Environmental Leadership in Our Communities
An award-winning state leader in environmental stewardship, Alpine Bank was established in 1973 in Carbondale, Colorado, and in 2003 the bank's grassroots Green Team was established.
Over two decades, Green Team influences and accomplishments have included resource- and energy-saving programs, green philanthropy, community initiatives and an environmental management system (EMS) that has earned the highest global accreditation, known as ISO 14001 certification, year after year.
“We place a high value on our natural environment in Colorado, and the responsible use of its resources as essential for our health and lifestyle,” says Glen Jammaron, Alpine Bank president.
Here are some individual highlights of Alpine Bank’s sustainability and conservation efforts:
- Since the ENVIRONMENT Loyalty Debit Card launched in 2004, Alpine has donated more than $3.3 million to Colorado nonprofits that work toward environmental sustainability.
- There are dozens of programs that seek to reduce or eliminate the bank’s carbon footprint. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes Alpine Bank in its Green Power Partnership as a 100% Green Power User, since every kilowatt?hour of Alpine Banks’ electricity comes from renewable sources.
- Alpine is positioned as a community leader for modeling sustainability, with programs that range from greening branch operations to environmentally friendly banking products and services, including its Green Loan program and green investment options through Alpine Bank Wealth Management[1].
- In 2016 Alpine Bank purchased solar panels in a community solar garden in Summit County, then donated ownership of the panels to help subsidize the energy bills of families in need. The resulting clean-energy partnership between a for-profit business and a nonprofit was the first of its kind and earned the bank three awards:
- The 24-Karat Gold Award from the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program,
- The Grand National Service Award from the Independent Community Bankers Association, and
- The Community and Economic Development Award from the American Bankers Association.
Our Standard of Excellence
Since 2006, Alpine Bank has earned and maintains certification to the ISO 14001 standard—the universally recognized standard for environmental management. Receiving this certification verifies to our community and business partners that we have an effective environmental policy in place, that we are continuously improving our environmental practices and that we are working to implement our policy throughout our bank operations. ISO 14001 also requires that we educate and communicate within our communities about our environmental efforts and opportunities. An internationally accredited audit firm, KPMG, audits our program to hold us accountable to the highest environmental standards in addition to our internal auditors assessing our efforts.
Will You Join Us?
We invite you to review our Annual Environment Report to assess our accomplishments, current efforts and future goals. Additionally, we hope our actions inspire and encourage individuals, groups, businesses and our communities to help sustain and protect our natural environment.
We welcome any comments or questions you may have, and we encourage your ideas on ways we can continue to improve.
As part of our education and outreach, Alpine Bank offers several complimentary e-publications including the Alpine e-line, Financial News and Community News.
Alpine e-line is a complimentary electronic news digest distributed by Alpine Bank each business day. It primarily focuses on the latest news in Colorado communities. In addition, it highlights environmental initiatives and organizations, along with green tips and resources. Alpine e-line shines a spotlight on local nonprofit groups, and also features daily financial markets updates, courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management.[1] Subscribe here.
Financial News is a quick read, highlighting a variety of financial tips and trends, the latest news from Alpine Bank and a Green Tip. This monthly compilation is emailed to Alpine Bank customers and available on our blog at alpinebank.com.
Alpine Bank publishes this community newsletter twice a year. Community News showcases the incredible contribution that nonprofit organizations are making in the Colorado communities that Alpine Bank serves. Over 200,000 copies of Community News are distributed in newspapers in Alpine Bank communities, and this publication is also available on our blog at alpinebank.com.
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Environmental Policy
Alpine Bank is committed to the needs of our customers, employees, shareholders, and communities. We believe that our long-term health and success is directly linked to the health and quality of the natural environment. We endeavor to continuously improve our environmental performance and environmental management system, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prevent pollution by adopting and promoting:
- Renewable Resources
- Resource Efficient Products, Services and Practices
- Community Outreach, Awareness, and Education
Through our actions, we aim to influence and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. Periodic internal audits and management reviews of our environmental objectives and targets help to assure that our actions are consistent with our policies, and compliant with all applicable environmental regulations and compliance obligations. Finally, we communicate our environmental policy and actions with our communities, and we welcome their participation.
ISO 14001 Certification
In 2006 we formalized our environmental efforts and retained KPMG, an internationally accredited audit firm, to assess our Green Team program for certification to the highest environmental management standards. Since 2006, Alpine Bank has earned and maintains certification to the "ISO 14001" standard - the universally recognized standard for environmental management.
Certification to ISO 14001 verifies to our community and business partners that we have an effective environmental policy in place, that we are continuously improving our environmental practices, and that we are working to implement our policy throughout our bank operations. ISO 14001 also requires that we educate and communicate within our communities about our environmental efforts and opportunities.
To support our Green Team efforts and our ISO 14001 certification, Alpine Bank's internal auditors assess each location and provide feedback to bank managers on their facility operations, processes and practices. Our audit team evaluates each bank location's environmental practices including our efforts to use clean energy, conserve water, recycle, select and use recycled paper products and green cleaners, and safely store any chemical products we use.
These checks and balances also assure that we understand our environmental impacts, and that we all take actions to improve our practices and systems over time. Saving energy and water and reducing pollution and waste also saves us money and helps us provide better cleaner services to our customers and community. Boundary Statement available upon request.
Local Community Programs
Recycle Colorado
This nonprofit’s goal is to ensure more than 50% of Colorado’s current waste stream is diverted to reuse/remanufacturing or compost by advancing infrastructure, end markets and policies in waste reduction, recovery and diversion. Visit Recycle Colorado here.
The Alliance Center
Demonstrating sustainability in action, mobilizing change agents to accelerate solutions and bringing people together to solve systemic problems all drive the work of the Alliance Center. To learn more about their programs—Climate+Democracy, Living Laboratory and Best for Colorado, visit the Alliance Center here.
PurpleAir
Having developed a proven air quality monitoring solution for citizen scientists and air quality professionals alike, PurpleAir offers real-time air quality monitoring through a network built on a new generation of “Internet of Things” sensors. Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Visit PurpleAir here.
Self-Service Paper Shredding
Alpine Bank Glenwood Springs (2200 Grand Avenue) has a secure, self-service paper shredding machine location in the vestibule by the ATM machine. The machine is accessed by cash. The shredder can be accessed 24 hours a day.
Raptor Education Fund and Driving for Wildlife
The Denver-based Raptor Education Foundation offers the only state-authorized program to issue license plates that support the environment. All that is required to Drive For Wildlife is to make a modest one time tax-exempt donation to the Denver-based Raptor Education Foundation and pay a one-time fee of $25 to your county motor vehicle department. The plate is transferable from vehicle to vehicle as long as you are the owner of the vehicle. Visit www.usaref.org for details.
Memberships and Affiliations
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
USGBC's mission is to transform the way buildings are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous build environment that improves the quality of life in communities.
LEED Certification
Alpine Bank was awarded LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the USGBC. LEED Green Building Rating System™ is considered the national benchmark for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy efficient, and high performance buildings. Alpine Bank's South Rifle facility is the first financial services institution to earn LEED Certification in Colorado. In addition, Alpine Bank Telluride and Ridgway are seeking LEED Certification for their remodel and new location, respectively.
Colorado Green Business Network
The Colorado Green Business Network is the former Environmental Leadership Program with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The CGBN is a voluntary program recognizing Colorado organizations that go above and beyond compliance, to work toward true, operational sustainability in the state of Colorado.
Purchasing Policy
Alpine Bank will strive to reduce the environmental impact of our operations beginning with the types of products we purchase. We believe that proactive and successful purchasing efforts will significantly reduce our environmental burdens and enhance our stewardship of the resources within our communities. Some of the ways we will incorporate proactive purchasing efforts are as follows:
- Renewable Resources: We will look for products that do not deplete the quality of nature and resources.
- Resource Efficient: We will look for certified products that use less energy while providing the same or better quality of service. For example, Energy Star and Green Seal are certifications for environmentally friendly products.
- Recycled Content: We will look for products with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled content, which will assure a growing market for all the material we collect for recycling.
- Pollution Prevention: We will look for products that keep pollutants and toxins out of the air and landfills, e.g. low-mercury lamps, sealed recyclable batteries and non-petroleum based lubricants.
- Supply Chain: We will communicate to our business partners our Environmental and Purchasing Policies with the goal of extending our influence by purchasing products and services that further reduce overall environmental impact.
We will work with our business partners to minimize their use of packaging for products we purchase, and to promote environmentally friendly materials and processes in their operations.
Green Team Accomplishments
JANUARY 2009 – Alpine Bank South Rifle was awarded LEED Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED Green Building Rating System™ is considered the national benchmark for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy efficient, and high-performance buildings. Alpine Bank's South Rifle facility is the first financial services institution to earn LEED Certification in Colorado.
MARCH 2010 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Alpine Bank membership in the 2010 Green Power Leadership Club, an elite group of Green Power Partners who are demonstrating exemplary environmental leadership.
The EPA Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources. Green power is electricity produced from a subset of renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Partner organizations must buy green power in amounts proportional to their annual electricity use. Each year, Partners are asked to update EPA when a change occurs to their green power purchase or partnership status. The Green Power Leadership Club (GPLC) honors Partners that substantially exceed EPA's minimum purchase requirements for an organization-wide commitment. Since the 2nd quarter of 2009, Alpine Bank has purchased 100% green electric power directly from their utility providers (where available). The Bank became an EPA Green Power Partner in June of 2009.
Alpine Bank Vice Chairman and President Glen Jammaron says, "We're honored to receive this recognition, however green power is a very small part of what we do. We strive to measure all of our green initiatives with efficiency, effectiveness, and durability."
JUNE 2014 – ColoradoBiz Magazine highlighted each of the chosen Top 50 Greenest Companies in its July/August issue, noting that it looked to uncover green companies who “go above and beyond the basics with pioneering programs and policies to preserve the planet.”
Alpine Bank was honored to be recognized in the Financial/Consulting/Professional Services category as one of six organizations whose sustainable practices are setting new industry standards – and as the only bank to make the top 50 list at all.
FEBRUARY 2017 – ISO 14001 Certification:
Since 2006, Alpine Bank has earned and maintains the ISO 14001 certification-the internationally recognized “gold” standard for environmental management. The bank remains the only U.S.-based financial institution to earn this rigorous certification.
To learn more, visit www.iso.org/iso-14001-environmental-management
MARCH 2017 – Delta County Seed Library:
Alpine Bank partners with Delta County Library to assist with its spring launch and countywide expansion of the Delta County Seed Library program. In simple terms, a seed library is just how it sounds—it loans seeds to gardeners of all levels. A seed library benefits the entire community. Residents can access free seeds and enjoy the fruits of their labor a few months later. The Delta County Seed Library started as a pilot program in the North Fork area and is now available at all five Delta County library branches. To learn more about the Seed Library, visit www.deltalibraries.org .
JUNE 2017 – Denver locations retain Certifiably Green Denver status:
Alpine Bank, with Denver branch locations at Union Station LoDo and Cherry Creek North, is the first financial institution to receive the seal of a Certifiably Green Denver business. Certifiably Green Denver, administered by Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, is a free program that helps businesses find opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability while minimizing environmental liability through pollution prevention.
When a business applies to the program, the city assigns an adviser to visit and help the owner assess water-conservation options, energy-efficiency options and ways to minimize waste and save money. In order to qualify for certification, businesses must implement and maintain energy efficiency, water conservation, resource management, alternative transportation and business management.
“Achieving Certifiably Green Denver certification is a wonderful recognition of our ongoing commitment to sustainability,” said Matt Teeters, Alpine Bank Union Station president.
October 2017 – Actively Green, Vail Valley:
Alpine Bank, Edwards location earns Actively Green certification:
Actively Green is a Vail Valley-wide campaign intended to engage all residents, guests and organizations in caring for our region’s unique natural environment. It is a reminder that regardless of where we live, for whom we work, or how we choose to recreate, collectively our quality of life and our visitors’ experiences are dependent on the preservation of the outdoor playground we all share.
OCTOBER 2017 – Alpine Bank receives national award:
American Bankers Association(ABA) awarded Alpine Bank its distinguished Community and Economic Development award for the bank’s Community Solar Program which donates bank-purchased solar panels to a local nonprofit to help low income families.
The ABA Foundation Community Commitment Awards recognize and promote the many valuable ways banks of all sizes contribute to economic growth, community development and enhancing the quality of life in the communities they serve.
Environment Reports
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[1] Investment with Alpine Bank Wealth Management involves risk, including possible loss of principal amount invested. Investments used are neither deposits nor obligations of, nor endorsed, nor guaranteed by Alpine Bank or any other depository institution, nor are they insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve Board, or any other government agency. Alpine Bank Wealth Management may receive administrative fees from some mutual fund providers.
