Project Name:
Thermal Energy Center
Location:
Redmond, Washington
Sustainability:
GeoExchange fields as a Clean Energy Source

Effective implementation of sustainable design and construction strategies can be as significant to a successful project as cost, schedule, and quality management.

 

Sustainability Management is a guiding project principle coordinating innovative design and construction best practices to achieve on-time and on-budget project results while also fulfilling social, economic, and environmental project goals.

Optimize Sustainable Opportunities

OAC’s philosophy on sustainability management is based on providing the best value for our clients. We strive to provide as much information as early as possible to optimize sustainable opportunities throughout a project.

Make Decisions, Sustainably

When it comes to decision making, we approach sustainability the same way we approach cost, schedule, and quality. It allows us to better inform the benefits and consequences of design and construction decisions from a sustainability perspective.

Our projects impact more than the people they serve — they impact our planet’s health. That’s why OAC joined The Climate Pledge on November 10th, 2021. OAC has committed to becoming a carbon neutral company by the end of 2023, and is setting aggressive yet achievable goals to reach this. Committing to The Climate Pledge will only help us create sustained momentum in getting there.

We’re proud to join The Climate Pledge and the 300+ like-minded companies working together to combat the climate crisis and protect our shared planet. Making this commitment is an important reflection of our passion and purpose for making better happen — for our community, and more importantly, our planet.

Read more about our commitment here.

OAC took Salmon-Safe’s Puget Sound pledge in the fall 2021, committing to becoming involved in and protecting our local watersheds. With this, we are committed to:

  • Reducing our impact on local watersheds and meeting our environmental responsibilities, as a company.
  • Sharing our findings and educating OAC employees, clients, and partners with lessons learned.
  • Helping others create change.

Read more about the pledge here.

OAC is committed to sustainable business practices. In 2020, OAC created its Sustainability Task Force to bring together sustainability-minded individuals and formalize sustainability-related work and practices that are integral to our organization. We meet bi-weekly to make progress on specific action items.

In April 2021, the Sustainability Task Force created an OAC Sustainability Action Plan, which acts as a roadmap and guidance document for OAC to reach carbon neutrality and reduce our impact on the planet. This involves calculating OAC’s carbon footprint, setting reduction goals, identifying potential reduction efforts, researching carbon offset options, purchasing carbon offsets, and more. We’re focused on finding ways we can improve the sustainability of all the projects we manage, with the intention of setting OAC standards for best construction practices, eliminating red list materials, and promoting sustainable design.

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