One of Ever-Green Energy’s most important core values is People Matter. Ensuring employees have the knowledge and skills to be safe at work and promoting wellness in their lives are both important aspects of demonstrating this value.

In 2021, the District Energy St. Paul Safety Committee hosted their first annual Safety Awareness Day. At this event, the committee wanted to recognize the great efforts the Saint Paul operations made to keep everyone safe, especially during the challenges of COVID-19. This outdoor event turned out to be a beautiful day and a great opportunity for hands-on fire extinguisher training. A safety shoe vendor was onsite for employees who needed new work footwear. The Saint Paul Police Department and Office of Emergency Management were in attendance to speak with employees about personal safety and safety around the city while providing educational material from the American Red Cross and Minnesota Safety Council. To top it all off, employees had a great lunch from a local food truck.

Ever-Green also promoted personal wellness through activities and initiatives hosted by the LiveWell Health Committee including a step challenge for employees across all locations that offered comradery, good-spirited competition, and prizes for the top performers as well as a raffle for all participants. In addition to tracking standard steps, employees were encouraged to take on different activities throughout the summer that would also achieve a step equivalency such as biking, yoga, and lawn care. Teams of 3 compiled their activity data weekly, and the committee plotted what the progress would be if each team was traveling by foot between all Ever-Green operated facilities from Minnesota to Milwaukee to Ohio. It was great to see how quickly teams were able to rack up steps and also fun because employees were teamed up with and interacted with people from other facilities that they may not have had the opportunity to meet through work projects.