Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Efforts

What steps does our company take to help protect both the environment and public health, and reduce our overall carbon footprint?

At Babcock Labs we perform analyses every day that help protect both the environment and public health. However, we know that our obligation to safeguard our community and the environment does not end there. We know firsthand how important water is to our drought-stricken state which is why our premises feature water-smart landscaping that conserves the precious resource. To ensure that we are using energy efficiently, our facilities have been audited by the City of Riverside Public Utilities. When it comes to recycling resources, our lab processes recycle cardboard, aluminum, glass, and plastic where possible. Trees are yet another precious resource which is why we’ve moved our clients to paperless EDD reports. We also know firsthand how dangerous constituents enter our waterways because of improper disposal of hazardous and electronic wastes, which is why we separate our wastes and dispose of them properly.   

We are currently adopting new methods to reduce solvent use (and eliminate it completely in certain analyses) and, subsequently, reduce the potential for pollution. We are also in the process of moving our entire office to paperless processes. Our future initiatives include finding company-wide solutions that utilize sustainable resources.

Does our company act as a devoted corporate citizen? How does our company benefit and serve the community?

Babcock Labs has a rich history of educational and social program contributions, as well as industry contributions. Since our establishment in 1906, our staff—particularly our leaders—have volunteered their personal time, resources, and expertise for the betterment of the community. Our commitment to educational and social programs within the Inland Empire is not just part of our history, it is a core component of our corporate values. 

Below is a list of the organizations/institutions Babcock Labs supports through various programs, partnerships, and committee memberships: 

• Riverside Unified School District (RUSD)

• University of California, Riverside (UCR)

• Citizen’s University Committee (CUC) at UCR

• Rotary Club of Riverside

• City of Riverside

• Riverside County Department of Environmental Health (RCDEH)

• California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB)

• Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce

• United Way of the Inland Valleys (UWIV)

• Desert Alliance for Community Empowerment

• Pueblo Unido

• California Association of Sanitation Agencies Education Foundation (CASA EF)

• Second Harvest Food Bank

• American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL)

• Rotary International

• American Diabetes Association (ADA)

Education

We are extremely passionate about science education which is why every year Babcock Labs provides analysis and consultation for students’ science fair projects. In addition, we support programs that promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. Below are a list of some STEM programs that we are involved with:

• Success in Science & Technology: Engagement with Role-Models (SISTERS)

  • The goal of SISTERS is to engage middle school girls in STEM and provide mentors who will help prepare them for pursuing a career in STEM.

  • This program is a partnership between UCR College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, Riverside University School District (RUSD), and the City of Riverside Citizens Science Committee.

• Girls Excelling in Mathematics with Success (GEMS)

  • This event connects middle school girls interested in STEM with successful women who are professionals in their respective STEM fields.

  • This program is put on by United Way of the Inland Valleys.

• California Association of Sanitation Agencies Education Foundation (CASA EF)

  • The scholarship program supports college students in a wide variety of academic endeavors spanning public administration, environmental sciences, engineering, wastewater process operations, natural resources, water resources and resource economics.

  • Babcock Labs has also made donations to this scholarship program.

In addition to our support of STEM programs, Babcock Labs also advances science education by participating in outreach programs which include: 

• Babcock Labs provides informational lectures and training sessions to UCR students and staff on a quarterly basis.

• Thermo Fisher Scientific has asked Babcock Labs to serve as a resource for Thermo clients by providing informational lectures and training sessions for various Thermo instruments.

Social

Beyond education, Babcock Labs is also passionate about protecting and preserving public health. As such, we have been involved in many projects that help underserved community members. One project that we are particularly proud of our involvement with is the The Drinking Water Treatment Partnership Project. This project provided drinking water filters to mobile home communities with known high levels of arsenic and/or fluoride in their water sources. Our laboratory provided free water analysis for this project, both pre- and post-treatment.The other partners involved in this project included the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, the La Quinta Rotary Club, Rotary International, the Desert Alliance for Community Empowerment, and Pueblo Unido. 
 
Some of our past initiatives include participating in a mentoring roundtable for career development at University of California, Riverside (UCR), providing funds to the EnviroTeam at Ramona High School to help them travel to regional and national competitions, and participating in a freeway cleanup. Some of our current initiatives include food drives for Second Harvest Food Bank (Feeding America), food drives for the local animal shelter, toy drives for underserved children, and in-house campaigns to support United Way of the Inland Valleys.

Industry

Many of our staff members—particularly our leaders—have made significant contributions to the analytical testing industry. Our Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Allison Mackenzie, who currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Riverside chapter of Rotary International, is also on the advisory board for the Water Resources Institute (WRI) of California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) and serves on the Environmental Sciences Section Committee of the American Council of Independent Laboratories (ACIL). In October of 2014, ACIL awarded Ms. Mackenzie the Preston S. Millar Award for her outstanding service and notable contributions to the lab community.    

With the recent transfer of Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP) and the Drinking Water Program (DWP) to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), our industry faces major changes. Ms. Mackenzie has played a vital role as an advocate for the entire environmental testing industry, calling for improvements that help promote and protect the public health via high ethical standards. In 2014, Babcock Labs and ACIL partnered to host a forum where CEOs, Lab Directors, QA Managers, and other representatives from numerous commercial laboratories around the state discussed the ELAP reorganization and steps the lab community should take to preserve and sustain respectable data quality. In July, 2015, she spoke at the Environmental Measurement Symposium (EMS) in Chicago on laboratory expectations for meaningful state ELAP reform. This symposium is co-sponsored by The Nelac Institute (TNI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is the combined meeting of the Forum on Laboratory Accreditation and the National Environmental Monitoring Conference (NEMC). 

Our Executive Vice President of Development Public Affairs & Advocacy is also a key advocate for small business. Ms. Mackenzie is often involved in promoting both small local business and women in business, as she feels very strongly about the importance of these economic drivers. She has worked with Riverside officials on these issues and was asked by Congressman Mark Takano to speak at his event called, “When Women in Business Succeed, America Succeeds.”

Does our company operate as an economically responsible business? How does our company foster economic growth?

As a small business founded in Riverside in 1906, Babcock Labs has withstood the economic ups and downs of the past century. Throughout our history serving the Inland Empire, we have always held ourselves responsible for contributing to the economic growth and well-being of our local community, the state of California, and the nation as a whole. This accountability is established through smart, sustainable business practices and strategic planning. 
                           
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration: 

• “The 23 million small businesses in America account for 54% of all U.S. sales.”

• “Small businesses provide 55% of all jobs and 66% of all net new jobs since the 1970s.”

• “Since 1990, as big business eliminated 4 million jobs, small businesses added 8 million new jobs.”

Babcock Labs makes a sustainable workforce its top priority. Our Strategic Planning efforts ensure employees are able to keep their jobs even during difficult economic times. These efforts also include extensive analysis of business operations and practices to maximize efficiency and, in turn, generate profit growth. This careful analysis allows for employees to enjoy great benefits and full-time work schedules. 

Babcock Labs has an extensive history of offering employment opportunities to the local community, hiring locally educated candidates, exercising ethically sound and economically responsible business practices, providing employees with opportunities for growth and leadership, and contributing to the local, state, and national economies. With our recent transition to 100% employee-owned, Babcock Labs now provides employees with the opportunity to own stock in the company. Operating under an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) enhances the long-term sustainability of Babcock Laboratories and provides the company with the opportunity to grow and prosper for the next 100 years.

We are very proud of our CSR efforts and our staff who make our environmental, social, educational, industrial, and economic contributions possible. We are strongly committed to protecting the environment and public health, and know that our analytical services as well as our CSR efforts are evidence of that commitment. If you have questions about our CSR, please contact info@babcocklabs.com.