DIY Sustainability: Environics Research’s Climate Action Journey
We're proud to announce that as part of our Environics climate action plan, we have joined Green Economy Canada National Hub to help pursue clear sustainability goals and public reporting.
Environics Research’s Climate Action Journey – Part 1
Discussions about climate action often fixate on governmental failures at the national and international level, without adequately considering the role grassroots movements, and local entities (including businesses like Environics) can play in promoting positive change. The individuals working at Environics share a deep concern about the changing climate.
But as an organization, we had the same challenge that many citizens face: what should we be doing? What’s possible? What’s effective? What’s just for show – or, in the case of business, even greenwashing? These questions ultimately led us to join
Green Economy Canada
’s new National Hub – a commitment we were proud to announce today.
Our History & The Path Ahead
Environmental commitments are nothing new for our organization. We’ve been taking steps to be more sustainable for decades. In 1980, we introduced our first transit pass subsidy to encourage employees to use public transit – for both the urban and environmental benefits. We began powering our Toronto headquarters from renewable sources through Bullfrog Power almost as soon as that offering became available in the marketplace. We’ve also been an active participant in a sustainability group sponsored by our landlord, which has led initiatives in our building related to energy efficiency and reduction, water conservation, waste management, recycling and green cleaning.
Despite this history, over the last several years, as we contemplated how to respond to the climate crisis, we couldn’t see a clear path forward. Our concern and our motivation were real, and we didn’t want to do something that wasn’t truly worthwhile. We decided to begin by convening a small group to identify the areas most important for Environics to address, given our business, location, expertise, culture and other qualities. The result was the “Environics Research Plan for a Changing World.” The core elements, or pillars, of the plan: