Corporate Partner Feature: TIAA

TIAA

TIAA at Liberty State Park

 

Since our partnership began in 2016, TIAA has been an engaged and supportive EarthShare New Jersey (ESNJ) partner and proud to highlight them in our quarterly newsletter. Recognizing the importance of a healthy environment and developing permanent green spaces in our communities, the environment is one of TIAA’s key community impact areas and demonstrates that through volunteerism, education, and building operations

 

Assisting in keeping the landscaping beautiful at Liberty State Park

 

Led by TIAA’s volunteer councils around the country, TIAA employees have dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to make our communities beautiful and sustainable places to live. When we have TIAA volunteers, we know we can count on them to get the work done and are always impressed with their enthusiasm and commitment making our communities great places to live—whether its pulling weeds in Liberty State Park, planting trees at ESNJ’s inaugural Earth Care Day, or cleaning up trash out of the Hackensack River to honor the September 11th National Day of Service. TIAA volunteers are always ready to serve!

 

TIAA river clean up at Hackensack Riverkeeper

 

TIAA’s commitment to the environment isn’t limited to service. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, TIAA offered a series of virtual learning opportunities for their employees to help them on their sustainability journey. Webinar topics ranged from learning about the history of Earth Day to how to live a green and healthy lifestyle to best practices in recycling. Employees and their families also participated in a special opportunity to learn about bees including how they are threatened and the impact of their decline. Participants created bee hotels to help contribute to the survival and growth of bees in the United States. Building off this momentum, TIAA will also be launching employee-led Green Teams to bring greater awareness and engagement around sustainability issues where employees work and live.

 

TIAA beach clean up at NY/NJ Baykeeper

 

TIAA’s commitment to sustainability is also evident in its most recent office remodeling project in Iselin, NJ that was completed early this year. Sustainability considerations were a top priority throughout the planning and construction process. Some examples include:

– Recycling, reusing or donating old furniture and carpet to divert waste from landfills

– Installing water efficient bathroom fixtures, high efficiency LED lighting, occupancy sensors, and Energy Star Certified appliances throughout the office

– Sourcing carpet manufactured by carbon neutral facilities utilizing 100% recycled materials

– Using an enhanced commissioning process to ensure the most efficient and environmentally friendly systems are designed, installed and operate at peak efficiency

Through TIAA’s Energy and Environmental Impact Performance Plan, the company also uses performance metrics to hold themselves accountable for meeting and exceeding environmental industry standards at their office properties around the country.

“The environment is one of the key pillars in our community impact areas and we are proud to support organizations like EarthShare New Jersey and their mission to protecting NJ’s land, water, air, and wildlife. We look forward to continuing to work together to revitalize our public outdoor spaces and doing our part to make NJ a healthy place to live,” said Laura Turner, VP of Corporate Social Responsibility.

 

 

EarthShare NJ Executive Director Paula Aldarelli shared that “TIAA employees demonstrate a commitment to our environment that is something to be celebrated! The epitomize environmental leadership in how they conduct their business, how they engage their employee with the communities they serve and how as a company they support the organizations that are working in those communities. Whether participating in a customized volunteer event, Green Day Challenge project, or Earth Care Day adventure, TIAA team members exceed expectations and epitomize what a responsible business should be.”

To learn more about TIAA, visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.