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More than 25 BECU employees stand and kneel in the sun in front of a red tent with the white BECU logo that is set up on a sidewalk. Bushes, trees and the Tukwila Financial Center are in the background.

How BECU Supports Sustainability

BECU employees connect with local communities through hands-on volunteer efforts and year-round operational work that supports environmental sustainability.

Portrait of Katie J. Skipper

Katie J. Skipper (She, Her, Hers)
BECU Community Content Manager
Published May 8, 2026 in: BECU in the Community

4 minutes

Takeaways: How BECU Works To Benefit the Environment

  • BECU employees support environmental sustainability through hands-on volunteer efforts.
  • Employee-led projects include habitat restoration and caring for pollinator-friendly green spaces.
  • Employees' efforts are reinforced year-round by BECU's operational sustainability work across the organization.
  • BECU and the BECU Foundation also advance sustainability and member resilience through grants, recycling events and disaster-response support.

On a sunny day in April, a group of BECU employees took a break from their usual work of supporting financial health and stepped outside to focus on environmental health.

For the members of this crew, the Earth is worth celebrating and protecting all year long.

"I've been passionate about sustainability since I started at BECU," said Joao V.S., a member consultant at the Eastside Financial Center in Bellevue.

Joao sees a vital connection between financial services and the environment: "Our financial system is built on how to manage the resources our communities have. It's crucial we focus on environmental sustainability to guarantee we have resources to exchange and add value to."

Equipped with gardening gloves, shovels and tools, about 20 employees, many sporting spring-green T-shirts, headed out to the Tukwila Financial Center's backyard to clean up a section of the Duwamish River Trail and tend to a pollinator garden.

Passion for Pollinators

Becky S., a senior compliance auditor at BECU, came up with the idea for the pollinator garden, which was planted in 2025.

She worked with BECU's Facilities team to transform a 10-foot-by-20-foot area, removing a tangle of nonnative shrubs, replacing soil and planting more than 20 plants like lupine, bee balm, black-eye Susan and Douglas aster. Native plants were prioritized because they use less water, thrive in the local environment and attract local pollinators.

"Doing this one small thing can have a huge impact," Becky said. "Pollinators really contribute to our food supply."

She and other volunteers check on the garden throughout the year. "When I'm out pulling weeds, people walking by will say, 'This is really cool. Thanks for putting this in,'" Becky said.

As the plants have grown, Becky has seen bumblebees, mason bees and leafcutter bees buzzing around the garden.

Two BECU employees wearing spring green T-shirts with the Environmental Sustainability Employee Resource Group logo on the front smile while standing under a red tent.
Becky S. and Joao V.S. are active members of BECU's Environmental Sustainability employee resource group.
Two signs stand together on wire stands surrounded by soil and logs. Green text on white background says "Pollinator Garden" on the left sign and "Jardin Polonizador" on the right sign. Text below the title describes the pollinator garden. A dark green stripe with white text shows the BECU logo and Environmental Sustainability. The employee resource group's logo is on the lower left.
A garden featuring native plants attracts pollinators such as bumblebees and mason bees.

Duwamish Trail Cleanup

BECU's Environmental Sustainability employee resource group partners with Green Tukwila to clean up litter and restore the riverbank and trail along the Duwamish River. Green Tukwila supplies the tools, and BECU employees roll up their sleeves to remove debris and plant native species.

BECU volunteers have worked on trail cleanup projects for more than a decade.

"When you look at the work our organization has done on our side of the river, you can tell the difference," Becky said.

Supporting Sustainability

Joao has been working to expand the reach of the employee resource group's efforts by building partnerships and connecting volunteers with opportunities to get involved.

The employee resource group was instrumental in advocating for more employee access to ORCA cards for public transportation and the installation of electric vehicle charging stations at the Tukwila Financial Center, among other efforts.

A kneeling man digs in the dirt in preparation for planting a small plant that is next to him in a pot on the ground.
Emmanuel M. prepares the soil in the pollinator garden for a seedling.

"BECU supports sustainability with so much drive," Joao said. "It's a topic that's sometimes hard to fully comprehend — how making a deposit is not the same as planting a tree, but there is a relationship there."

He sees the connection through BECU's support for communities and nonprofits.

In addition to Green Tukwila, other examples include volunteer work with Friends of the Centennial Trail to clean up the Spokane River Centennial Trail, and later this year, a group will join Puget Soundkeeper Alliance for a kayak-powered cleanup effort.

Sustainability in Daily Operations

Environmental sustainability at BECU extends beyond supporting employee resource groups to driving sustainability efforts throughout the organization's operations.

Natasha R. is BECU's sustainability and measurement director and co-founder of the environmental sustainability employee resource group. She works on short- and long-term initiatives, like calculating the company's carbon footprint, supporting efforts to install electric vehicle charging stations at the Tukwila Financial Center and developing programs to help members finance their own green projects.

BECU and the BECU Foundation pursue sustainability across several fronts, including environmental justice, waste reduction and climate change.

Over the years, efforts have included:

  • Green Equity Initiative grants to address inequities caused by climate change, expand equitable green jobs and provide sustainable and equitable housing.
  • Shred and e-cycle events for members and communities to responsibly dispose of sensitive paper documents and electronic waste.
  • Battery recycling for employees at Neighborhood Financial Centers across Western Washington to help prevent disposal that can harm the environment.
  • Disaster-response funding for communities and financial relief for members affected by flooding and more frequent extreme weather.
  • BECU is exploring new sustainability programs to reduce its footprint and help members and communities adapt to the changing environment.

"Sustainability in the past wasn't defined the same way we define it today," Natasha said. "We used to only measure and report to demonstrate compliance. Now we're talking about how sustainability can benefit members and employees. It's a business imperative and a market differentiator."

The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized financial, tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Before taking any action, you should always seek the assistance of a professional who knows your particular situation when making financial, legal, tax, investment, or any other business and professional decisions that affect you and/or your business.

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Portrait of Katie J. Skipper

Katie J. Skipper (She, Her, Hers)
BECU Community Content Manager

Katie writes for BECU about personal finance and social justice topics. Her career spans reporting for newspapers and communicating on behalf of government agencies and private businesses. Learn about Katie's career and education on LinkedIn.