As a member of the CHPA, our goal at Compass Corporate Housing is to promote practices that collectively improve the success of our industry and in turn our businesses. Consumers are pushing for green options and there are many ways in which corporate housing companies can answer the call. There are simple solutions that if adopted collectively by the industry, could tremendously reduce our impact on the environment while creating a more efficient business and reducing expenses.

In recent years, green business practices have gained visibility and economic viability. With the availability of eco-friendly products and information on green practices continually growing and expanding, it has given business owners the opportunity to make a difference without it being a financial burden on the bottom line, in fact often improving cost effectiveness. When determining how to implement our green philosophy into our business, the most logical step was to transfer the simple practices we use in our personal lives and to incorporate these into our business model.

Compass Corporate Housing opened its doors in 2006 and as a new company we focused on creating streamlined and efficient business practices that incorporated our passion for the environment. Listed below are just a few simple steps we have taken to improve our productivity and in turn reduce our environmental impact.

Our Offices:
Email is an extremely effective tool in reducing waste and increasing productivity. Our invoices are delivered exclusively via e-mail significantly reducing paper and postage cost. This has increased the speed of delivery and has greatly reduced our outstanding receivables.

Electronic-billing for utilities is another easy way to reduce waste and increase efficiency. With the use of e-billing and auto-payments, Compass has streamlined its utility department and decreased unwanted utility shut-offs. This process has reduced the amount of unnecessary paper bills, use of paper checks and has reduced postage costs. All or our paper waste is reused as scrap and then recycled through a local recycling company. These companies are readily available and can schedule monthly pick-ups.

Our Apartments:
Compass has incorporated compact fluorescent light bulbs in 100% of its apartments. These bulbs not only use 70% less energy compared to incandescent bulbs, but also last an average of 10 times longer saving both time and money. We have made recycling easy for our guests, providing recycling containers and detailed instructions on what can be recycled and how.

Compass has partnered with the Vermont based company, Seventh Generation, to offer 100% recycled paper products and biodegradable dish soaps in all of its corporate apartments. A quick read of Seventh Generation’s packaging of its toilet paper, paper towels and tissues shows what a difference replacing virgin fiber products with recycled ones can have. Imagine the impact if these products were used throughout all of our apartments worldwide. Check out more information at www.seventhgeneration.com. We have also been careful to select bath and body products that are not animal tested. These have all been welcomed by our clients who have voiced their appreciation for their use. All of these items are readily available throughout the industry and therefore we can make a greater impact if we make conscious, environmentally sound choices for the products that we provide.

Our Employees:
We take the health and safety of our employees very seriously and exposure to harsh cleaning chemicals on a daily basis should not be in anyone’s job description. We have made every effort to use only non-toxic bio-degradable cleaning products in our apartments without sacrificing cleanliness. In today’s health conscious world this practice is welcomed by our clients as well as our employees.

As Compass Corporate Housing grows, we have made it was our responsibility to be a leader throughout our industry and beyond in implementing a green business philosophy. We are continually researching the ways in which we can have less of an impact on the environment. Green is not just something we use as a marketing tool, it’s a mindset that affects all of our decisions, whether it be at home or in the office. We feel a tremendous responsibility to share this philosophy with our many clients and partners, not only to educate but to foster a thought process that considers the environmental consequences of all of our actions. These are just a few of the many practices that we have implemented into our business. Please visit www.compasscorp.com to find out more about how we all can help.