As a sustainability-focused branding and design firm, KIMBO Design decided to put our green values to the test and complete the David Suzuki at Work Ambassador Program.

In addition to practicing sustainable design and green printing, part of our mission is to implement HR and workplace sustainability initiatives. We practice the three “R’s”, we hire only when necessary – preferring to retain the skills and attributes of our dedicated employees – and we promote healthy living with office orders of local, organic fruits. But as an environmentally-conscious agency, we know that there is more to “going green” than reducing, reusing and recycling, so we invited one of David Suzuki’s ambassadors into our office.

The David Suzuki at Work program provides interactive workshops to businesses looking to demonstrate their eco-consciousness in the office. Most people spend more waking time at work than they do at home. This makes “greening your workplace” both logical and necessary.

As a small boutique agency with only five full-time employees, KIMBO Design already has a sustainability advantage over big businesses and corporations. To put it simply: we use less. But every organization, no matter how big or small, can make improvements. Our Suzuki workshop helped us adopt the following green practices:

1. Walk, bike or take transit to work every day.
2. Bring reusable water bottles and coffee mugs to work.
3. Bring reusable lunch bags to work.
4. Always print double-sided and only when necessary.
5. Use refillable ink cartridges.
6. Keep the blinds open for natural light.
7. Use only compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and remove unnecessary bulbs.
8. Turn off all monitors at the end of the day and put computers on sleep mode.

At the conclusion of our workshop, we were awarded a “Certificate of Completion.” Having successfully created a greener workplace, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to enhance our brand by improving our space.