On April 24^th, Zappos hosted its second annual Earth Day Event in our Henderson HQ! We had 17 new and returning vendors join the Zappos LEAF Team in creating an awesome event to highlight how easy it is to go green.

Over 450 Zapponians hung out with us, enjoyed the sunshine, and learned about sustainable initiatives. Similar to last year, our metric for success is to teach each Zapponian at least one new eco-habit that makes a difference. Whether it is to use a reusable shopping bag or to buy brands that utilize recycled materials, every little habit or lifestyle change helps keep our planet a wonderful place to live.

We had all sorts of educational activities and giveaways for our employees. Our favorite: Repurpose America brought a giant earth mural painted by a local artist and hundreds of Zapponians used paint pens to leave messages of support for the planet by signing the canvas. The mural will be hung up inside the new downtown Zappos campus for all to see.

Special thanks to all of our friends who participated this year. Giant high fives to Zappos’ own DJ Ultra for bringing the beats and to our awesome Bistro team for grilling corn on the cob. We’ll see you next year at our 3^rd Earth Day party in downtown Vegas!

A Big "Thank You" goes out to these very special friends who made this Earth Day event possible:

Keen

prAna

Klean Kanteen

ChicoBags

EcoLUNCHBoxes

Whole Foods

Republic Services

Vegas Roots

Springs Preserve

Sierra Nevada

Vessel

BottleHood

Friends of Nevada Wilderness

A1 Organics

Repurpose America

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC)

EnergyFit Nevada

Check out more awesome news from LEAF on Twitter: @ZapposLEAF and on Instagram: #zappos_leaf

Happy Earth Day, friends! Zappos will be celebrating Earth Day this Wednesday by hosting our second annual Earth Day Event at our Henderson campus. In preparation for the event, we asked Zappos parents to enter their kids into our first Children’s Art Contest with a theme of, “How I care for the planet.”

We really want to highlight and recognize these kids for doing such an amazing job! Our kids are so important to us and are the reasons why we’re trying to leave the planet a better place, so that they can enjoy it the way we did. They are also the ones who will most likely solve many of the planet’s environmental challenges. After receiving the art entries, it was awesome to see how much our kids know about the planet and how to care for it! Show of hands: Did your child teach you and your family how to recycle?! Yep, ours too!

We’re so proud of all the kiddos that participated!! Below are the winners of the first Children’s Art Contest - Earth Day 2013. Each winner received a fabulous eco-friendly gift basket to help them continue to care for the planet.

Winners from ages 5 and under:

Winners from ages 6-10:

Winners from ages 11-14:

Check out more awesome news from LEAF on Twitter: @ZapposLEAF and on Instagram: #zappos_leaf

Trish C., a Receiving Exceptions Coordinator, was recently recognized as the recipient of the MOQ (Merchandiser of the Quarter) award for Q4. It is given quarterly to an individual who consistently goes above and beyond what is asked to make everyone's life a little bit easier and a whole lot more awesome.  We caught up with Trish and she shared some thoughts on the award and her shrewd thrifting skills, among other things.  She has a big heart, a warm personality and is a real team player.  It's easy to see why Trish was recognized for the MOQ award!

Congratulations, Trish!  How does it feel to be recognized by your Content peeps?

TC: I love Content!  Each department at Zappos is entwined in some way or another, but I like to think of Content as being one of my closest siblings.  It is such an honor to have them say I’m a superstar!

You are part of a very unique team as a Receiving Exceptions Coordinator.  Can you briefly describe what you do and how it relates to the Content and Merch departments?

TC: Briefly?  Oy.  LOL!  Basically, I communicate very closely with our fulfillment centers to ensure that product that gets stuck in the system somewhere gets resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible.  Product comes in that either wasn’t ordered, doesn’t have a PO (purchase order) attached to it, is the wrong color or isn’t even in our system.  I work with both Content and Merchandising to figure out what it is, why we have it and where it goes.

Share with us the single most crazy-busy day you have experienced so far at Zappos and how you persevered, WOWing those around you.

TC: I am nothing without my Peeps... and the ZCafe!  These are the things that keep me sane.  Crazy-busy day?  With 333 unassigned tickets in our queue, every day is a crazy-busy day!  LOL!

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever acquired from a garage sale?

TC: Probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever gotten at a garage sale would be an electrical insulator bought for $2 that I turned around and sold for $2500!  Wooohoooo!

As a fan of the written word, which book has offered the greatest impact in your life?

TC: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Finally, the big question!  NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, actress Alyson Hannigan and actor Steve McQueen all share a birthday with you.  Of these three, whom would you most like to meet and why?

TC: Steve McQueen would be my choice.  He was a great actor, he drove a motorcycle and he starred in epic films like The Blob (1958)!

Zappos saved tons of building materials and assets during the renovation of the old city hall building to donate to Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas. 125 fluorescent light fixtures, 85 sinks, 60 solid doors, 50 toilets, 20 water fountains, and much, much more will now go toward renovating homes in Las Vegas. Our awesome construction crew at Penta Building Group carefully removed the fixtures and assets so that they could be reused.

Randy Corwin, Area Field Manager for Penta, said, “I’m proud of our entire team. From the start, we were focused and committed to reach our waste diversion goals. The donation by Zappos helped us exceed these goals. And the best part is, ‘It’s the right thing to do.’”

Habitat for Humanity’s crews spent three days loading box trucks full of the assets. Tracy Gray, Donations Relations Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas, said, “Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas is very happy to receive these materials. This donation fits in perfectly with our ReStore motto “ReUse, ReCycle, ReNew, ReBuild.” 

Our Zappos development team is thrilled that these assets will be used in upcoming renovation projects, and others will be sold to support Habitat for Humanity’s mission to provide affordable, sustainable housing in Las Vegas.

Alex C., a Merchandising Assistant for the Athletic Performance Department, was recently recognized as the recipient of the MOQ (Merchandiser of the Quarter) award for Q3. It is given to an individual who consistently goes above and beyond what is asked to make everyone's life a little bit easier.  We caught up with Alex and he shared some thoughts on the award, as well as a glimpse into the windows of his soul.  Okay, it wasn't that dramatic.  We asked him some questions and he thoughtfully answered them!

Congratulations, Alex!  How does it feel to be recognized by your Content peeps?

AC: It feels amazing to be recognized by such an awesome team.

If you were mentoring a new Merchandising Assistant on your team, what one thing would you stress is important to a successful work relationship with Content?

AC: Appreciate, respect and understand your content team. Collectively, they are your right-hand man or woman.

Share with us the single most crazy-busy day you have experienced so far and how you persevered, WOWing those around you.

AC: My first day at Zappos was my craziest day here. Going from line showing to line showing, meeting to meeting and being introduced to so many new people that day, it was pretty overwhelming. I can honestly say though, without being cliché, staying calm and carrying on did get me through that day.

Having graduated from CSU-Fresno, you may or may not know Fresno is the fifth largest city in the state of California.  Can you name five of your most favorite places or things about Fresno?

AC:

 1) The Tower District! It's an awesome place to hangout, meet up with friends, grab a bite to eat, check out a show or have a drink at one of the awesome bars in the area.

2) The food! Fresno has great local spots that can't be beat! Not to mention the fresh fruit and vegetables that are grown in Fresno that go into the great local dishes.

3) Fresno also has great culture in both the art and music scenes. There are weekly and monthly art exhibits that rival those of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Fresno is also a destination for big music acts but is still rich in its great local music scene.

4) Being in the middle of California, Fresno is only a few hours away from destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Yosemite, the Central Coast and my favorite, Disneyland!

5) Lastly, you can't talk about Fresno without mentioning CSU Fresno or as we call it, Fresno State. It's a great university and home to the Fresno State Bulldogs. GO DOGS!

What is your favorite word in the Japanese language?

AC: Ganbatte - Good luck

Finally, the big question!  Rap luminary T-Pain, author Truman Capote and actor Tony Hale (Buster Bluth on TV's Arrested Development) all share a birthday with you.  Of these three, whom would you most like to meet and why?

AC: Truman Capote. I'm sure he would have some very interesting stories to share.

We’re rolling out (literally!) our new, state-of-the-art office chairs here in the Zappos Campus and we’ve made a little infomercial to show off its mind-blowing features. Ergonomics have never been so cool!

The LEAF (Leading Environmental Awareness for the Future) Team is always looking for ways to introduce new eco benefits to our fellow Zapponians. Last week, LEAF set up new, convenient Cell Phone Recycling Centers across our campus. We’re asking employees to clean out that drawer full of old cell phones, power cables, old school pagers, and even Zack Morris cell phones! (We know you have one!) It is time to get rid of that iPhone 1 or Razr you’ve been holding on to.

LEAF has partnered with Newsweek’s #3 Greenest Company in America, Sprint-Nextel, to launch this exciting initiative. Here’s how it works: LEAF collects the devices from employees and Sprint-Nextel recycles the equipment in an environmentally responsible manner. To seal the deal, Sprint-Nextel donates proceeds from the recycled material to a charity of our choice!

Stay tuned for updates about this and other green initiatives here at Zappos HQ!

On August 27^th, two hundred Zapponians made the move to their new office at 302 E Caron St. in downtown Las Vegas. These pioneers made the journey in advance of their other 1,500 colleagues who are scheduled to move there in October of 2013. The leased space in 302 E Carson offers a great opportunity to test innovative office strategies and ideas that will assist in the development of the new office space: cool strategies and ideas that also center on sustainability.

Why 302 E Carson? It had to be a space that could be renovated to fit Zappos’ culture and specific business needs, as well as provide a sustainable workplace. Ultimately, the 6^th and 7^th floors of the 11-story building at 302 E Carson were chosen to be Zappos’ first downtown office. Build out only took three months and on August 27^th, Kuzco the llama chewed through a ribbon made of carrots to welcome the Zapponians to their new home!

In this post, we’ll specifically look at four of the most prominent sustainable attributes of 302 E Carson and how they foreshadow what’s to come for Zappos’ future home at 400 Stewart (Old City Hall).

LEED Certification

In 2010, Thompson National Properties, the property owner, completed a major renovation of 302 E Carson. The renovation by Shangri Lai earned a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) for its core and shell. Some of the most noticeable LEED features that Zappos employees will get to experience are the low flow water fixtures in the restrooms that save 40% annually, the dual glaze windows to keep out the heat, the upgraded efficient HVAC equipment that keep the space comfortable, and the ample bike parking.

High Performance Recycling

The inhabitants at 302 E Carson are also experimenting with a unique recycling system. Unlike most traditional offices, waste bins at every individual desk are not present. Instead of purchasing two hundred 12-liter waste bins per desk or two hundred waste bins and two hundred recycling bins per desk, the design team bought only forty 46-liter split bin (recycle and waste) containers from Simplehuman and spaced them strategically throughout the office. The design team then went one step further; they flipped the traditional use of the split sides, using the larger waste side for recycling and using the smaller recycle side for waste. The bins are well marked with a quirky Zappos-style graphic sticker on the top lid that clearly labels the two sides and what goes in them. The graphic lists recyclables such as “paper, aluminum and plastic” and trash such as “dirty tissues, gum, boogers, and weird stuff.” According to Brad Tomm, Zappos’ Sustainability Manager, “the removal of bins from employee’s desks make the trash/recycle experience more active and less passive. Having to physically get up and place one’s trash in the bin creates an experience where people are more apt to do the right thing and take a brief moment to sort their waste correctly.” Using this system, Zappos’ goal is to recycle 80 – 90% of the office waste.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle

One of the favorite guest and employee perks at Zappos is the use of the fleet vehicles for transportation to and from the airport or important meetings. The Zappos Concierge team (ZCON) manages a fleet of six vehicles and one bus. New at 302 E Carson is Zappos’ first alternative-fueled vehicle, a CNG (compressed natural gas) Dodge mini van. This spacious little van was converted by World CNG and is fueled at Clean Energy’s numerous local fueling stations. This van will burn cleaner and produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional gasoline. As the fleet vehicles reach their life expectancy, Zappos plans to always give replacement priority to electric, hybrid, or CNG vehicles.

Sustainable Furniture

The last bit of clever coolness to cover is the choice to furnish the office space with the newest modular designs from Herman Miller, a company known for its strong commitment to environmental responsibility. Herman Miller’s Sense™ desking system was chosen for the office space because of its flexibility, compatibility and sustainability. Over two hundred desks offer employees modern work stations that can be moved, modified, and reconfigured without using a single tool. Zappos also chose the Sense™ desking system because it is comprised from 46% recycled content materials, contains FSC-certified wood and is GREEN GUARD^® certified as a low emitting product.

To wrap up, Zappos’ new office space at 302 E Carson is a really sweet spot. Think of it as a sneak peak for what’s to come at the NEW Zappos headquarters at 400 Stewart St. -- Coming soon in October 2013!