UU直播 named one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers for fifth consecutive year
By: UU直播 Office of Sustainability/Human Resource
Originally published in the UU直播 Reporter on April 20, 2022
UU直播 has been named one of Canada鈥檚 Greenest Employers for the fifth consecutive year, Mediacorp Canada announced earlier today.
The designation 鈥渞ecognizes the employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness in their organizations,鈥� explains Mediacorp Canada, an editorial group that hosts a series of competitions that recognize organizations that support employee success and engagement across different areas.
鈥淢ore than ever, employees and job seekers are showing a preference for workplaces that align with their values. This designation reflects the importance of sustainability efforts that many UU直播 employees support and contribute to in tangible ways,鈥� said Diana Dutton, Associate Vice-Principal Human Resources.
Staff spark change with the Sustainability Projects Fund
Like in past years, the Greenest Employer designation recognizes the staff-driven culture of sustainability at UU直播. Tools such as UU直播鈥檚 flagship聽Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF)聽allow community members to become agents of change in their own areas of work or study by providing the funding and support needed to kickstart sustainability initiatives. The SPF is the largest fund of its kind in Canada, valued at $1 million annually.
鈥淭he Sustainability Projects Fund is a cornerstone of sustainability at UU直播,鈥� said Executive Director of Sustainability Francois Miller. 鈥淲e are proud to offer our staff, students and faculty the tools and support to become agents of change, further embedding sustainability into the DNA of our University.鈥�
Such staff-led initiatives include the Solin Hall Green Roof project, led by Maintenance Manager Jonathan Rousham. When it became clear that the roof on the annex of the Solin Hall residence needed to be replaced, Rousham applied to the SPF to conduct聽.
On the Macdonald Campus, a cohort of staff, students, and faculty members chose to honour the University鈥檚 bicentennial celebrations by planting 200 trees in underutilized areas, also with support from the SPF. The tree planting, which took place from October 2020 to October 2021, allowed members of the UU直播 community to engage in the greening of the campus while improving the pedestrian experience and creating learning and teaching opportunities for Farm Management Technology and Plant Science courses.
All in for zero-waste
UU直播鈥檚 significant commitment to becoming zero-waste by 2035 is also recognized by the Greenest Employer designation.
Since 2020, UU直播 has installed more than 400 standardized waste sorting stations as a part of the University鈥檚聽Waste Reduction and Diversion Strategy 2018-2025. With additional support from RECYC-QU脡BEC, the province鈥檚 recycling agency, and the SPF,聽聽in more than 20 major academic buildings across both the downtown and Macdonald Campus.
鈥淲e鈥檙e thrilled to be contributing to UU直播鈥檚 sustainability strategy and by the recognition the community鈥檚 efforts are receiving,鈥� said George Lazaris, Director, Buildings and Grounds. 鈥淲e鈥檙e already seeing the benefits of the waste sorting stations and look forward to the even greater strides we can make toward our zero-waste goal through the expanded organic waste collection.鈥�
These efforts are complemented by a waste education program out of the Office of Sustainability. Two interns, hired in Winter 2022, oversee an inaugural cohort of Zero-Waste Ambassadors and will conduct waste audits to promote proper waste sorting habits across campus.
Want to learn more about how you can get involved in sustainability at UU直播? Read the聽UU直播 Climate & Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025聽or join the聽Sustainable Workplace Certification Program聽by attending an info session on Friday, April 29 at 11 a.m.聽Register for the workshop here.
