At the IES Abroad headquarters in Chicago, staff members are working hard to make their daily business practices increasingly sustainable. We have taken a variety of steps, including:

Paper Usage

• Printing publications on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as Mixed Sources, meaning that the paper is made of or comes from well-managed forests, controlled sources, and recycled wood or fiber
• Reducing paper usage by removing printed applications from IES Abroad catalogs and providing application and predeparture materials online
• Offering students and schools the option to receive paperless transcripts
• Administering program evaluations and predeparture surveys to students electronically
• Conducting the Annual Conference survey, new Consortium member voting, and award nominations online
• Encouraging employees to print documents double-sided
• Sending holiday cards electronically

Recycling

• Recycling paper, plastic, and aluminum cans
• Providing a drop-off site for battery recycling

Energy Conservation

• Encouraging employees to significantly limit their use of overnight shipping by sending documents electronically or using ground shipment options

Waste Reduction

• Offering employees reusable dishware and silverware in IES Abroad office kitchens
• Opting for environmentally-friendly promotional items, including reusable shopping bags and pens made of 74% recycled material

Local Support

• Offering beach or park clean up events around Chicago for employees to participate in