Dalhousie University, Perkins+Will Canada Architects, Veridian Corporation and Xerox Canada are among Canada’s greenest employers, according to a report published today by Canada’s Top 100 Employers to coincide with Earth Day.
Canada’s Greenest Employers is an annual list of employers across the country that are creating a culture of environmental awareness by fostering earth-friendly initiatives and leadership.
The selection committee evaluated employers through the programs they’ve developed, the extent to which they’ve reduced their organization’s footprint, the degree of employee engagement in the programs, and how much their initiatives have impacted the organization’s public identity and reputation.
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Some of the employers highlighted include:
- Winnipeg-based Assiniboine Credit Union offers incentives for employees to leave their cars at home by subsidizing bus passes and providing carpool-matching services. The organization also provides bike racks, showers and lockers for cyclists.
- Dalhousie University provides an online educational dashboard for employees, including the option to share environmental tips. The university also hosts a sustainable campus program that helps develop an environmentally-friendly culture across campus — employees with outstanding ideas are awarded at the university’s annual sustainability awards celebration in April.
- LoyaltyOne encourages employees to leave their cars at home with transit subsidies and fuel-efficient vehicles and bicycles that they can borrow from the head office. The company also offers a corporate membership for the BIXI bike-sharing service in Toronto and Montréal, and encourages employees to go electric with two charging stations at the head office that charges up to four vehicles simultaneously.
Read: 5 practical tips for greening your company
- Perkins+Will Canada Architects employs more than 1,000 LEED-accredited professionals worldwide and encourages unaccredited personnel to pursue designation within six months of hire. The company provides health and transit subsidies of up to $900 per year, and offers bike storage and shower facilities to encourage alternative modes of transportation. In fact, 95 per cent of its head office employees ride, walk, take transit or carpool to work.
- Veridian Corporation offers employees interest-free loans for purchasing energy-efficient appliances or energy-efficient cars, electric bikes or scooters. The company also encourages alternative transportation by providing reserved parking for carpoolers, two electric vehicle charging stations, a transit subsidy program, bicycle parking and a head office bike-lending program.
- Xerox Canada employees created a Yammer group dedicated to blogging and sharing green tips, stories and resources. The company also established its Environmental Faces of Xerox Award, allowing employees to nominate and acknowledge colleagues who have demonstrated environmental leadership.
To view the full list of winners, click here.