Since 1993, Guidance has helped companies seize opportunities and solve problems through the innovative and practical use of technology.  Guidance designs, builds and maintains eCommerce websites for retailers that are pure-play online or multi-channel – creating captivating experiences so consumers will buy more, come back often and value greater engagement with the retailer.  Guidance software systems facilitate $500 million in online sales every year.  Key clients include Foot Locker, GEARYS Beverly Hills, Relax the Back, Salvation Army, and many others. 

Guidance is based in Marina del Rey, Calif., with 10,062-square feet of office space and 60 employees and contractors.  Its collocation facility is in El Segundo, CA.

Guidance is committed to taking a stand against global warming and is comprehensively addressing its carbon footprint by calculating and offsetting 100% of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the annual electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use and employee commuting Furthermore, Guidance is offsetting 100% of the electricity for the collocation facility in El Segundo, CA.  

For more information visit: www.guidance.com

Carbon offsets are sourced from high quality Renewable Energy Credits and Carbon Offsets from Green Mountain Energy.  

We believe strongly in our role as individuals and as a company to create a sustainable environment. We were motivated to action by one of our clients, Bentley Prince Street – a manufacturer of broadloom and carpet tile products for commercial interiors.  Bentley Prince Street is committed to eliminating any negative impact it has on the environment by the year 2020.  The team told us about its goal in early 2007, and we were so inspired we decided to examine our own practices.  And a new Guidance mission was born.

In March 2007, Guidance employees officially declared that the environment matters to us, as a Business and as individuals.  We signed a declaration to set in motion actions that will help Guidance go green.  Our declaration is posted here http://www.guidance.com/images/green/green.pdf. 

We established a Guidance Green committee, formed by Guidance employees who value the importance of living and working in a healthy planet.  Guidance Green’s goal is to discover new ways to help Guidance operate as an environmentally-conscious company, while also participating in community and eco-friendly events.  We also evaluated our consumption of non-renewable resources – energy, paper, plastic and CO2 emissions – and developed strategies for reducing consumption where possible. 

We created the Guidance Green blog (http://www.guidancegreen.blogspot.com/) as a way for us to share our journey with others.  It’s a place where all Guidance employees can share their thoughts, what they’ve done, things they’ve learned or anything else green-related.  It’s become our hub, of sorts, and it’s an easy way to make this a collaborative effort and to share ourselves with the outside world.

Offset 100% of the carbon footprint associated with the electricity, refrigerant, and natural gas use, and employee commuting associated with business operations. Doing so, will enable us to operate as an environmentally aware, carbon-neutral company.  Our goal was to be carbon-neutral by 2009.       

Green Mountain Energy’s BeGreen Business division helped Guidance calculate emissions associated with their carbon footprint. The initial achievements include: 

• Guidance has significantly reduced its impact on the environment by offsetting 100% of its electricity for 2007and 2008 by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) made from wind and biomass sources. This commitment has the equivalent environmental benefit of not driving a car over 476,000 miles.
• Guidance is also committed to neutralizing 100% of the emissions created in 2007 and 2008 from the natural gas and refrigerant usage and employee commuting. It has offset 78 metric tons of CO2 through the purchase of carbon offsets.
• In 2008 Guidance expanded their vision to include 100% green website hosting for their clients by offsetting any remaining electricity-related CO2 emissions from their servers to reduce its impact on the environment. Guidance purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) made from wind and biomass sources located throughout the United States, helping avoid an average of more than 52,500 pounds of CO2 emissions annually.  This has the equivalent environmental benefit of not driving a car roughly 58,500 miles.

“Aiming for carbon neutrality might sound, at first, like a lofty, pie-in-the-sky goal.  But Green Mountain Energy helped us become carbon neutral in mere months.  Green Mountain’s customizable products make it possible for all companies to turn rhetoric into action and be responsible corporate citizens.  And once we started looking for ways to conserve energy around the office, we found that we have increased efficiencies and reduced costs.” 

--Jon Provisor, Guidance co-owner and CTO   

Carbon offset package

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