Kermit Collective Leverages Climate Vault Tools to Neutralize Carbon Impact & Catalyze Climate Action

In the fight against climate change, collective action is critical. No organization embodies this principle more than the Kermit Collective—a community of boutique software agency leaders who share a passion for doing great work for their clients while providing fulfilling careers for their employees. As a community of direct competitors who remain committed to fostering collaboration and meaningful dialogue between themselves, they have recognized that sustainability must be central to their mission. Each of the 30 companies, all coming from different cities and markets, have been affected by climate change. So, when it was time to plan their annual leadership retreat this year, they focused on a singular goal: using their influence to drive collective action against climate change. This realization led to their partnership with Climate Vault to verifiably minimize their environmental impact during their recent gathering and forge a roadmap for climate action.

The Kermit Collective prides itself on hosting intimate gatherings that foster thought leadership and community building. Sustainability has always been a priority for the Kermit Collective, but as Mark Rickmeir, Founder of Kermit Collective, explained, their 10-year anniversary in 2024 marked a turning point in their approach. 

“We got together and decided to make sustainability more of a priority. It’s always been important to us, but this year we took the steps to accommodate and manage our carbon footprint in a more structured way,” he shared.

As the Kermit team began to think more deeply about their environmental impact, they realized that their events could be contributing to climate change in ways they hadn’t fully considered. From electricity at their venue to transportation to the retreat, they wanted to assess and address that carbon footprint—no easy feat for a small and entirely remote organization. 

“Having the ability to understand your carbon footprint is always the first step,” Mark explained. “Without that understanding, it’s hard to take climate action that actually moves the needle.” 

As one of the goals of the retreat was to inspire deeper conversations on sustainability, Kermit Collective turned to Climate Vault’s Event Emissions Calculator to ensure the gathering had a minimal environmental impact. One of the key benefits of working with Climate Vault was the ease of using the Event Emissions Calculator. 

“It was great to be able to get the report and say, ‘This is the exact impact of everything we’re doing for the event,” Mark said. The tool closely measured multiple varied elements of their retreat, from attendee meals to on-site energy use, allowing the community to understand the full environmental impact of their annual retreat.  

As an added benefit of using the calculator, the group was also able to take swift action to verifiably offset those emissions through Climate Vault’s integrated carbon reduction and removal approach. 

“The Event Calculator gave us an opportunity to neutralize the emissions we created during our retreat—it wasn’t just about offsetting for the sake of it but also understanding how we’re contributing to the bigger picture,” Mark shared.

During the retreat, Mark used the data from the calculator to educate attendees on the impact the event had on the planet and what the Kermit Collective was doing to verifiably mitigate the damage to the atmosphere. This experience laid the groundwork for deeper conversations during the retreat on not only the organization’s long-term climate strategy but also those of its individual members.

While neutralizing the retreat’s carbon footprint was a critical step, the community’s commitment to sustainability didn’t stop there. Building on the insights from the Event Emissions Calculator, the Kermit Collective next introduced Climate Vault’s Climate Action Maturity Curve during the retreat. 

The interactive tool enabled attendees to assess their organization’s progress on climate action across various stages, from understanding their current emissions to setting climate goals to reporting frameworks. Each user then received actionable insights to help them push their climate action forward to evolve and  mature.

“The maturity model really helped spark important conversations among us,” said Mark. “What struck me was the realization of where we are on the curve versus where we need to be. It was eye-opening—almost like seeing your carbon footprint for the first time. You just can’t manage what you don’t measure.”

While the Event Emissions Calculator enabled Kermit Collective to measure and neutralize their event’s footprint, the Maturity Curve pushed attendees to assess where their businesses stood on their respective climate journeys. 

During the retreat one thing became clear: For the Kermit Collective and its members, sustainability isn’t just about reducing their own carbon footprint—it’s about inspiring others to do the same. 

Mark’s advice to other organizations just beginning their sustainability journey is simple: “The first step is at least to know what your footprint is—that forces the conversation. A valid answer is, ‘Not yet,’ but at least you’ve had the conversation about how you might go forward.”

Whether it’s through events or everyday operations, understanding your environmental impact is key to making informed decisions and fostering dialogue within your organization. 

Through its partnership with Climate Vault, the Kermit Collective has taken important steps to credibly measure, manage, and mitigate their annual retreat’s carbon footprint. For their team, sustainability is about more than just neutralizing the impact of one-off events. They are focused on long-term impact and are exploring ways to further integrate sustainability into their operations. 

“We realized that there is a bigger impact to be made,” said Mark. “What we have come to understand is the value of collective action and measuring it. We know this isn’t just about neutralizing one event, but about how we continue to drive this narrative forward as an organization and within our community.”

The Kermit Collective is committed to taking collective action to help solve one of the greatest challenges of our generation. Climate Vault is proud to support them one event at a time, as they credibly combat climate change and inspire others to join them on their climate action journey.

Climate Vault’s Event Emissions Calculator makes it simple to measure, reduce, and remove the carbon impact of your events—no matter the size. Get started calculating the footprint of your first event for free.