INNOVATION January-February 2018

F E A T U R E

A growing number of engineering and geoscience firms in British Columbia already measure emissions, plan emission reductions, and incorporate several practices that help in reducing their carbon footprint. Some common practices to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions include: GREEN OFFICE PRACTICES • Building energy upgrades (high efficiency heating systems, envelope insulation, high performance windows, and reduced air leakage, driven by BC’s Energy Step Code). • Lighting with more efficient lighting systems and bulbs (e.g., LED). • Reducing electricity use by choosing Energy Star certified equipment (computers, printers. monitors, kitchen and other office appliances, air conditioners). • Managing waste through composting and recycling programs. • Preferentially contracting local companies that are environmentally responsible. • Choosing caterers who provide only reusable or compostable/recyclable packaging to reduce waste. • Occupant behavioural strategies such as education, competitions, and promotional campaigns (e.g., Turn It Off campaigns, closing blinds at the end of the day to retain heat in the building or to reflect it during the summer). “Associated Engineering has been carbon neutral through offsetting since 2009 and has actively been working to reduce the amount we have to offset by tracking our travel footprint and evaluating our office footprint. This has led to investment in better AV and telecommunications as well as relocations to LEED gold offices and energy efficient renovations. This is a work in progress and constantly monitored.” Mark Porter, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., Structural Engineer and DivisionManager, Facilities and Building Services, Associated Engineering GREEN TRANSPORTATION PRACTICES • Reimbursing a portion of the cost of transit passes for those commuting to and from the office. • Providing bicycle storage and showers in offices. • Encouraging employees to use “green” transportation through campaigns such as the Commuter Challenge. • Installing videoconferencing systems in the office, to help reduce the need for travel. • Accommodating more work from home practices (which can also be very attractive to employees with young children). • Promoting car sharing among staff.

GOING PAPERLESS • Encouraging electronic document storage, sharing, and review, both internally and with external clients and team members. Using cloud storage and FTP servers to facilitate this and reduce the need for printing documents. • Changing settings on office printers to automatically print double-sided and filling them with recycled fibre paper. • Encouraging staff to unsubscribe from paper mailings. Relatively recently, company shareholders have begun to assess—and critique—companies on environmental, social, and governance grounds in addition to traditional economic metrics. To tackle these issues and to create new strategies, organizations have increasingly been publishing annual sustainability reports. A common means is CDP, a system where several thousand companies annually report their GHG emissions. Furthermore, a potentially transformational change is coming through the Task Force on Climate Disclosures (TFCD) and associated efforts globally to introduce transparency and help understand risk of climate change in businesses and investments. The pronounced impacts of climate change not only emphasize its importance in today’s world—it spurs the need to consider climate change in every company’s business model. The true value will be in how professionals contribute to shaping organizational behaviours that set examples for the rest of society as we lead the way to a sustainable future. The behaviours of BC’s engineering and geoscience companies can not only result in reduced GHG emissions, but also demonstrate the business benefits of positive climate action. Those organizations that realize that achieving climate change goals aligns with and can better position them to achieve the more traditional goals of attracting talent, minimizing costs and growing longer term value for shareholders will be ahead of the curve. j This article was prepared by the members of the association’s Climate Change Advisory Group and Sustainability Committee. More on Climate Change information, tools, and resources is available at egbc.ca/Climate-Change. For information about sustainability and professional practice, visit egbc.ca/ sustainability . 1. Deloitte, “The 2016 Milennial Survey: Winning Over the Next Generation of Leaders.” 2016. 2. ISO 14064-1 Part 1: Specification with guidance at the organizational level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals 3. “The Greenhouse Gas Protocol: A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard”

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