We at Cross-Cultural Solutions believe it is important to understand and address the impact of operations at our administrative offices, our Home-Bases around the world, in the local communities where our volunteers serve, and in the global community as a whole. We define our "Social Responsibility" by valuing diversity, treading lightly on the environment, and encouraging staff activism in support of community projects.
Diversity
We believe it is important to promote diversity, both in the workplace and in our volunteer base. We define this as the effort to understand, appreciate, and manage differences and similarities between people. Cross-Cultural Solutions' programs are all-inclusive and support volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, which may include, but are not limited to: abilities, socio-economic status, ethnic background, nationality, sexual orientation, age, and religious beliefs.
The Promoting Diversity Fund was created to make the CCS volunteer experience more accessible to individuals who would not normally be able to afford the program fee. We are committed to donating in-kind at least one percent of net revenue each year to promote diversity within our volunteer base. In 2007, we donated four volunteer programs to Summer Search, a national organization that challenges low-income students to develop character and leadership. Cross-Cultural Solutions also helps support other international volunteer organizations that work to promote diversity, including: World Bridges, The Pangaea Project, and Karuna International.
Environment
We are constantly making attempts to measure, analyze, and minimize our environmental impact and strive toward sustainability. At our Headquarters in New Rochelle, New York, we abide by the mantra "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and run an extensive recycling project including: office paper, plastic, cardboard, aluminum, and glass. CCS prints program materials and all in-house documents on recycled paper and we buy recycled products whenever possible in order to support the business of recycling. Our headquarters building was renovated using green building design methods and we buy a portion of our electricity on a green energy plan from renewable resources.
As an international organization that sends thousands of volunteers around the globe each year, the largest impact we have on the earth's environment is the emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases from air travel. In order to minimize this impact, we have formed a partnership with New York City AIDS Walk, Creative Arts Workshop for Kids, and Ocean Conservancy.
