Sustainability Policy
Nova Arc recognizes current threats to our environment and supports the protection of our planet by addressing the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
To support these goals, Nova Arc operates as a fully remote business, which helps limit its environmental impact via elimination of additional electricity use, transportation emissions, and paper and plastic use. Nova Arc also recognizes the need to further limit its electronic emissions, which informs business decisions in our home offices, website design, and more. We continue to look for additional ways to offset emissions, support sustainable practices, and partner with companies and organizations that also support planetary health.
We also diligently work to remain informed about the environmental impact and concerns around artificial intelligence (AI), and we practice responsible technology usage with an eye to environmental protection and water conservation. This is one reason why we choose not to use AI to write or edit content. AI uses large amounts of water to cool data center servers. The average conversational exchange with “ChatGPT amounts to dumping a large bottle of fresh water out on the ground,” says Gizmodo. Considering the climate crisis and the related water crisis, we understand the importance of conserving water for people and the planet.
We commit to using only Microsoft 365 Copilot and Google AI for non-writing and non-editing tasks, such as research and public document scanning. See Nova Arc’s AI policy for more detailed information.
Anti-Human Trafficking Policy
Nova Arc Content Co. condemns and prohibits employees, partners, subcontractors, or clients from participating in human-trafficking-related activities. These include trafficking of people; allowing child labor;, using force, fraud, or coercion to subject a person to involuntary servitude; or forcing someone to work using threats of harm to them or someone else.
Examples of coercive human trafficking activities include:
- Destroying or denying access to an employee’s identity or immigration documents
- Using misleading or fraudulent practices to recruit employees, such as failing to disclose key terms and conditions of employment
- Failing to provide an employment contract or work document where required by law
Nova Arc will take appropriate disciplinary action for violations of these rules, up to and including termination of employment and/or contracts with subcontractors, partners, and clients. We do not punish employees and have a nonretaliation policy for whistleblowers who identify suspicion or evidence of human trafficking.
Nova Arc cooperates fully with the U.S. government and other appropriate governmental authorities in audits or investigations relating to such violations. Employees of Nova Arc are required to cooperate in any internal or external investigation of suspected wrongdoing under this policy.
Any person who witnesses or suspects trafficking behavior should report it to their immediate supervisor. If concern exists about escalating that concern to anyone in leadership, concerns should be reported directly to the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888, TTY: 711, Text* 233733, https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en.
Social Responsibility Policy
Part of Nova Arc Content Co.’s mission is to make science and knowledge accessible to everyone, and to be a leader in equitable hiring and employment practices.
Our experienced team of writers and editors addresses gender norms, roles, and inequalities by making sure that language is accessible, readable, and inclusive. As a company, we write and edit content using conscious language. Oftentimes, people unintentionally exclude others with their word choice. Our team drafts copy with inclusive, conscious language and addresses biased, discriminatory, and harmful language in editing reviews. Beyond that, we educate about the ways language can create, reinforce, challenge, or remove barriers and gender inequalities and how others can endeavor to use inclusive, conscious language.
As a company, Nova Arc takes concrete steps to ensure hiring and employment are inclusive and equitable. Within the hiring process, job postings include salary, interview scheduling is flexible, any requested demonstration of skills is paid, and previous salary is not asked. For employees, remote work is standard, employee schedule is flexible and self-selected, and company-funded employee development is offered, among other practices.
Our chief executive officer, Heather E. Saunders, is an expert in editing for inclusivity and routinely teaches on the subject. In addition, Nova Arc is self-certified as a women-owned small business (WOSB) and an economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) and is pursuing official certification.
To ensure that we’re not perpetuating gender, racial, and other biases, Nova Arc Content Co. also does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to write or edit content. These technologies are developed by humans, so “bias in these systems is pervasive,” according to Stanford Social Innovation Review. We are aware of the biases common to AI, which detract from gender equality and undermine inclusivity. This is why we always use human-crafted copy, incorporating conscious language choices to reduce bias and promote equality.