REAP Calgary
Sustainability Profile: Prema Sai Wholistic Living
- What is your company's brand promise, vision or statement of values, and how does it relate to sustainability? Prema Sai's vision includes becoming the center of the wholistic community in Calgary, as well as being a resource for wholistic information and guidance worldwide. This includes guiding people towards choices that are sustainable for their lifestyles and for the planet at large.
- How are your products or services environmentally and socially sustainable? Our products and services are totally sustainable. For all of our bodywork and detox services, very little waste is created. Of the waste that is created (laundry, garbage bags, Kleenex, water) we make conscious choices to cut down on waste, reuse when it doesn’t trip the health code, and maintain a toxin and poison free environment. The products we sell are good for the environment and totally sustainable and reusable. This includes healthy living supplies such as laundry detergents, cleaning products, and natural body-care products.
- How does your company give preference to suppliers who create positive social and environmental benefits either through their products and services or through their community partnerships? We work with companies that are local to Calgary, Alberta or Canada - in that order. We prefer to deal with companies who we have a personal relationship with.
- How does your business minimize the environmental impact of its operations? Prema Sai currently:
- Reduces waste by not buying new unless it is totally necessary.
- Has a contract for recycling and waste diversion with a local recycling company.
- Collects compost from the staff kitchen.
- Always reduces paper consumption through double-sided photocopies.
- Uses environmentally acceptable cleaning supplies.
- Hires students and staff from local schools.
- Most of employees bike or walk to work!
- Eliminating plastic shopping bags from our business (Projected May 2008).
- Eliminating plastic bottles from our business (Projected May 2008).
- Purchasing 100% wind power from Bullfrog Power.
- Purchasing our building in order to completely green the building (the current landlord is preventing this growth) with a new heating system, solar panels and a roof top green-space. Our building gets great sunlight, and we plan on taking advantage of that soon!
- How does your business demonstrate ethical business conduct? Our company has policies and procedures in place to comply with ethical business conduct. We are too small now to create boards, hotlines or to need 3rd party audits, but when it's time we will be in line for sure.
- What strategic community partnerships does your company have in place? Prema Sai is very visible in the community as a resource for health and healing information. We field many phone calls everyday answering questions about pregnancy, childcare, and all kinds of ailments.
- What policy or guidelines exist to support charitable contributions? We advertise in and support community magazines and donate to fundraisers by way of gift certificates. Donations have been forwarded over the years to: Crime Stoppers, The Red Cross, Renfrew Child Services, Breast Cancer Awareness, The Arusha Center, The Make a Wish foundation, and many more. Early in Prema Sai's life, our staff banded together and held the "Rubdown for Relief" to help raise money for Tsunami relief efforts through the Red Cross by rubbing feet! We will participate once again in the 2008 Earth Dance celebration, raising funds for a local green charity.
- How many people do you employ locally?
- 6 Front Desk employees
- 2 Casual employees on contract (cleaning, small projects)
- 30 local health practitioners
- 20 Instructors in addition to the practitioners who teach
- In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee health and safety? Prema Sai has a monthly staff meeting where we discuss issues as they come up as well as review of new or existing protocols. We have first aid training once every six months, so that everyone is current on first aid and CPR.
- In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee development and job satisfaction? Employee and Contractor Benefits Include:
- 1 free wholistic service each month
- $10 footbath detoxification (retail price $55)
- 50% off workshops and classes
- FREE yoga and tai chi
- FREE Infrared sauna
- FREE Lymphatic Whole Body Vibration
- How does your business support employees to lead balanced lives and be active participants in their communities? Prema Sai has quarterly practitioner reviews where the owner and the staff/practitioner sit down for an hour and discuss personal balance, work, future goals and aspirations and opportunities. Together we monitor personal and professional balance and put intention into our working relationship. Practitioners and staff are encouraged to maintain physical balance through bringing healthy lunches and preparing them in the staff kitchen.
We view "wholistic living" as a concept incorporating body, mind, spirit and planet. Our company's objective is to help our clients feel great inside and to translate that into their environment. If you are clean and happy on the inside – you will work towards wanting a clean, healthy happy planet.
Can a great massage and sauna can translate into motivation to pitch in to build a better world? We think so.
We choose companies that use responsible materials – organic, locally made, fairly traded – and are mindful of packaging overuse. And that are rated positively for treating their employees with respect.
Prema Sai consigns giftware, jewelry and books from local artisans and authors to be sold in the store. Prema Sai is beautifully decorated with paintings from local artists, they are great to admire and it is great for the artists when they sell. We also support Calgarian Health Food Companies when finding vendors and if possible do not order outside of Western Canada.
We have taken advantage of the "Work Experience" program through the Calgary Board of Education and have employed six students through the program in the last three years from Calgary’s Alternative High School that are considering a career in Alternative health. We find this program to be an amazing win/win situation.
We are a proud member of REAP Business Association.
In our new Prema Sai Prenatal Clinic, staff working for under three hours are encouraged to take advantage of our child care service that is available during clinic hours for clients and practitioners.
