In recognition of the importance of taking immediate action to achieve a better, more sustainable future for our planet and all who inhabit it, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 specific targets, was adopted by all 193 member nations of the UN, including the United States. Signatories pledged to achieve these indivisible and universal goals by 2030 in order to build a sustainable world for all. 

View our 2030 SDGs

Where Tempest is Making a Difference

In June of 2022 the Tempest Technologies team went through SAVe Certification, becoming the first AV integration firm to become SAVe Certified. This effort was a huge commitment made at the ownership level to bring our team together for an intensive two-day workshop that educated everyone on the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ultimately led to the implementation of Tempest’s strategic sustainability plan.

During the process Tempest identified 5 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that most align with our business model. By focusing our efforts in areas that leverage our strengths as a small business, we can make meaningful progress toward achieving the following SDGs.

Goal 2: Zero Hunger

End hunger, achieve food security, and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

• Tempest will support local food banks and outreach programs through fundraising, volunteering, and other community efforts.
  
  
• Nearly 50% of the student population in our school district faces food insecurity and rely on in-school food programs every day. During holiday periods and summer breaks, other programs must fill the gap. We will seek opportunities to partner with these programs to donate food and offer volunteer support. 
  
  
• We will provide our team members with Volunteer Time Off (VTO) so that they can support events during normal work hours. 
  
  
• We will reduce food waste at home and in the office. 
  
  
• We will support local farmers and farmers markets, especially those who demonstrate sustainable practices. Buying in-season foods helps sustain native crops and plants.

Goal 4: Quality Education

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

• Tempest will offer our team educational opportunities, scholarships, professional training programs, and leadership training designed to support career advancement in the industry. 
  
  
• We will provide company internship opportunities to high school and college students. The internships will offer comprehensive training in a variety of areas including engineering, programming, field installation, project management, and sales. 
  
  
• Tempest will incorporate the 2030 SDGs into our training programs and branding to promote awareness. 
  
  
• We will offer SAVe certification workshops to partners in the industry and adjacent industries to advance the Agenda, placing special emphasis on Goal 12, ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Goal 5: Gender Equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

• Tempest ensures equality of compensation and opportunity for all employees regardless of their gender.
  
  
• Tempest will partner with local STEM programs, vocational schools, and technical colleges to offer internship opportunities to their female students involved in programming, coding, engineering, certification, and technical associate degree programs.
  
  
• Tempest Technologies Principle, President, and SAVe Board member Debbie Williamson provides guidance and mentorship to woman in the AV industry, encouraging them by example to be empowered to take on leadership roles.

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. 

• For Tempest, this involves substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse; and encouraging our clients, our families, and our manufacturers to follow suit and where applicable publicly report their efforts.
  
  
• Tempest will subject products to a Life Cycle Analysis to quantify the CO2 impact of the entire life cycle. When recommending products for AV integration projects, we will focus on the entire life cycle, giving preference to:
  
  
  • Products that can be produced with less energy and are produced by manufacturers that use renewable energy.
  • Products made from materials whose procurement and processing do not tax the environment.
  • Products from manufacturers that minimize the CO2 impact of packaging materials and transportation.
  • Products with energy-efficient operation. When components are energy efficient by design, total cost of ownership decreases, and disposal rates decrease in correspondence to increased durability.
  • Products that can be reused or repurposed.
  • Products whose components and materials can be recycled.
  • Products that are designed to be updated. For example: We will favor products that are modular in design so that hardware can be upgraded via modules, extending the useful life of each product.
• Tempest will participate in programs that provide schools, community organizations and NGOs with AV equipment that can be repurposed upon reaching their first end of life cycle.
  
  
• Tempest will help clients choose more sustainable options when integrating new technologies.
  
  
• Tempest will advocate for increased automation and device monitoring. Through centralized control of AV solutions and thorough data collection, facility managers and integrators can evaluate and improve the efficiency of solutions over time.
  
  
• Tempest will choose partners who demonstrate sustainability initiatives through their production and delivery cycles
  
  
• Tempest is committed to fully vetting all recycling partners to ensure that they maintain proper certifications and truly follow best practices at each step in the process. The vetting process will include site inspections and the requirement to provide us and our clients with acceptable certification in relation to all e-waste. They should have formal programs to reuse and repurpose components whenever possible.

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Tempest Technologies is an active sponsor of the Commission on Voluntary Service and Action (CVSA), an all-volunteer coordinating and consultative body of 200 grassroots nongovernmental organizations serving people and communities in need of systemic solutions to economic, social, and environmental problems. CVSA holds Special NGO Consultative Status to the Economic and Social Council at the UN, providing a voice for independent, voluntary organizations and the constituencies they serve.
  
  
• CVSA has launched a community education campaign for the implementation of the SDGs that Tempest has actively participated in by doing presentations about the SDGs to community organizations, businesses, and associations. Tempest is a sponsor of the upcoming edition of INVEST YOURSELF: A Guide to Action, a catalogue of volunteer opportunities, which will feature the 2030 SDGs and highlight the role of CVSA’s member organizations represented in the catalog. Tempest also sponsored the 2023 US People’s Report on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a comprehensive report compiled by CVSA. The report was distributed at the United Nations 2023 High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to UN agency representatives, individuals from other NGOs, and diplomats from countries around the world at UN summit this past summer. The report outlines programs and progress on achieving the 2030 SDGs through actions taken by grassroots organizations.

The Bigger Picture: Tempest Technologies and the AV Industry

Every sector of industry has a responsibility to advance sustainability – especially in the absence of any meaningful, coordinated action by the US government. The AV industry is no exception. By its very nature, our industry is well-positioned to make substantial progress in areas related to responsible waste management, life cycle carbon emission reduction, and reduced energy usage.

It is especially important that our industry acts now because the demand for AV solutions is growing, and the accelerating pace of technological development means that products are replaced in increasingly shorter cycles, leading to a number of associated environmental consequences. It’s therefore essential that we focus on responsible manufacturing, as well as reuse, repurposing, recycling, and reduction at every stage of the product life cycle, beginning with how materials are sourced for manufacturing, and concluding with how we dispose of the products at the end of their useful life.

Focusing on sustainability isn’t just essential for the health of our planet. It directly benefits the health of our businesses and our industry by better positioning us to address burgeoning market activities; reduce our exposure to a variety of business risks; and strengthening the very foundations of the economy: planet, people, prosperity, peace, and partnership.