All the above points have been a focus of Vail, CO-based SteamMaster Restoration and Cleaning LLC for years now. In fact, according to Raj Manickam, SteamMaster CEO, eco-friendly initiatives are nothing new to the company, as it has long been recycling to reduce waste and the company has also been using green products.

And recycling and using a few green products happens to be where a lot of companies stop when it comes to “going green.”

Not SteamMaster.

As part of its recent “Actively Green” certification, an initiative of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships to increase Vail’s image as a sustainability leader, SteamMaster is taking its green efforts to the next level.

“We’ve always been at the forefront of doing things,” Manickam says. “In this program, we’re certified to have the basis of being green. We document this entire thing. We have to put down our phone, electric, water bill - the usage, consumption, the emissions. Once you get all of that done, you have to actively, continuously be doing it to show some sort of a progress.”

Essentially, the Actively Green certification encourages SteamMaster to develop a deeper understanding of best sustainability practices and engage its employees to enact these practices beyond what they’ve already been doing.

Analyzing utilities usage and looking for ways to reduce consumption is one part of it – but certainly not all of it.

And beyond just setting a positive example in the community and helping the environment, working with green values also makes for great marketing materials.

 “We have a long way to go,” Manickam admits. “We are going to constantly get feedback.”