Sustainable Business of the Year Awards Recognizes Gentle Giant
By Gabrielle Emerson, SBN Intern
When you think of sustainable business, moving companies may not immediately come to mind, but Gentle Giant goes above and beyond the call of duty to support local businesses in the communities they serve. Beyond providing top notch moving services for four decades, this Somerville-based company has also demonstrated incredible commitment to use their expertise to improve our communities.
Gentle Giant is a proud partner of the Sustainable Business Network and a model of our mission. This partner works hard to support responsible initiatives which reduce waste as part of a sustained dedicated to environmental protection. Gentle Giant uses exclusively moving boxes from companies who participate in the Sustainable Forestry Initiative programs that can be recycled and reused. Incorporating sustainable practices into the valuable services they provide Gentle Giant demonstrates the power of corporate citizenship.
In addition to their environmental efforts, Gentle Giant puts their movers and trucks to work for sporting events, housing support for those in need, food distribution, and community events. Gentle Giant takes workplace diversity seriously and employs recruiting strategies focused on developing and supporting a workforce hired in partnership with inner city school systems and sports programs. Gentle Giant institutionalized their commitment to supporting local businesses in their community through establishing the Gentle Giant Charitable Foundation in 2005, focused on youth leadership and development as well as housing assistance and homeless prevention.
All around the greater Boston area, you can see the fruit of these efforts in various communities. As part of the “More Than Words” initiative, Gentle Giant movers collect thousands of books each year from customers and donates them to youth who are in foster care, court-involved, homeless, or out of school. The movers also work with “Second Chances” to help with transportation needs associated with ensuring donated clothing gets to those who may need it safely. Similarly, Gentle Giant collects non-perishable food from customers and events and delivers them to local food banks.
This sustainability focused moving company works to divert material and food waste from our landfills while providing critical services to our more vulnerable residents with an eye toward the future. The Gentle Giant Rowing Club, for example, is a Somerville-based nonprofit organization dedicated to introducing sports and river preservation to all young people, regardless of background or ability to pay. By maximizing and extending the utility of our resources and reinvesting in our youth, Gentle Giant exemplifies the power of innovating sustainable business practices.
Amongst other numerous awards Gentle Giant has won, we would like to recognize and thank them for their invaluable efforts to make the Boston Local Food Festival possible. Each year, Gentle Giant donates their time, trucks, and moving boxes to assist vendors as they set up and cook on site. We are so proud to have an organization like Gentle Giant in our community and to be able to recognize their work. Although the 2020 Sustainable Business of the Year Awards have been postponed due to public health concerns, Gentle Giant continues to serve their customers and pursue educational efforts about the virus. This company is a valuable partner not only for the services they provide for the Boston area but also as a model for any company that wishes to commit more fully to their community.