The Sustainability in AV (SAVe) nonprofit organization launched its first SAVe Certification Program on June 21, 2022, in partnership with Washington-based audiovisual integrator, Tempest Technologies.

“Tempest Technologies has always recognized our responsibility to the community,” said owner of Tempest Technologies, Debbie Williamson. “Becoming SAVe Certified is part of our effort to take that commitment a step further. It helps us be proactive with clients and manufacturers about the role we can play for the world, for our community, our clients, and us personally.”

The three-part, one-day SAVe certification program includes an educational session, workshop and assessment. The outcome of the process is an actionable strategy to make progress toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A shared blueprint for sustainability endorsed by all 193 members of the UN General Assembly, including the United States, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals consist of 17 interlinked global goals ranging from Responsible Consumption and Production to Zero Hunger and Quality Education. Each SDG includes specific targets for progress.

Over the course of the one-day SAVe Certification session, Tempest Technologies:

• Chose specific SDGs that align with their business model and strategy, community role and employee passions
• Identified particular tactics that Tempest can execute to advance the enumerated SDGs
• Laid the groundwork to formalize an actionable strategy for implementation — including metrics and reporting.

Once SAVe Certified organizations have begun efforts to advance the SDGs, they keep in regular contact with SAVe, sharing their progress and challenges with the larger SAVe community, taking advantage of SAVe’s library of educational resources, and spreading the word to their colleagues, partners, customers and other stakeholders.

SAVe-certified organizations will be provided with a SAVe-certified promotional kit that includes the SAVe-certified logo, SDG plan template, press release, website assets, copy for flyers, posters, and office placards. Companies will be highlighted on saveav.org, as well as SAVe’s social media channels.

“The purpose of the SAVe certification program is, first, to educate companies in the AV industry about the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and how they can make progress toward achieving them via a wide range of measures, from responsible waste management and carbon emission reduction to community partnerships aimed at reducing poverty and advancing gender equality,” explains SAVe Founder Christina De Bono.

“Most important, SAVe provides organizations a vehicle to channel their commitment and passion into action. And by that we mean specific, targeted efforts that yield measurable results — all on a company-by-company basis.”

De Bono emphasizes that the time to act is right now. “The sustainability to our planet is at stake — as is that of our industry,” she says. “It’s very clear that sustainable practices bear directly on a company’s ability to generate funding, win business, attract employees, and lead communities to build healthy and equitable environments.”