Corporate Social Responsibility
Viristar is committed to inclusion, equity and environmental sustainability in all we do.
Good Citizenship and Viristar
At Viristar, environmental sustainability and social justice are at the core of who we are and what we do.
We provide services that help our clients connect people with nature, provide life-affirming educational experiences, and be more effective in making the world a better place through the work they do.
And we do this in a way that supports environmental sustainability and an equitable society, to the greatest extent practicable.
What Corporate Social Responsibility Means to Us
We see corporate social responsibility as the idea that we at Viristar have a responsibility to the society that exists around us, and to the natural environment upon which all life depends.
Our aim is to foster positive change through good corporate citizenship.
Viristar is guided by the principles of ISO 26000 on Social Responsibility. These include:
- Accountability
- Transparency
- Ethical behavior
- Respect for stakeholder interests
- Respect for the rule of law
- Respect for international norms of behavior
- Respect for human rights
We also support the work of the UN Global Compact, an initiative to implement universal sustainability principles. So far as is reasonably practicable, we seek to incorporate the Compact’s Ten Principles, which address human rights, labor, anti-corruption, and the environment, in all our activities and operations.
CSR Integrated Into All We Do
Our work to show corporate social responsibility reflects our commitment to contributing to the advancement of equitable, inclusive communities and society, and environmental sustainability.
CSR is deeply integrated into our culture and all aspects of our business operations.
We see CSR not just as philanthropy, workplace culture, and environmental impact reduction in operations.
CSR is also built into Viristar’s basic business model, including in the strategy that informs which products we offer, to whom we provide them, and how we make our services accessible.
Specific practices at Viristar which support our environmental and social aims are described below.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmentally friendly business practices, and environmental education consulting and training services
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Philanthropy
Charitable giving to promote equity, inclusion and environmental sustainability
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Environmental Sustainability
Minimize Environmental Impact
- Reduce travel through engaging with clients and co-workers online whenever practicable
- Use “paperless office” practices to reduce and eliminate paper document use
- Employ remote work from home offices, reducing commuting and office impacts
Provide Environmental Education
- Deliver environmental education trainings and workshops
- Offer written resources to support environmental sustainability education
- Provide consulting services on environmental education curriculum development
Social Justice: Training and Consulting
- Develop and disseminate training resources on diversity, equity and inclusion
- Offer land acknowledgements in training courses and presentations
- Promote pronoun use in trainings and presentations
- Include DEI-focused psychological safety curriculum in risk management courses
- Provide written resources on supporting DEI in outdoor, travel, and experiential programming
- Provide DEI-focused conference keynote presentation and workshops
- Show fair treatment across all types of clients regardless of age, race, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation or other characteristics
- Pass prospective clients through ethical screen before acceptance
Social Justice: Workplace Equity and Inclusion
- Employ inclusive hiring practices, affirmative action, equitable leave benefits, non-discrimination policy, and other action to foster a welcoming work environment
- Provide living wages and comprehensive benefits package to employees
- Vigorously support life-work balance through policies and practices
- Foster a culture in which staff well-being is equally important to other core concerns such as product quality, customer service satisfaction, and financial sustainability
- Maintain pay equity: compensation of highest-paid employee does not exceed six times compensation of lowest-paid employee
Philanthropy
- Provide extensive course scholarships to persons from low-resource communities and to members of historically and currently disenfranchised groups
- Provide in-kind donations of course tuition, Viristar textbooks, guest presentations, training resources and other goods and services to nonprofits supporting environmental and social causes
- Provide cash donations to nonprofits in outdoor education, outdoor recreation, environmental education and related fields
Land Acknowledgement
Viristar’s staff operate remotely in a number of countries around the world. Our central office is located on the ancestral and contemporary land of the Coast Salish peoples in Lake Forest Park, Washington state, USA. We acknowledge that the Indigenous People of the lands on which we live and work have experienced and continue to experience violence and displacement.
We offer this acknowledgement as a first and small step in honoring their relationship with the land we share, and recognizing the need for further action.
We are richer for understanding the importance of the beginnings of the countries in which we live, and the traditional ownership, care and custodianship by Indigenous People.
We pay our respects to Elders past and present and to all Indigenous People. We hope we may continue the discussions and action important to educate future generations on these important cultures for the countries in which we live and the world.
