Each year, approximately 30,000 SOLVE volunteers come together at over 900 projects statewide to protect and improve Oregon’s communities and natural areas. From start to finish, we want to ensure that these projects are as sustainable as can be.

To increase our sustainability, SOLVE is reducing the number of disposable supplies we distribute. You can help with this effort by BYO – bringing your own work gloves and bucket to a project. For volunteers who don’t bring their own reusable gloves or bucket, SOLVE will provide project supplies.

Our ongoing efforts include using litter bags made from at least 95% post-consumer, recycled material. They are sturdier than a kitchen garbage bag and hold bulky and heavy litter. Also, our vinyl gloves can be recycled through Terracycle so ask your project leader where to put them at the end of an event.

Follow these tips to help grow SOLVE’s legacy of environmental stewardship:

1. Bring your own gloves and bag or bucket.

   Looking to bring your own reusable bag to a cleanup? Get creative! You can use things like a reusable shopping bag, a pillowcase, or a cat litter bucket. Local coffee shops and breweries are also great places to ask for old grain, hop or bean bags. Do you already know of a business that has an excess of reusable bags or buckets? Contact SOLVE to donate them while cutting back on the business’s waste stream.

2. Find a greener way to get there.

   Use websites like Google Maps or TriMet’s Trip Planner tool to find a green way to get to your project and back.

3. Consolidate your trash and work in pairs.

   Not every cleanup site has enough litter for each person to fill an entire bag or bucket. Consolidate trash into one bag or work with a partner so that only filled bags are disposed of (with enough room still in the bag to tie off the top). Better yet, ask your volunteer leader if you can dump your reusable bag or bucket directly into a dumpster.

4. Come prepared with a reusable water bottle.

   Sustainable efforts often begin with being prepared. Come to a project with a filled reusable water bottle – so if you are feeling thirsty you don’t have to purchase disposable plastic bottles.

Social Responsibility Policy Statement

Since our founding in 1969, SOLVE has embodied the spirit of social responsibility and is committed to continually increasing our standards. As a leading example of environmental health and stewardship, we connect people with volunteer opportunities and make a positive difference in communities across the state. With our statewide network of volunteers, partners, suppliers, and workers, we recognize the far reach and impact of our business practices.

SOLVE’s corporate social responsibilities are built around three critical areas:

• Employees and People – We protect, support, and prepare workers for success. We believe in opportunity for all and in our commitment to equal employment opportunity.

• Ethics – SOLVE is committed to doing the right thing, conducting ourselves in a legal, ethical, and trustworthy manner, fulfilling our nonprofit regulatory obligations, and complying with both the letter and spirit of our organization policies.

• Environment – SOLVE recognizes a shared responsibility to protect our planet beyond our mission. We are continually working to reduce the environmental impact of our work through preservation, conservation, and waste reduction practices.

We are accountable for our social responsibility responsibilities. We encourage participation across our organization and will work with external stakeholders to contribute to the communities we serve to ensure our actions are socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible.

Do you have ideas on how our projects could be more sustainable? Consult with your volunteer leader, SOLVE Program Coordinator or contact the SOLVE office by emailing info@solveoregon.org or calling 503-844-9571. Together, we can make a difference in how we take care of Oregon.