Sustainability comes in many forms. As a cooperative financial institution, our first priority is to create financial sustainability for every member. We do this by providing competitive rates on loans, high yields on accounts and certificates, educational materials, and webinars about home-buying, estate planning, and more.
As a financial institution, we achieve sustainability through several methods: volunteering in our communities, strategic planning and execution of credit union operations and business activities, consideration of environmental, social, and governance impact, and ensuring that our members and employees’ goals for financial wellness are supported.
At Northwest, we are committed to reducing paper waste. We hold two annual “shredding” events where members and employees are invited to bring in paper documents to be discarded. This serves a dual purpose in that we can reduce paper waste while rendering personal information as unrecognizable and not fodder for fraudsters.
Our Northwest employees are given 24 paid volunteer hours a year to go into the community for volunteer opportunities. Some favorite volunteer events include the Arlington Chamber Volunteer Day for a park cleanup in Arlington and volunteering with the Friends of Runnymede Park, a monthly event from April through October where Northwest employees assist with gardening, park maintenance, and cleanup in Herndon.
We sponsor the Fairfax Veg Fest every year and host it in our parking lot. It’s filled with vegetarian/vegan vendors, animal rights groups, animal shelters, organic farmers, and more. Event speakers focus on the health benefits of clean vegetarian diets and supporting sustainable farming.
Our actionable sustainability extends beyond the environment into programs to support physical and mental health for all employees. We provide confidential mental health services for all Northwest employees and their families, and our DEI&A team reinforces our core values in everything we do.
With a promise to improve the communities in which we live and work, we go beyond our current community to future generations. As an organization, we support environmental and social sustainability to protect natural resources and support the healthy lives of our neighbors, members, and employees – and we encourage activities to support those efforts in every way we can.
We must lead by example for future generations and remember that every year is an opportunity to commit to doing more.