Infusing environmental stewardship into our culture

Local office eco champions

In 2023, our environmental employee engagement committee implemented eco champions in each local office across the U.S., Canada, India and El Salvador. More than 90 individuals now lead environmental programming in their local offices, which includes opportunities for learning, volunteer events, promotion of recycling and composting efforts, and more.  

“With a great support system and an excellent team to collaborate with here in the Philly Metro market, we’ve transitioned our offices over the last few years toward a greener, more environmentally conscious future,” said Matt Raisch, location services manager lead for RSM’s Blue Bell, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania offices. “We purchase and use compostable cups, plates and utensils, have composting bins in each of our three offices and more. I’ve always felt a responsibility to address the environmental issues we face as a society. I’m glad to play a small part here at RSM and look forward to helping achieve firm goals and initiatives going forward.”

“Through the encouragement of the environmental employee engagement committee and Davenport office leaders, we have changed the way we look at trash and are now proud to be sustainably active in our office and our community,” said Crista DeVore, locations services coordinator in Davenport, Iowa. “This past fall we held an electronics recycling drive that was a huge success!  PCs for People took over 100 pounds of old e-waste (personal iPads and tablets, old personal computers and towers, video gaming equipment, speakers and cables, etc.) and responsibly recycled them. We donated what was still usable to the community to support equal access to technology for low-income families. Being the local environmental office champion has been a very rewarding experience and has opened my eyes to ways that we can better support our planet.”

Trash Dash

In September 2023, more than 205 of our people with their families and friends picked up trash in their local communities during the second annual Trash Dash. Their volunteer hours generated a $6,000 Dollars for Doers grant from the RSM US Foundation that went toward KidsGardening, a nonprofit organization focused on creating opportunities for kids to play, learn and grow through gardening.  

“We know from experience, and from scientific studies, that kids who have access to learning gardens have better nutritional habits, perform better academically and are better adapted socially,” said Em Shipman, executive director at KidsGardening. “Together, we are creating generations of happier, healthier and more engaged kids with a close connection to their food and community and engaged in nurturing a healthy planet. We can't thank you enough for joining us in support of this important mission.”

2023 Trash Dash

This year the University of California, Irvine (UCI) hosted their inaugural Road to Net Zero case competition which focuses on factors such as carbon emissions, energy efficiency, waste management, use of natural resources, efforts toward sustainability and mitigation of the effects of climate change. The students at UCI were tasked with developing a strategic, actionable, practical and financially feasible plan for a company of their choice in the fast-food industry to achieve a net-zero emissions target by 2030. Part of the competition included feedback from professionals in the ESG field; two of our people in our ESG advisory practice, Kyra Pollak (senior associate) and Trish Beltran (manager), were able to participate in the competition, educating students on ESG and creating a relationship with UCI students.

“I had the opportunity to co-develop as well as be one of the judges of the ‘Road to Net Zero’ case competition for students at UCI,” said Kyra Pollack. “The competition inspired students to think critically about sustainability issues, helped students develop their soft skills in presenting as well as educated students on what might be considered when looking into the greenhouse gas emission inventory of a company. My involvement in the competition fostered community engagement by promoting awareness of net-zero initiatives, showcasing RSM’s ESG services, encouraging collaboration among participants, and ultimately, contributing to the development of feasible strategies for a more sustainable future.”  

Through collaboration with vendors such as DocuSign and Secure Print, we’re able to better understand our paper usage trends over the years and the impact of our actions. We’re proud that as of 2023, our paper usage has decreased by nearly 77% since 2019.