Verdis Group: 2024 Year-in-Review
As we enter a new year, the Verdis team wanted to share our 2024 year in review – a year of remarkable growth and impactful projects. Our journey in the past year has been shaped by meaningful collaborations, client success stories, and a collective effort toward a thriving and resilient world.
If you’re looking for our team-focused year in review, click here! Below are just a few of the highlights from this year:
Climate Action and Resilience Plans
We love co-creating climate action and resilience plans that help our partners understand where they are, align around a vision of where they want to be, and have a roadmap with strategies that integrate action across their organization. We had more climate action plans than ever in 2024, including Metro Parks Tacoma, Caretakers of Wonder, Kirkwood Community College, SSA Group, and the City of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Project Highlights
Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC)
Over the past five years, the MAC has leveraged a Living Systems framework to create momentum toward its sustainability goals. Knowing that living systems evolve with feedback, we have helped the MAC develop new feedback loops to engage MAC staff through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and workshops. Additionally, we support their Executive Steering Committee (ESC), an active and engaged leadership group comprised of MAC staff leadership that applies lessons on resilience and adaptability from natural living systems to the MAC’s ongoing sustainability work. MAC staff continues to engage more people in new ways in sustainability efforts. Combined with a proactive mindset and strategic planning, the MAC continues to make progress toward achieving its 2030 sustainability goals.
SSA Group
With our amazing partner, SSA Group, we completed an intentional and engaging process of creating a Climate Action Plan with over 85 of SSA Group’s team members.
For the last 50 years, SSA Group has furthered the mission of more than 90 zoos, museums, aquariums, and other cultural attractions. By enthusiastically co-creating an actionable plan, SSA leadership is aligning around a shared vision and identifying clear next steps to ensure they are a thriving and resilient leader for generations to come. They are well on their way to achieving net zero emissions by 2040.
Food and Agriculture
We are now working with several organizations in the food and agriculture space. These partnerships have been extremely fulfilling and have allowed us to achieve our goal of creating a bigger impact right here in the Heartland.
We recognize the agriculture space’s huge potential for combating the climate crisis and building resilience. Collaboration across the agricultural supply chain is necessary to solve shared challenges and drive a more sustainable future for the entire industry. We’re excited to continue problem-solving and co-creating solutions with our partners!
Read about our takeaways from this year’s Sustainable Agriculture Summit here.
Our Work with Zoos and Aquariums
Working with the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) inspires us every single day. The ACP’s dedication to sustainability and conservation showcases the incredible power of collective impact.
In collaboration with the ACP and SSA Group, we’re proud to have developed industry-wide resources that help zoos and aquariums assess their emissions and implement sustainable purchasing practices. The ACP Sustainable Procurement Guide and ACP’s aquarium and zoo-specific GHG Inventory Calculator are impactful tools available to ACP and Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) members nationwide.
Verdis Group has been honored to work with 45 AZA member zoos and aquariums in North America.
Joining the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)
Verdis Group is already the proud partner of 21 WAZA member zoos and aquariums in North America, and we are so proud to be a new corporate member of this global alliance. We had an enlightening experience at the 79th WAZA Conference in Sydney, Australia, and we look forward to much more.
Zoos and aquariums are respected and trusted voices for conservation and, increasingly, for sustainability. WAZA members are cultivating a sustainable future for animals, people, and the planet. From WAZA’s 10-year Sustainability Strategy to the WAZA guides on greenhouse gas emissions, forests, plastic, and palm oil, this global community is already making incredible strides in protecting our planet.
Read the WAZA press release here, and read more at Blooloop.
Heading into 2025
As we look back on 2024, our team is immensely grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the global sustainability movement. Our mission is to co-create a thriving and resilient world, and the trust of our clients allows us to do this every single day. The positive impact of our projects fuels our enthusiasm for the challenges ahead. We are excited about the possibilities that 2025 holds and remain committed to climate action that counts!
About Verdis Group
Founded in 2009, Verdis Group is headquartered in Omaha, NE with staff in Arizona, California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Ohio. Verdis Group, a certified B Corp, provides consulting services for climate action planning and implementation for cultural and religious organizations, higher education, municipalities, zoos and aquariums, and the financial services industry.