Small initiatives, big impact: Canada's Greenest Employers (2022) make a 'buzz'

TORONTO, April 20, 2022 /CNW/ - While some sustainability initiatives may seem small, they can have a large impact. This idea permeates many of this year's most sustainable organizations, which are taking incremental steps to promote environmental awareness among their workforce and across their operations. Today, the best of these efforts were recognized as Canada's Greenest Employers for 2022 were announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc., the organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

Common initiatives at many of this year's winners include adding honeybee hives to their office grounds, installing charging stations for electric vehicles, or hosting tree-planting events to engage employees in their local communities. On their own, these initiatives may not seem so significant -- but according to Kristina Leung, Senor Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, they are an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to managing an organization that is truly rooted in sustainability. 

"From honeybee apiaries to community gardens, initiatives that may seem 'small' individually are actually supporting a collective culture of sustainability within organizations — especially when employees are at the forefront of these programs", she says. "When staff are engaged in their employer's green efforts, they tend to adopt these values and bring them into their homes and personal lives, which creates immeasurable positive change". 

A great thing about these initiatives is that they have adapted to meet the needs of today's quickly changing work environment, says Chantel Watkins, Junior Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "These employers are really putting their agility to use," she says. "In the context of rapid changes in the realities of work, these employers have kept pace -- giving their staff new and innovative ways to stay engaged in the practice of sustainability."

Notable initiatives at this year's winners include:

• At BC Housing, an employee-led council (Livegreen) hosts various challenges and initiatives throughout the year related to sustainability, including '7x7 Adapting to Change Challenge'.
  
  
• During the pandemic, Waterloo North Hydro encouraged employees to take part in a variety of activities designed to promote environmental awareness, including a Green Thumb Challenge to show off their gardening skills, a bike-tune-up day, a daily walk and a program to encourage up-cycling and reusing waste material at home and in the office.
  
  
• ABB, based in Saint-Laurent, Qc., sponsors small and big environmental initiatives, from installing two apiaries with over 13,500 honeybees at its Montréal campus to extensive in-house waste reduction and recycling programs.
  
  
• AET Group in Kitchener, Ont., encourages employees to take sustainable transportation via an in-house program that features an online tracker of commuting habits, up to $1,500 in subsidies for the purchase of alternative and fuel-efficient vehicles, generous transit subsidies and up to $250 for the purchase of a bicycle.
  
  
• Employees at Assiniboine Credit Union in Winnipeg are finding new ways to reduce waste and enhance the organization's recycling initiatives, from organic composting programs at the head office to electronic waste recycling in partnership with Indigenous-owned Mother Earth Recycling.
  
  
• The Energy Management Program at the University of Alberta offers micro grants up to $2,000 and major grants up to $50,000 to engage employees and students in support of projects that improve operations and practices, encourage environmental stewardship and support sustainability research.

Now in its 15^th year, Canada's Greenest Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness. Winning employers, selected by editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers, are evaluated using four main criteria: (1) unique environmental initiatives or programs they have developed; (2) whether they have been successful in reducing their own environmental footprint; (3) whether their employees are involved in these programs and contribute unique skills; and (4) whether their environmental initiatives have become linked to the employer's public identity, attracting new employees or customers.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 15 million Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of job-seekers annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

The full list of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2022 was announced today in a special magazine co-published with The Globe and Mail. Detailed reasons for selection for each of the winners were released by the editors today and are accessible via the competition homepage: https://www.canadastop100.com/greenest/

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Assistant Editor, 416-964-6069 x1477