Being GREEN Never Felt So ORANGE!

Earth Day was just over a week ago, and here at ExactTarget, we've always been conscientious about the environment. Just think of all the trees we've saved sending email instead of snail mail! But seriously, here are just a few things we do to help the planet:

We recycle cans, plastic, paper, and cardboard
Employees use ExactTarget coffee mugs and water bottles instead of paper cups
We have Energy Star-certified water purifiers instead of bottled water coolers
Lights, heating an A/C are on a timer in our buildings to save energy
We recycle old computer equipment and electronics
Our office products supplier is OfficeMax, which does not deliver on Mondays as a part of its Green Initiative, reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion
ExactTarget is bike-friendly and encourages employees to ride to work
At our 2010 Connections conference, we gave away a SmartCar!

In honor of Earth Day, we decided to focus even more on being green. That's why we established a new employee committee, ExactGREEN! This group, led by Megan Dooms and yours truly, will take action to help ExactTarget become even more sustainable.

As a part of launching ExactGREEN, we held a contest Amanda

called "How are YOU Green?" We asked employees to submit a photo and caption showing us what they do to help the environment. We're excited to congratulate Amanda Berkey as our winner! Here's how she's green:

"I’m green because I’m vegetarian, which cuts back on greenhouse gasses in the environment from commercial meat production (about the same as not driving a car). I eat local, seasonal produce and bring them to work in my re-usable snack bag and containers. I don’t drink bottled water and refill my own container at the office or at home when I’m on the go! At home, we recycle, re-use, and reduce our consumption of processed foods with packaging. In fact, we’re also making the switch to cloth diapering our 1-year old, which will eliminate disposable diapers and wipes at home. It’s a huge impact on the land fill."

Now THAT'S dedication! Amanda's prize is $500 to donate to the environmentally-conscious organization of her choice, Friends of the White River. Congratulations, Amanda!

We received so many great contest entries, we just have to give a shout out! Lizzie Talcott and Amy Babbitt carpool to work together and use re-usable cups everyday. Randy Forbes purchases and reads books online, and Stefanie Jansen saves paper by printing on both sides. The ExactTarget Documentation team also pointed out that the Wiki saves 3.3 reams per customer by publishing online instead of on paper! Check out the rest of the submitted photos on our Facebook page!

Amy and Lizzie Randy Stefanie