Walking the Sustainability Footprint, One Step at a Time

Submitted by: Lisa J. Scott, Sustainability Consultant (Markham, Ontario)



Sustainability consultant, Lisa Scott

Climate change and Earth Hour—they go hand in hand, and tomorrow, on March 26th, 2011, the world will come together around the globe to turn their lights off for an hour to bring attention to climate change and how we all have a role in making a difference. Last year, hundreds of millions of people participated with over 4,000 cities and towns turning out their lights, across a record 126 countries. Why should you be a part of this initiative?

My career has spanned the climate change/sustainability realm, so I’ve seen almost every side of environmental work, non-profit, local and provincial government, and now the private sector. And no matter where I’ve worked, I still get asked the same questions: “What’s in it for me, my company, and our operations,” or “So what is sustainability, is it like recycling?” And probably my favorite: “Will all this ‘green stuff’ make any difference to what we are doing?” While some of these queries are quite fun and easy to answer, I often wonder why everyone doesn’t know what I know, what I am passionate about. That less is more—using less means saving more!

Remember when you were a kid, your mother would always “strongly encourage” you to turn the lights off the room you just left? That’s because mom knew if you left the lights on, the energy bill would be higher, which meant spending more money on bills, which meant you were stuck in a pair of hand-me-down shoes that weren’t very fashionable. Or recall a few years back, there was a push to start using cold water when doing laundry? Less hot water use means a cheaper gas bill. Obviously mom did know best (whether you wanted to admit it or not): reduced consumption = reduced expenditures.

The flipside of energy consumption is carbon emissions: less energy use means less carbon, or greenhouse gas emissions. That’s where I come in—applying this general knowledge to the corporate environment. I coordinate Stantec’s carbon and environmental footprint programs measuring everything from our offices’ energy consumption and business-related fuel use to their paper purchases.

As the Beatles said, “I get by with a little help from my friends,” and that’s certainly the case for this initiative. A point person in each of our offices plays a crucial role, gathering and submitting a vast amount of data for me to analyze and report on.

With support from our executive leadership, we use that information to develop performance improvements and to assist each office in their efforts to reduce operational costs and improve operations. We also have a team in the process of implementing ISO 14001, an environmental management protocol, across the whole company, an ambitious but necessary effort.

Each day while at work, I get to connect with a different office, a new person, and while they may not work in the environmental or sustainability field, they are engaged with what we are doing, and feel a part of something important.

Want to be part of something bigger? Join your family, your friends, and your neighbors and participate in Earth Hour on March 26th. Leave the lights off for more than an hour, get engaged with your office’s sustainability efforts, and spread the word! One person may not be able to change the world, but together, we can all make an impact on the footprint and legacy we leave behind—one step at a time!