Sustainable Business Practices
Designing a Sustainable Future
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Our collective behavior – as businesses, economic leaders and consumers – has created an unsustainable world.
To begin making our world more sustainable, we aspire to the “cradle-to-cradle” closed loop sustainability concept advanced by American architect, William McDonough. It is not enough to reduce, reuse and recycle, we must create products and systems that are efficient and without waste.
To make improvements we apply the ‘continuous improvement’ aspects of our Quality process – each improvement is one step toward a more sustainable future.
We are not specialists in sustainability – the overall subject is just too new a discipline, too broad, too deep and evolving at an ever-quickening pace. But we are becoming informed, improving our everyday practices, and assisting our clients and industry associates, wherever practical. Our initiatives include:
1. Our energy is 100% renewable, sourced from Bullfrog Power.
2. We purchase carbon offset credits from Planet Air to compensate for the impact of our air travel.
3. We fund our own recycling, modeled on the use of the blue box collection system.
4. Purchases are focused on products with FSC and/or post-consumer recycled content (i.e., photocopy paper, printed literature, pens, paper towels) and our coffee has fair-trade certification.
5. Our literature is printed using a waterless process that virtually eliminates the release of harmful VOCs into the atmosphere and avoids excessive water use and contamination.
6. Lighting has been converted to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.
7. We are working with our landlord, Conundrum Capital Corporation to “green” our building in accordance with the GoGreen Plus program of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). Our head office location has been identified as Conundrum’s test site for innovation in sustainability.
8. Staff members are attending the Packaging Association of Canada’s sustainable packaging training.
9. We have installed an exchange table for our staff and other companies within our building, to pass along unwanted items so that the life of these products is extended.
10. Our “Seeing Green” reference guide helps everyone understand a multitude of designations relating to sustainability.
1. Our energy is 100% renewable, sourced from Bullfrog Power.
2. We purchase carbon offset credits from Planet Air to compensate for the impact of our air travel.
3. We fund our own recycling, modeled on the use of the blue box collection system.
4. Purchases are focused on products with FSC and/or post-consumer recycled content (i.e., photocopy paper, printed literature, pens, paper towels) and our coffee has fair-trade certification.
5. Our literature is printed using a waterless process that virtually eliminates the release of harmful VOCs into the atmosphere and avoids excessive water use and contamination.
6. Lighting has been converted to more energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.
7. We are working with our landlord, Conundrum Capital Corporation to “green” our building in accordance with the GoGreen Plus program of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). Our head office location has been identified as Conundrum’s test site for innovation in sustainability.
8. Staff members are attending the Packaging Association of Canada’s sustainable packaging training.
9. We have installed an exchange table for our staff and other companies within our building, to pass along unwanted items so that the life of these products is extended.
10. Our “Seeing Green” reference guide helps everyone understand a multitude of designations relating to sustainability.
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. > Rachel Carson