Innovators in Technology, Systems, and Sustainable Business Operations

Natoma Technologies is a Green Business Bureau certified information technology consulting firm and systems integrator. They focus on application development and integration, cloud migration, mobile, and data analytics with mostly public sector clients. In 2015, Natoma Technologies  took an in-depth look at their operations to understand their impact on the environment. They set purchasing policies to buy recycled or reused office furniture, ENERGY STAR equipment, and remanufactured toner cartridges. They also set a policy to place high importance on electronic formats, encouraging all marketing materials and communications with clients to be done digitally.

As a company that can use a large amount of electricity, they took a number of steps to reduce their energy demand. They set all computers to automatically hibernate and shut off after a certain amount of inactivity, and eliminated excess servers by decommissioning unused hardware. Additionally, they upgraded older T12 lights to T8/T5 fluorescent lamps. Now over 50% of their light bulbs are energy efficient, with most being motion-activated. Moreover, they designed their workspaces to get optimal daylighting instead of using artificial light.

Natoma Technologies created an employee led “Green Team” that reviews their progress in reducing their carbon footprint and communicates updates to staff. Employees are encouraged to reduce their travel emissions by modifying their work schedules and mode of transportation.  They utilize video conferencing and collaboration software so that employees have the option to work remotely. Travelling to the office every day is not necessary in this digitally connected age, but when employees do ride by car, there is preferred parking for carpools and hybrid vehicles. Employees are encouraged to submit work transportation data so the company can consistently assess their transportation impacts.

In their shared office space, employees use 40 – 100% post-consumer waste paper towels, toilet paper, and office paper, as well as collect and reuse all scratch paper. A flexible dress code offsets the need for dry cleaning, and employees are made aware of non-toxic dry cleaning options.

The company is proud of their Center for Digital Government awards and their Green Business Bureau certification. In 2015, Natoma Technologies obtained Green Business Bureau Gold Standard certification. This is a third- party certification which demonstrates Natoma Technologies’ strong commitment to conserving the environment. They aim to influence the community and inspire positive change by sharing their green business practices with clients and various agencies across the state.

“Being green is about implementing consciousness into our everyday lives and thinking about the choices we make. As a company, we aspire to be environmentally efficient and use sustainable practices.” - Kelly McGartland, Green Team Lead, Natoma Technologies