Twilio Segment is Officially a Green Business

A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine stopped by our Potrero Hill office. As soon as she walked in the office she said, “Wow! This place is like a breath of fresh air.” Ivy that covers one side of our building, and plants are spread throughout our 20,000 sq foot warehouse office.

And we’re also now officially “green”: the City and County of San Francisco has recognized Segment as a green business! We’re thrilled to be among so many great businesses trying to preserve our beautiful natural world.

The SF Green Business Program is comprised of three city agencies: SF Environment, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. These agencies advocate for environmental practices that are sustainable as well as profitable. The SF Green Business Program is also a member of the Bay Area Green Business Program and the California Green Business Network. Segment is one of 71 businesses recognized by the SF Green Business Program in 2015.

Green practices at Segment

Of course, it takes more than a few recycle bins to become a green business. Being a green business requires taking action to conserve resources, prevent pollution, minimize waste, and comply with environmental regulations. Like Kermit sang,“It’s not that easy being green.”.

These are the green practices we’ve introduced as part of this program:

• Adopting a green purchasing policy

• Installing low-flow aerators and flushers in all of the kitchen and bathroom facilities

• Changing over all paper goods and cleaning products to green, SF-approved products

• Using only EnergyStar and energy-saving technology

The leadership team has started doing street cleanups, and we push hard to make sure people are composting and recycling. Our leftover catering gets donated to neighborhood food programs. (Thanks Food Runners!)

There are dozens of commuters who bike in every day on bikes purchased using the $400 allowance Segment gives every new employee for two-wheeled, human-powered transport. Segmenters who live farther away can also take advantage of our Commuter Benefit Program to fund their public transit with pre-tax dollars.

We are trying to build a sustainable business. At Segment, being sustainable isn’t just about monitoring our Average Lifetime Value or controlling Customer Acquisition Costs. It also means reducing our carbon footprint, giving back through philanthropic efforts (we donated over $50k to charity in 2015), and being mindful about the products we purchase to keep our business running smoothly. Participating in the San Francisco Green Business fits right into that vision of sustainability.

For more information about becoming a SF Green Business, go here.