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GLOBAL RENEWABLES ONLINE - JANUARY 2012
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT - SUSTAINABLE WATERLOO
Minister Kent made this procla-
mation as the United Nations
Conference of Parties 17 in Durban,
South Africa wrapped up and on the
heels of the announcement of the
Durban Platform. Under the Durban
Platform, countries agreed to be
part of a future legally binding
treaty to address climate change.
The terms of the yet-to-be-created
treaty are to be defined by 2015 and
take effect in 2020, meaning that
significant international action on
climate change is still at least
another eight years off.
A COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH
Minister Kent blames the
withdrawal from Kyoto on an
“incompetent Liberal government”
for recklessly signing an agreement
for which they had no plan to achieve
- a clear demonstration that
Canada’s own response to climate
change is too mired in politics to
result in any significant action.
The lack of political will to take
real action on climate change means
it is up to Canadian communities to
find ways to combat the global
warming that we have helped to
create. Waterloo Region in Ontario
is doing just that.
Waterloo Region is home to almost
535,000 people. Located about 100
kilometres west of Toronto, Waterloo
Region is comprised of twin cities
Kitchener and Waterloo, along with
the city of Cambridge and townships
of Woolwich, Wilmot, Wellesley and
North Dumfries. It is one of the
fastest-growing areas in Ontario
and is expected to reach a total
population of 729,000 by 2031.
With the help of a non-profit
organization called Sustainable
Waterloo Region, organizations in
Waterloo Region are leading the
charge and providing a great
example of what can be achieved
through true community engage-
ment.
Founded in 2008, Sustainable
Waterloo Region is a not-for-profit
that advances the environmental
sustainability of organizations
across Waterloo Region through
collaboration. The current work of
Sustainable Waterloo Region is
focused on the Regional Carbon
Initiative (RCI), which supports
voluntary target setting and
reductions of carbon emissions in
organizations across Waterloo
Region.
Through the RCI, more than 40
organizations are working to reduce
their greenhouse gas emissions,
including Deloitte, Ernst & Young,
and the Mennonite Central Commit-
tee. “Our members understand that
not only is sustainability good for
the environment, but it’s also good
for business,” says Mike Morrice,
founder and Executive Director of
Sustainable Waterloo Region. RCI
members have made commitments
to reduce carbon emissions by
42,848 tonnes over the next 10
years, and some have committed to
reducing their emissions by 100%.
BEYOND GREEN BRANDING
The RCI goes beyond green
branding to help organizations
substantiate their environmental
strategies. All RCI services enable
organizations to make real
reductions in their GHG emissions
against a defined baseline and move
to more sustainable operations.
These services include a carbon
accounting and reporting tool, and
events including quarterly Educa-
tional Forums and Technical
Workshops, as well as peer-to-peer
“
Our members understand that not only
is sustainability good for the environment,
but it ’s also good for business”