Why was the Green City Summit first created, and how has it met or exceeded expectations?
The first Green Summit was held in 2021 with the goal to inspire sustainable business practices, celebrate leaders in resiliency, and be a good networking opportunity for our partners.
We’re constantly receiving feedback from attendees that they have been able to jump start their sustainability efforts through the networking we’ve set up for attendees.
The Florida Panthers were able to directly connect with Coca-Cola Beverages Florida to discuss how to bring a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM - a machine that accepts empty beverage containers for recycling, returning a deposit) to the FLA Live Arena. We’re proud that were able to help foster these relationships that help make the world a better place.
What did you learn from year one that was brought into year two, and if it’s not too early, what are you planning for next year?
This year we moved the Summit to our Corporate Offices so we could take attendees on tours to see our sustainable efforts in action. We’re hoping to expand on the “show and tell” aspect in year 3 and want to showcase more sustainable efforts from other companies. For example, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida brought their RVM and attendees were able to see the machine’s recycling capabilities first hand by. It was very cool to see in person!
We also want to make sure that sustainability stays top of mind by adding more programming to continue the conversations outside of the event. Starting with Zero Emissions Day (10/4), we invite not just Green Summit attendees, but anyone interested in learning more about sustainability efforts to follow @CityFurniture on Instagram.
What call-to-action do you have for other local businesses, and how have you seen them react to the Summit and your green initiatives?
As one of the first leaders in our industry to make sustainability part of our company ethos, we know how hard it can be to find the right partners to make this happen. We want to share our knowledge and help support local businesses by connecting them with vetted resources.
While there’s much we can help with, there’s also so much more we can learn. We are always eager to hear from fellow leaders about emerging trends or technology and grow our partnership network.
Company Culture
Are your employees titled as “Sustainability” employees or is the idea that everyone should be responsible for sustainability with their existing roles/departments?
We currently use a committee approach with representatives from all departments as part of our Green Leadership Team. They meet at regular intervals to align on goals and problem solve so we can continue to move the needle forward.
How has the prioritization of sustainability affected your talent acquisition and retention?
Potential new hires are often surprised to hear how heavily we focus on sustainability, not just at the Sr. level, but in every level of our business. They are looking for companies to that align with their values and we are always excited to find associates who share this value as passionately as well do.
Has your team made any adjustments or considerations for heat resilience?
When we hosted the Summit, we were in the middle of a recording breaking excessive heat warning. While we already run energy efficient ACs in showrooms and offices, heat resiliency is top of mind. Especially after hearing how our panelists believe this is something we’ll continue to face in the years to come.
Green Initiatives
The CITY Furniture fleet is very impressive in its green impacts, how has it paid off in terms of impact on the bottom line?
Last year we ran 6,950,337 miles with our Green Fleet. We use Compressed Natural Gas with an average Gas Gallon Equivalent of $1.19 across all of our locations as of August 2023. While the depreciation on the truck varies, it only took about 4 years for our Isuzu delivery trucks, and 8 years on our Peterbilt trucks for the investment to break even.
How have your “green” product lines sold compared to others?
Our customers love that we have these options in the showroom, and we are working closely with our merchandising teams to expand the line ups to more styles. Additionally, CITY has committed to avoiding the use of unsustainable wood materials in all of our products and are working with the World Wildlife’s Fund Forest Forward program to continuously improve our sourcing.
Anything else you want to cover that hasn’t been asked?
Internally, we’ve really focused on our Materiality Matrix to realign our goals, energize leaders, and set the pace for 2040 Green Promise. We are going into 2040 with intermediate targets to drive more impact.
We also want to expand our Earth Day initiative with Habitat for Humanity to save more furniture from landfills. Our customers feel good knowing that they are making an impact locally, having saved over 50,000lbs of furniture to date.
Right now, this initiative takes place during Earth Day weekend in limited markets. We have ambitious goals to expand this program to larger markets, and eventually make this an opportunity that customers can participate in year-round.
