Sustainability Action Plan

Sustainability Action Plan

Foreword

Otak’s commitment to sustainable placemaking is one of our cornerstones, an immovable aspect of who we are and our approach to our work. Sustainability matters to us not because it’s popular, but because it’s a moral imperative to those we serve given the realities of accelerating climate change. Firms like Otak have a duty to both the built and natural environments to act as stewards of responsibility whether it be for our clients, communities, or staff. This Action Plan is meant to show not only the “why” behind what we believe, but also what we’re doing to live that stewardship, and our history in this practice runs deep.

Our first Sustainability Action Plan was developed 10 years ago, and led to the formation of our Green Otak (GO) Committee. Since then, we’ve achieved great things and passed both internal and external milestones, starting with our signing the AIA 2030 Commitment and achieving full buy-in among our executive leaders. Rather than be complacent about our commitment, we’ve accelerated our ambitions to make the world a more sustainable place. We’re one of the charter members of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, our offices across geographies have won multiple sustainability awards, and our staff hosts training sessions on how to be more environmentally responsible through our OtakU initiative. These efforts build on each other, creating momentum where sustainability becomes integral to who we are, and these efforts have paid off not just for us but for our clients and communities we serve.

Fast forwarding to 2019, we were officially ranked in the Top 100 Green Workplaces in Oregon by Oregon Business, and we took our ambitions to be more sustainable beyond just our values. 2020 saw us begin offsetting our emissions directly through the purchase of carbon offsets, and we appointed a Sustainability Coordinator to lead the charge in taking our ambitions to the next level. We knew we could continue to improve in the lead up to formulating our updated 2022 Action Plan.

The timeliness of this plan is also relevant here. Based on current market trends, more firms than ever consider sustainability among the most key strategic dimensions of their operations, with even more amping up their reporting on both their environmental and social initiatives. These values have been top-of-mind since we pledged to be a more sustainable company. However, we are not complacent. We must continue to improve and ask ourselves to be better, and this plan will put those values to action for years to come.

Jim Hamaan CEO

Special thanks to those who contributed to the Action Plan

GO COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP

Maddie Woods, STP, ENV SP Project & Sustainability Coordinator

Rose Horton, PE, LEED AP BD+C, ENV SP Senior Water Resources Engineer

OTAK LEADERSHIP

Jim Hamann Chief Executive Officer

Brad Shinn Chief Strategy Officer

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM: SURVEY

Henry Alaman

Bruce Smith**

Sheri McElvray

Andy Bell

Jon Yamashita

Justin Monahan

Tim Leavitt

Chris Bisio

Brian Fleener

Millicent Williams

Walter Tarr

Niels Van Dijk

NEW EMPLOYEES*: SURVEY

Elizabeth Oberley

David Benn

Sean Clark

Heather Whitman

Julie Bollermann

Meredith Askham

Anna Sutton

Brandon Teetsel

Michael Carlson

David Sacamano

Stacey Ho

Brandi Collier

Emmy Haveman

Nathan Leber

Keith Bates, PLA, LEED AP Landscape Architecture Team Leader

Dave Johnson Chief Financial Officer

Scott Dreher Chief Operating Officer

TECHNICAL LEADERS: STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW GROUP

Matt Neish

Casey McKenna

Brian Hardebeck

Serah Breakstone**

David Sacamano

Cliff Lind

Chad Weiser

Ken Vigil

Omar Cardoza

Danny Christian

Jim Quigley

Kurt Basford

Amanda Owings

Scott Thayer

*New employees hired between September 2021 - January 2022

**Employees no longer at Otak

Mandi Roberts

Scott Nettleton

Doug Sarkkinen

Sean Clark

Scott Belonger

Chuck Green**

Nico Vanderhorst

GO COMMITTEE: STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEW GROUP

Zaq Dohallow

Kevin Janik

Shannon Williams

Tina Keller

James Winslow**

Russ Gaston

Norton Posey

Tracy Emmanuel

Kevin Timmins

Cathy Kraus

Kaitlin North**

Kim Miller

Li Alligood** EXTERNAL ADVISORS

Brightworks Sustainability Fuze7

Introduction

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Otak’s first Sustainability Action Plan. The inaugural action plan, developed in 2011 and adopted in 2012, was a result of our firm’s commitment to the AIA 2030 Commitment, which sets forth goals and strategies to achieve net-zero emissions in the built environment by 2030.

While the AIA 2030 commitment is focused on a subset of the services Otak offers, the importance of sustainable and resilient design has never been lost on our designers, planners, and engineers. And while we have made progress on our initial goals, climate change has continued to progress at a rapid pace, bringing forth new challenges that require us to step back, take stock, and work collaboratively with our clients and stakeholders to develop solutions that reduce or mitigate risk, while preserving natural capital.

Today we recognize that creating vibrant, resilient, and robust communities must expand beyond vertical construction practices. The climate realities we face on a daily basis remind us of the importance of swift, impactful action. Not only is it “the right thing to do”, but we also believe that it is integral to our business, our ability to remain competitive and the communities our projects impact. The fact of the matter is that there is a direct relationship between our business and our ability to move the needle on sustainability in a scalable way. Our industry has a disproportionate impact on CO2 emissions globally, and in kind we are called to act to mitigate these impacts while acknowledging that real change on both the personal and corporate level is possible through environmentally responsible community building. Additionally, we are already beginning to experience requests from clients to draw on climate-focused and environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, and we know that regulatory requirements will continue to expand, especially where funding requirements begin to integrate climate initiatives and climate-focused data. We want to ensure that we are equipped to provide high-quality service to our clients and stakeholders.

The goals and initiatives outlined in this plan will deepen our commitment to sustainability and resiliency across all areas of Otak’s business. We are eager to continue to build upon the strong foundation we have created and rise to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

GREEN OTAK INITIATIVE

Vision | Green Otak (GO) encapsulates our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship, as well as our unwavering belief that sustainability practiced at the personal and organizational level will create real change that supports robust, equitable, and resilient communities. We hope that our work inspires more resilient communities that have a symbiotic relationship with their environment.

Mission | Keep sustainability at the forefront of Otak’s approach to our work, which supports the communities we serve and the projects we undertake.

Purpose | Become better environmental stewards, inspire climate action, and educate others through doing our part to slow the progression of climate change.

Sternwheeler Park | La Center, WA

Green Otak

The core of Otak’s Sustainability Initiative has been our Green Otak (GO) Committee, which is comprised of staff from each region across multiple practice areas, and now is led by our Sustainability Manager.

The GO Committee was established as a mechanism to hold ourselves accountable to implement, monitor, track, and report our progress towards the AIA 2030 Commitment (and thus the original Sustainability Action Plan) and to bring innovation and collaboration to our sustainability program firm wide.

Otak conducts first Sustainability Survey

Otak joins Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI)

• GO Committee is formed

• Otak signs the AIA 2030 commitment

GO COMMITTEE

Vision | Inspire company-wide engagement in GO initiative, with multiple resiliency champions and a shared commitment to sustainability throughout the firm.

Mission | Provide sustainability training and educational opportunities to staff and encourage earning relevant sustainability accreditations. Establish best practices in dayto-day operations to reduce Otak’s environmental impact. Create tools and resources Otak staff can leverage to realize more sustainable projects that serve the best interests of our clients, our communities, and the environment.

Purpose | Ensure sustainability is ingrained within Otak’s culture and affect lasting change toward reducing Otak’s environmental impact.

GO Committee History

First OtakU Training Session

Portland office earns Sustainability at Work Gold Award

• Begin strategic planning for 2022 Action Plan

• Otak becomes a member of the Sustainable Transport Council

• Begin offsetting carbon emissions (2019 emissions)

• Vancouver becomes a Clark County Green Business

• Louisville becomes a Louisville Green Business (Silver level)

• Otak is in the Top 100 Green Workplaces in Oregon!

• Otak becomes a USGBC Silver member

• Offset 2020 emissions

• Otak becomes a Green Building Institute (GBI) member

• Otak creates a Sustainability Coordinator position

Revisiting Our Commitments

In January 2022, we sought to assess where we had been on our sustainability journey and began to imagine what the future of sustainability at Otak should look like. In partnership with Brightworks, we took time to reflect on our progress towards achieving the goals of the 2012 Sustainability Action Plan (SAP), engage meaningfully with staff and stakeholders to evaluate progress towards sustainability goals, discuss roadblocks and current challenges, and perform market research as it pertained to sustainability and resiliency in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. Our 2022 Sustainability Action Plan lays the foundation for a renewed commitment and updated approach to sustainability in today’s climate.

KEY THEMES AND FINDINGS

• Since our original action plan in 2012, the climate crisis has continue to progress. We have made significant progress on our operational goals. Our focus going forward will be our training programs and project implementation.

• Sustainability is not “one-size fits all” at a multidisciplinary firm like Otak. We need to understand the challenges of each practice area and tailor an approach to each group.

• As Otak continues to grow and expand business units across a wide range of services in the built environment, we are uniquely positioned with internal knowledge and insights that can be leveraged across different practice areas.

• Ensuring that sustainability is woven into our strategic plans through collaboration is essential. Additionally, beginning to report on our ESG progress will allow us to communicate consistently with clients, partners and employees.

Photo by Commuting Solutions

Sustainability Action Plan

2023-2028

2023

Appoint Sustainability Manager

Leadership will be crucial to ensuring that an organization’s sustainability goals are met, and that innovation continues to be a priority. Building upon the role of our Sustainability Coordinator we will deepen our investment to appoint a Sustainability Manager. The Sustainability Manager will have consistent engagement with leadership to ensure alignment with corporate strategies. The landscape of ESG strategies continues to evolve, which presents opportunities for a collaborative and holistic approach to many of our goals. This position will serve as a resource for staff and external partners and will facilitate information sharing across business units to drive innovation.

Identify Sustainability Leads from Practice Areas

To approach sustainability and resiliency effectively, we need to better understand the unique challenges faced by our various practice areas. These team members will be valuable technical leaders to work alongside our Sustainability Manager, clients and teaming partners.

Identify Key Performance Indicators and Best Practices

The Sustainability Manager will identify specific focus areas and develop strategies for Otak’s practice areas to begin tracking Key Performance Indicators and implementing updated “best practices” on our projects. These will inform and support Otak in our annual reporting, and allow us to bring new ideas to the table.

Evaluate and Monitor Otak’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Otak’s has been offsetting our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually by purchasing carbon offset (carbon credits) in partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Otak is committed to continuing this process; however, quantifying and offsetting our emissions is just the first step. In order to make progress towards reducing our overall emissions, Otak will need to establish a baseline based on historical data. The disruptions to “business as usual” caused by the pandemic present a challenge for establishing a baseline but using past data can still help us determine where our opportunities for reduction are. Our emissions will likely increase while Otak continues to grow, so we will explore alternate methods of comparing our baseline data.

2023

Align goals and KPIs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Numerous frameworks exist for quantifying and reporting progress towards sustainability goals. Otak feels that the best place to start, given our areas of expertise and size, is with the UN SDGs. Using this framework for reporting on our performance allows us to follow an internationally recognized set of goals, while allowing for flexibility and customization to what is relevant to our business and therefore our impact. According to a survey conducted in 2022 of AEC firms, approximately 34 percent of firms using a reporting framework had adopted the UN SDGs.

Collaborate with the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to Identify ESG Opportunities and Strategies

AEC firms like Otak are positioned particularly well to understand and have a direct impact on ESG initiatives. The Sustainability Manager will collaborate with our Director of DEI to quantify, report and further enhance Otak’s ESG-related capabilities (internal and external).

UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ALIGNMENT

The following goals will be Otak’s primary focus:

Icons courtesy of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Release Otak’s First Annual ESG Report

We are excited to begin reporting on our progress towards the goals outlined in this Sustainability Action Plan and beyond on an annual basis. We will highlight where we have made significant progress and the projects that have made positive impacts on our communities. It will also give us the opportunity to reflect on the goals that we were not able complete and assess what is required to meet them. Annual reporting is a mechanism for accountability and a useful tool for decision-making. More than a third of AEC firms are planning to establish a reporting system, while a little more than that are already reporting on some ESG metrics. Reporting is still voluntary, but it is anticipated that requirements will expand in the coming years.

Develop and Implement Tools for Each Practice Area

Creating tools unique to each business unit will allow teams to evaluate, implement and track sustainability metrics on projects and feedback data at a firm-wide level. The ability to report on a consistent set of metrics or KPIs is important because it will inform our annual reporting and could satisfy client and/or regulatory requirements. These tools may look like a “good, better, best” evaluation tool, general “best practices” which go above and beyond “business as usual,” or checklists adopted from existing rating systems/frameworks.

Additionally, we want to give staff the opportunity memorialize success and create valuable resources for others in the firm. Supporting the development of white papers or case studies provides employees with a platform to share their experiences/expertise both internally and externally.

Continued Implementation

BUILDING ON NEW INITIATIVES: 2025-2028

Following the initial implementation phase of our Sustainability Action Plan, we will continue to adjust our approach and develop the following:

• Continue annual reporting following the completion of each calendar year

• Align with additional corporate frameworks or certifications (CDP, SBTi, GRI, etc.)

» Otak will evaluate additional frameworks.

Acknowledging that the global market and requirements for ESG and Sustainability reporting are changing rapidly, we will continue to evaluate the applicability of alternate frameworks.

• Fleet management – Otak has prioritized upgrading leases to hybrid vehicles where appropriate. We will continue to evaluate electric vehicles, as barriers and access to charging networks change over time. Because many of our leased vehicles are 4WD or lightduty trucks for on-site work, EV technology has not been feasible to date.

• Quantify emissions and implement reduction strategies annually.

CONTINUING EXISTING OTAK INITIATIVES

In 2023, our GO Committee will continue to make progress on existing initiatives including:

• Providing regular training through Green OtakU Trainings:

» While we have previously focused on staff accreditations, it is important to acknowledge that training goes beyond this. We want to equip our staff with the tools, knowledge, and resources to partner with our clients and develop the best solutions. Continuing to provide monthly OtakU sessions will remain a priority for the GO Committee, and we recognize the importance of keeping trainings relevant, focusing on new technologies, proven approaches, and case studies.

• Provide multimodal commute resources

» Our employees have always enjoyed participating in activities like Bike to Work day and other commute challenges. The GO Committee will continue to promote these events. We will also continue to provide relevant local commute resources on a periodic basis.

• Implement strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of our offices and reduce waste

» The GO Committee is developing a framework for what a sustainable Otak office looks like. This framework will compliment any existing Green Business Programs that Otak participates in.