What is Sustainability? Everyone is talking about it, but what does it mean?
Sustainability is an approach that can be applied to businesses, organizations, and even the home.
In its simplest form, sustainability is about protecting the longevity of an entity and preserving it
for future generations. An example would be if you plant a tree now and take care of it, in 100
years, kids will enjoy using it as shade and climbing on its branches. ESG is a commonly
interchangeable acronym for sustainability which stands for environmental, social, and
governance. A common misconception is that environmental is the only aspect of sustainability
but is only one piece of the puzzle. Social relates to how a business treats its workers and safety.
Governance, adheres to risk management and ethical business practices. Together, these three
mold a guideline for sustainable practices that allow organizations like the Book Bank to thrive.
The Maryland Book Bank prides itself on its sustainability. Kim Tabbs, the Program
Director for the book bank, gleefully relied on several different contributions that the book bank
makes in the present to create a more sustainable future. Environmentally, consider how many
books go through the facility. One may think about the fact that there must be so much excess
paper to be recycled. Spoiler alert, there is! The Book Bank partners with a private company that
picks up paper and cardboard weekly. They also have a partnership with a secondary book
recovery organization. When books don’t meet the book bank standard, the organization finds
the book a new home or responsibly recycles books. Books can be difficult to recycle due to their
bindings and the glue of hardcovers. The Maryland Book Bank takes the recycling of their books
seriously and in the process is more sustainable as well.
In the Social aspect of ESG, the Book Bank soars above expectations. The Book Banks
DEI or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives follow the Maryland non-profit handbook
guidelines. The Book Bank prides itself on as Kim Tabb states, “Bringing people of color to the
table, whether that be in leadership positions, board meetings, etc. these voices need to be heard
by the staff because they reflect the community that we serve.” Regarding employees, the Book
Bank runs under the ROWE workforce system, which stands for Results Only Work
Environment. This means that employees are not held to a set schedule and have in turn more
flexibility and a better work-life balance. These are just a few of the ways that the Book Bank
gives back to employees, interns, volunteers, and the community.
Finally, when it comes to the government pillar of ESG, the Book Bank is part of
something bigger. The Book Bank works hand-in-hand with three other non-profits within the
Warehouse Collective. Sharing space between the four non-profits has allowed them to facilitate
large-scale volunteers by splitting into groups and opening doors for opportunities for
cross-pollination. The collaborative nature of the warehouse expands clientele by offering
different organizations all in the same space. When it comes to measuring success, the Book
Bank formerly based the correlation of test scores within the Baltimore School Systems because
the Book Bank is a part of that ecosystem. As the Book Bank has grown, measuring success has
changed, shifting from test scores to the number of children served, books distributed, and
schools. The Book Bank is a resource delivery nonprofit that not only fulfills schools' and
children's need for books but also sustainably uplifts the community.
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