NC Environmental Stewardship Initiative
The Environmental Stewardship Initiative at DEQ recognizes and supports companies and facilities that go above and beyond to reduce their impact on the environment.
ESI members strive to go beyond the minimum requirements and are committed to setting and achieving sustainability goals and conservation targets.
To support and encourage superior environmental performance, DEQ provides no-cost technical assistance, including strategies to reduce water and energy usage, for all ESI members. This voluntary program also provides members with networking and outreach opportunities to learn about innovative solutions and share successes as they achieve their goals.
Cost Savings
ESI Members saved money by implementing environmental projects over the past 20 years
Gallons of Water Saved
ESI members implemented changes to significantly reduce water usage over the past 20 years
Fewer Tons of Waste
ESI members reduced the amount of waste going to landfills over the past 20 years
ESI Member Levels
Steward
The Steward level is our elite designation for organizations display a commitment to exemplary environmental performance beyond what is required by law.
Environmental Stewards demonstrate:
- Aggressive environmental performance goals
- Commitment to meet and go beyond compliance
- Community outreach and activities
Rising Steward
The Rising Steward level is designed for organizations that have a mature environmental management system.
Rising Environmental Stewards must meet the Partner level criteria plus:
- Demonstrate a mature EMS;
- Set measurable environmental performance goals; and
- Demonstrate a commitment to go beyond compliance.
Partner
The Partner level is designed for a broad range of organizations interested in developing a systematic approach to improving their environmental performance.
Partners must:
- Demonstrate commitment to compliance;
- Set environmental performance goals; and
- Agree to report annually.