense, energy, and an ability to speak to all stakeholders. Fellows will help site managers make some simple changes to improve their sustainability performance, as well as implement programs for longer term success. Fellows will get the sustainability ball rolling for many site managers. And we all know that once the information starts coming, it is hard to continue with business as usual. Finally, Fellows will assist in the constant improvement of SMART itself, assisting in the transition from desktop to online solutions. This intervention will not only assist site level operators in installing best practices, but will also provide an engagement opportunity for Sodexo to demonstrate additional value to the client.

Ithaca College will cut energy expenses by 30 percent as a result of their Sodexo partnership

In an example of another groundbreaking collaboration, Sodexo joined with a group of sustainability-minded Ithaca College students in an endeavor to improve the efficiency of their campus. The team examined every piece of equipment for energy efficiency and conducted a water and energy audit. Their findings helped to develop a baseline estimate of dining-service energy consumption and carbon emissions. Dining facilities require five times more energy than lecture halls or offices. Together they identified short and long range ways to curb energy use such as installing energy-efficient appliances and exhaust fans, making employees more aware of energy use and adding light sensors. The team’s plan will cut the energy bill by 30 percent via low cost or no-cost projects and reduce the carbon footprint by 26 percent. Investments in energy-efficient equipment will pay for themselves in 19 months. This program is part of Sodexo’s ongoing commitment to reduce waste, conserve water, to provide locally grown and sourced foods and materials and to engage in green cleaning practice in all food services and facilities management client sites globally.

Being a responsible corporate citizen is at the core of Sodexo's business. To learn more, visit www.sodexousa.com, Corporate Citizenship, or email Education.USA@sodexo.com.