Green Initiatives

Our Commitment to Sustainability 

PeoplesBank - Banking On The Environment

Through our green values and actions to support environmental sustainability, we believe that we can make the region a healthier place to live, work, and raise a family. Each Earth Day, our employees put those green values [PINTEREST] to work through an annual Environmental Committee Fair. We have also become increasingly recognized for our support of green energy and construction of LEED-certified offices, neither of which is a traditional activity for a regional community bank.

$60 Million in Green Energy Projects Financed

PeoplesBank started financing sustainable energy several years ago when we helped Holyoke Gas & Electric replace hydroelectric generators. That sustainable energy source actually provides electric power for three of our offices, including our headquarters at 330 Whitney Avenue in Holyoke. Building on that successful effort, our commercial lenders developed a niche expertise in creating financing packages for green energy power generation and, to date, have financed close to $60 million in wind, solar and hydroelectric power generation projects. We also began to rethink design plans for new offices in order to achieve energy efficiencies and lessen environmental impact.

Building Green Offices

Community banks are not known for building green offices, but PeoplesBank will open its third LEED-certified office in Northampton this year. Our LEED Silver-certified office in Springfield opened in 2010 and was awarded the city of Springfield’s GreenSeal [VIDEO] because of its innovation and the fact that it was the first building of that type in the city. Our LEED Gold-certified [VIDEO] office in West Springfield opened in 2011 and was the first green building in that community. Each of these buildings is highly energy efficient and minimizes the impact on the environment through the use of recycled and locally sourced materials where possible. The buildings also were developed on existing commercial land, meaning no additional land had to be used, and construction materials were recycled. Many of these same features will be replicated in our new Northampton branch.

Driving Green - EV Charging Stations

Electric vehicles (EV) are still somewhat rare, but PeoplesBank is already looking ahead and has installed EV charging stations [PINTEREST] in two locations. A third will be installed at the new Northampton branch. “PeoplesBank is giving me the ability to reduce my carbon footprint,” noted Peter Friedland, an EV owner who regularly recharges at the bank’s 330 Whitney Avenue location. “In general, New England is a very poor place to find charging stations, but many public stations do exist and can be found via smartphone apps and, of course, through the vision of PeoplesBank.” 

Growing A Green Culture

Our Environmental Committee helps instill green values at work and at home. Through our annual Environmental Fair [FLICKR], employees are introduced to green products and services. The fair features an electronic recycling service for employees so that they can keep old computers, monitors, televisions and more out of area landfills. The Environmental Committee started working with the Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) in 2012 and started a farmers’ market where employees could purchase locally grown produce and products. All employees receive a monthly newsletter from the committee that highlights recycling efforts, ridesharing, and other green tips. 

Banking with the Environment in Mind

• Direct Deposit, E-Statements, Online Banking, Mobile Banking & Bill Pay, ATM/Debit Card - all save paper!
• By switching to Direct Deposit, an individual employee, paid every two weeks, can:
  • Save a pound of paper per year
  • Avoid the release of 4 gallons of wastewater into the environment
  • Avoid the release of 1 pound of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which is equivalent to:
  • 4 miles not driven in your car
  • ½ square foot of forest preserved
• If every U.S. household paid their bills online, solid waste could be cut by 1.45 billion tons per year.
• For more environmentally smart banking, see Easy Checking.