in the community report 2009 ÂŹ
community involvement, both socially and environmentally, is a cornerstone of our company philosophy. - joann lee, community relations manager
table of contents 02 letter from the ceo 04 our community 18 our customers 22 our associates
letter from the ceo
Hello, As we enter our second decade in the auto insurance arena, we remain committed to giving back to the communities in which our associates and customers live and work. As part of our overall initiative, in 2009 we donated $365,000 to various non-profit organizations, and our associates could be found on any given weekend planting trees and volunteering time in local communities from Seattle to Tampa. Similarly, our customers also help drive our community commitment. Last year, 5,520 Esurance policyholders opted to have their damaged windshields repaired instead of replaced. As a result, the same number of trees will be planted this spring through our Save a Windshield, Plant a Tree program. And of course, our associates are integral to our involvement with communities nationwide. Constantly inspired by their energy and enthusiasm for a myriad of causes, we’ve formed symbiotic relationships with local organizers and have been able to connect with communities across the country in a much more meaningful way.
Please read the complete report for more information on our community programs. Sincerely,
Gary C. Tolman President and CEO
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our community
our community As Esurance grows, so does our commitment to giving back to the communities in which we live, work, and play. Over the past few years, we’ve formed deep and lasting relationships with worthwhile organizations around the country and we plan to continue engaging with the organizations that our associates are most passionate about. volunteer days In 2009, 17% of Esurance associates nationwide logged an impressive 1,586 hours of community service. They donated valuable time to volunteer organizations chosen through the Esurance Grant Program as well as many others. The causes that benefited from their volunteer efforts were as diverse as Esurance associates themselves and included homelessness, veterans’ affairs, and the arts. In Phoenix, energetic associates took time out of their weekends to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and helped build a home for a local family in need. In Sioux Falls, associates from our Customer Service Center lent a helping hand at the
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Sioux Falls Rescue Center’s Holiday Open House, where they connected local community members with animals in need of homes. And in Tampa, local Esurance associates and green enthusiasts helped plant 70 new trees as part of the Esurance Temple Terrace annual tree-planting event with T.R.E.E., Inc.
youth enrichment
animal rescue
public health 4%
misc.
environment
6%
15%
24%
51%
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urban reforestation Since we wrote our first policy in 1999, Esurance has been committed to environmentally friendly business practices. In 2005, we took this initiative a step further and began planting trees in or near our associates’ communities to compensate for the paper that’s inevitably used in day-today office life. Over the next four years, we planted more than 85,000 trees, which equals out to roughly 55 trees a day. A noteworthy accomplishment and one we’re proud of. In 2009 alone, we directly funded the planting of 9,162 trees with partners, American Forests, EarthCorps, Friends of the Urban Forest, Greening of Detroit, Park People, T.R.E.E., Inc., and the Texas Trees Foundation. We also planted 5,520 trees with claims partner HSG as part of the Save a Windshield, Plant a Tree program.
spotlight on climate action month Pioneered by EarthCorps and Esurance, what started as a single day in 2007, became an entire week in 2008, and in 2009 was a 31-day celebration of environmental service and education. Last year, Climate Action Month included 14 hands-on opportunities to improve forests, wetlands, and shorelines in cities across Washington. After first donating their time in autumn, volunteers could complete the cycle of ecosystem restoration by returning to volunteer sites on Earth Day and throughout the year. Climate Action Month emphasized fun everyday actions that gave everyone the chance to make a difference, and EarthCorps’ members from more than 60 countries led the volunteer service events. The results were impressive, to say the least: 1,177 volunteers planted 1,945 trees and 3,353 plants, removed 5,133 square feet of invasive plants, and, perhaps most impressive of all, restored 34,000 square feet of park and woodlands. Not bad for a month’s work.
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In addition to supporting the event through sponsorship dollars, Esurance also donated more than 200 pro-bono hours to Climate Action Month in the form of marketing support through its in-house creative agency. This included the creation of a unique website, award-winning promotional posters, and daily tips to encourage people to participate.
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youth environmental education Responding to our associates’ overwhelming request that Esurance support children’s education, in 2007 we began working with Project Learning Tree (PLT) to bring GreenWorks! Grants to schools in our communities. PLT’s GreenWorks! Grants program gives students a chance to apply classroom environmental education to communityimprovement projects. The 2009 GreenWorks! Grants recipients were chosen based primarily on their location in underserved areas, their level of engagement with the community, and the student leadership of each program. The schools and youth groups selected were located in the Denver, Phoenix, and Sacramento areas, and each received a grant of up to $3,000, training in PLT environmental education materials, and volunteer support from local Esurance associates.
green music programs As a leader in efforts to reduce the effects of climate change, we understand how important it is that all our partners, including music venues, also do their part in the fight for global sustainability. In 2007, we sponsored Live Earth, a concert series that took place on all seven continents and focused on raising awareness about climate change. The concerts resulted in the creation of guidelines to help events and facilities reduce their carbon footprints. Esurance adopted those guidelines, which included actions like recycling, using energy efficient lighting and alternative fuels, and mandated that all our sponsorship partners implement at least three items from the list. In the summer of 2009, as the green sponsor for two popular music festivals, Sasquatch! Music Festival and Monolith Festival, we put the guidelines to the test. At the Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Washington, we focused the majority of our efforts on recycling and were able to keep 4.5 tons (9,000 lbs) of waste out of landfills. In case you’re wondering, that’s enough trash
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to cover 20 football fields. Additionally, the festival was wind-powered to offset the CO2 emissions created by artists, attendees, and staff traveling to and from the event. And to counter the energy used by the festival itself, we purchased 1,406 tons of CO2 offsets from dairy farms around the Pacific Northwest. Later that summer, at the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, we focused all our efforts on carpooling and planting trees. More than 100 people carpooled to the festival, with an average ride distance of 180 miles, saving 27,881 lbs of CO2.
spotlight on monolith On a sunny Wednesday morning, Esurance teamed up with the Monolith Festival and our Denver tree-planting partner, The Park People, to plant 14 trees at an affordable housing site in Denver, Colorado. Seventeen community volunteers came out to help plant the trees, which will ultimately provide shade for the housing units, thereby decreasing electricity use and A/C bills in the summer. In previous years, Esurance and Monolith also worked with the same group of affordable housing sites to provide energy-efficient lighting upgrades for homes.
carbon footprint Not satisfied with a minimal environmental effort, Esurance works with NativeEnergy to offset 100% of electricity use in each of our office locations nationwide. The offsets are used to purchase renewable energy credits through the Langdon Wind Energy Project, and in 2009, totaled 4.4 million kWh of electricity. We also offset the carbon emissions from our fleet of hybrid claims vehicles through reforestation projects in Louisiana. Last year, we estimated that the CO2 emissions we offset were equal to 631.6 tons. We’re currently working on a comprehensive carbon emissions assessment for our business and plan to share the results in a sustainability report later this year, so stay tuned.
pride events Equally as important to us as environmental issues, are human rights issues. At Esurance, we’re committed to equality and diversity— qualities we strive to bring to communities across the nation. As one of the first companies to offer discounts to domestic partners who list on the same policy, we also promote and sponsor Pride events around the country. In 2009, we created a unique website that focuses on our diversity initiatives and encourages visitors to tell us what they’re proud of. pride events we attended: ->Amarillo Pride ->Austin Pride ->Atlanta Pride ->Come Out With Pride Orlando ->Gay Days Orlando ->GGBA Business Expo ->GLBT Expo ->HRC National Dinner ->Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Fest ->Sioux Falls AIDS Walk ->St. Pete Pride ->Twin Cities Pride
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our customers
Happily, Esurance associates are not the only folks with a passion for doing good. Our customers are also enthusiastic about engaging with us on socially responsible projects. earth day grant In April 2009, we asked customers to nominate their favorite green organizations to receive a $5,000 Earth Day Grant from Esurance and were impressed by the number of folks who responded. After much deliberation, our team of ecoexperts selected American Forests as the grant winner. See why policyholders Adam and Marcie thought them most deserving of the grant: “My suggestion would be American Forests— they would take the $5000 and plant 5000 trees—perfect for Earth Day!” - adam, washington “I think the best earth-friendly org is American Forests. They have been doing good out there for a long time, and keeping up a media campaign to make us proud.” - marcie, california
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The following noteworthy organizations rounded out the top five green orgs: -> Heal the Bay (Southern California) -> The Nature Conservancy (National) -> Keep Polk County Beautiful (Florida) -> Freecycle (National) save a windshield, plant a tree program Last year, in a partnership with HSG, we launched the Save a Windshield, Plant a Tree program to plant one tree for every windshield claim that resulted in repair instead of replacement. The program was launched in September and by the end of the year, 5,520 Esurance customers had opted to have their damaged windshields repaired instead of replaced. As promised, the same number of trees will be planted by the Ohio Division of Wild Life this spring. A great result for everyone involved.
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our associates
Our associates play a huge role in our level of community involvement. A recent internal survey revealed that 92% of Esurance associates believe it’s important for a company to support local and national causes. Their enthusiasm for so many varied causes and concerns inspires us to do more and more each year. grant program Through the Esurance Grant Program, associates can vote for organizations they’d like to see receive a charitable endowment from Esurance. By leveraging the support, skills, and volunteer efforts of associates, we ensure that the organizations we choose to sponsor get as much mileage from our partnership as possible. In 2009, Esurance donated over $55,000 to associate-submitted causes. Winning organizations near 11 of our office locations each received a $5,000 grant and volunteer support from the company. The organizations selected represent causes that focus on youth enrichment programs, public health, the environment, and animal welfare and ranged from Children’s Hospital in Denver, to Habitat for Humanity in Phoenix, to Sacramento’s local SPCA.
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matching gift program The Esurance Matching Gift Program was started in 2001 to give associates the opportunity to have their charitable donations matched dollar for dollar by Esurance. In 2009, a total of 247 associates participated in the program for a grand total of $84,565, which, of course, we happily matched. Our goal for 2010 is to increase participation in every office. recycled rides Esurance proudly participates in the National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program, which works to provide reliable transportation for families in need. Esurance donates vehicles, works with body shops to complete the repairs, and participates in hand-off ceremonies across the country. A “green� program, Recycled Rides recruits auto body shops, insurers, paint suppliers, and parts vendors to contribute in their own specific ways. In 2008, Esurance associates Don Finley and See Vang kicked off the effort on the company’s behalf, and Esurance has since donated 19 vehicles.
epa-osha training As part of Esurance’s ongoing commitment to the environment, the E-star Direct Repair Program recently underwent a tune-up. Every E-star-affiliated auto repair facility is now required to undergo annual environmental and safety training. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have long-maintained strict pollution-prevention and worker-safety regulations for auto repair shops. These regulations, which cover topics such as hazardous waste and protective equipment training, ensure the safety of employees, customers, and our environment. Enforcing these regulations, however, is another story. According to a recent survey conducted by the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair, only 2% of auto repair facilities complied with EPA-OSHA regulations. And the Bureau of Labor and Statistics recently concluded that automotive technicians are more likely to be killed or injured on the job than the average worker.
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In an effort to ensure that Esurance’s auto repair partners don’t cut corners when it comes to the safety of their workers and our environment, Eric Lerner, Esurance’s Material Damage Process Manager, set up a policy to ensure that employees in E-star-affiliated facilities were properly trained on an annual basis. This training covers the disposal of hazardous chemicals, correct safety equipment usage, and the like. To date, around 1,000 repair facilities have participated in these trainings. diversity & inclusion At Esurance, we believe that diversity and inclusion are key drivers of creativity and innovation in the workplace and that establishing a diverse, inclusive work environment is an ongoing process and the responsibility of all our associates. Diversity includes nationality, culture, ethnicity, generation, background, skill, ability, and all other unique attributes that make each of us who we are. In 2009, Esurance launched a Diversity & Inclusion Awareness workshop that provided a foundation for Esurance managers and associates. The workshop, which was offered
in all Esurance office locations, helped to build awareness around diversity and inclusion from marketplace, workplace, and workforce perspectives. It also provided participants an opportunity to develop and practice strategies they can use in creating a respectful and inclusive work environment. Ninety-one percent of all managers and supervisors attended. To further these goals, we also formed a Diversity & Inclusion Council. Working closely with Esurance’s Senior Management Group, a 13-member advisory council will ultimately lead, advocate, drive, coordinate, communicate, and monitor diversity and inclusion efforts. Primary activities in the coming year will include: ->Creating a charter to include the council’s purpose, roles/responsibilities, membership, meetings, communication, commitment, decision-making, and reporting ->Developing a multi-year Diversity and Inclusion Plan that defines high-level tactical plans for initiatives through 2012
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->Supporting diversity and inclusion education and communication activities As a reflection of our commitment to equality and diversity, we are extremely proud to have received a perfect score from the Human Right’s Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for three consecutive years now.
questions or comments joann lee, community relations manager jlee2@esurance.com
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