Actually, Sustainability IS for Everyone Issue 31: 2023 Sustainability Recap

At KnowBe4 we recognize there is only one planet Earth, and we all share the responsibility of caring for it. We strive to be green in everything we do and keep sustainability at the heart of our policies, procedures, and most of all, culture. As we launch into this new year, I wanted to take a moment to look back at some of KnowBe4’s sustainability highlights in 2023.

Global Highlights

• KnowBe4 planted 142 trees in 2023 through direct employee efforts and in partnership with Arbor Day Foundation .

• One hundred and seven employees from six countries tuned in to our watch party for Future Forward, a documentary series by The Climate Pledge . Future Forward is a character-driven, six-part series featuring people and businesses pioneering industry innovation on the front lines of climate change. Each film profiles visionaries fighting for their dream of a better world, the complex hurdles to igniting corporate change on a global scale, and a contagious hope—and inspiration—for the future.?

• For the month of July, our offices in the US, Brazil, Dubai, UK, Netherlands, Singapore, and Germany participated in KnowBe4’s “Drop & Swap”, where we invited employees to bring in their gently loved treasures to swap with fellow employees during the entire month. Anything left over at the end of the month was donated to local charities.

• For our 13th anniversary, we celebrated by donating to protect 13 endangered species through Endangered Species International and FRIENDS OF THE FLORIDA PANTHER REFUGE, INCORPORATED . We also readopted our 12 beehives through the PINELLAS BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION INC (PBA), and added a 13th hive for our 13th anniversary!

• We reduced our carbon footprint and increased our use of clean energy for the second year in a row.?

• And finally, KnowBe4 was The Sustany Foundation 's Sustainable Business Award winner in the extra large category. The Sustainable Business Awards celebrate environmentalism in the Tampa Bay area, and recognize businesses and organizations that embrace the triple bottom line and demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Highlights By Country

• At our company headquarters in Florida, we removed over 34,000 pounds of garbage from the waste stream through repurposing and donations alone. We sponsored the Ocean Allies Big Cleanup Clearwater for the third year in a row (In partnership with Keep Pinellas Beautiful , the City of Clearwater , AMPLIFY Clearwater and Visit St. Pete Clearwater ), the Hope Spot Festival cleanup, Salty Soul Foundation ’s Tampa Tech Beach Cleanup, and we participated in the 2023 Great American Cleanup and Pinellas County Government 's Living Shoreline Program. We established a carpool channel on our intranet for local employees (with over 50 members to date), which assists single-car families, saves employees money, and reduces emissions. We also hosted the Pinellas Beekeepers Association (PBA) for a honey bee lunch and learn, with about 50 employees in attendance.

• In Australia, our kitchen is completely stocked with all reusable utensils, cutlery, glasses etc, and our food scraps are composted. Several employees took part in Clean Up Australia Day in March. Clean Up Australia inspires and mobilizes communities to improve and conserve the environment, eliminate litter, and end waste.?
• In Brazil, the offices use recycled plastic bags and biodegradable detergent. We also reuse boxes for shipping, we have a robust recycling program in the office, and we use reusable utensils and dishes, rather than disposable. For Earth Day 2023, our employees planted 10 trees inS?o Paulo.

• In Germany, our office is 100% renewable and solar energy powered. We can recycle nearly everything in Germany; we have also provided our employees with reusable glass bottles, and have a water system that provides hot, sparkling, or filtered water. And for Earth Day, 18 employees from our Germany office came together and cleaned up 35 pounds of garbage.

• Our Japan office is located in a Green Building, where environmental measures were taken at each stage from planning to maintenance and management, including further refinement of proven energy methods and technologies successfully implemented in existing buildings and extensive recycling of waste materials from demolished buildings. Additionally, the building utilizes recaptured rainwater, A/C condensation water, and greywater, and uses a solar power generation system and high-performance transformers.
• In the Netherlands we moved to our new office building in the center of Utrecht, close to all means of public transport which runs on sustainable energy. The office exceeds sustainability requirements for energy, transport, water, and renewable materials. In addition, the office includes e-waste and printer cartridges among items they recycle in the office. Our Netherlands employees participated in the Eneco Clean Beach Cup cleanup in 2023 as well. Eneco joins forces every year for an international beach clean-up from De Panne in Belgium to the Wadden Islands in the Netherlands, where thousands of volunteers clean up the coastline.?

• In India we moved into our new office in 2023, which uses energy efficient lighting to save energy and has a robust recycling program. Our break room is completely stocked with reusable utensils, cutlery, glasses etc (nothing disposable), and our food scraps are composted. Over 55% of our employees participated in our Earth Day clean up in 2023.?

• Our Singapore office is located in a green mark building which uses recycled water for its cooling towers; water efficient fittings; and used recycled materials and environmentally-friendly green label materials?in the construction phase. This year our employees organized two beach cleanups, where a total of 18 employees participated, and collected a total of 103 pounds of garbage.

• Dubai held a cleanup in December where a small but mighty team of five picked up 30 pounds of trash.

• Our South Africa office donated desks, chairs, cupboards, printers and other office equipment to the LEAP Living Learning Labs based in Cape Town. They provide students with unique opportunities to explore sustainability, environmental justice, and social change. With the equipment we donated, they were able to set up three computer hubs in Langa, Crossroads and Athlone in Cape Town.

• Our UK & I office recycles pretty much everything. Our kitchen is now set up with 100% reusable crockery/flatware/glasses etc (nothing disposable), and we have lovely living plants in our break room. By moving to the city center in 2023, more of our employees are leaving their cars at home and using public transportation, thereby reducing commuter emissions.

Employee Highlights

• To date, approximately 97% of our employees have made a commitment to our Knowster Climate Pledge! Our pledge encourages employees to live a more sustainable lifestyle through various commitments they can make.

• Andy Joyner was crowned our Volunteer of the Year for 2023, by volunteering with KnowBe4 on 23 separate occasions - woohoo, go Andy!!

• In 2023, 311 employees participated in 99 cleanups across nine countries, and collected over 2,479 pounds of trash.

• Our employee environmental group, EarthBe4, comprises over 50 employees, and has members in seven countries. This group has spearheaded many community initiatives, including several organized cleanups and employee contests, and adopting the downtown district around our corporate headquarters.

I look ahead to 2024 with optimism, and anticipate even more environmental improvements on the horizon. And I can’t wait to see what ‘green’ things our employees accomplish this year! Wishing everyone a healthy, sustainable, and prosperous new year.