Green Recognition Program

• Created and implemented an ‘organization-wide’ sustainability policy, as well as a ‘green events initiative’.

• Ongoing efforts toward waste segregation, reuse, recycling and diversion from the landfill.

• ‘Drop and Swap’ programs held in 2023 helped divert unwanted items from the landfill into the hands of people who can prolong their useful life. Significant community-wide participation resulted in approximately 500 kgs of waste diverted from the landfill.

• The Library continues to host Terracycling boxes for art supplies, disposable masks, and is also a collection point for used batteries for recycling.

• Lot8 designs and creates sustainable, functional products that reduce our reliance on plastic and divert textile and food waste from the landfill.

• A sustainable, eco-friendly local brand that upcycles material from existing fabric and discarded material into ‘new’ clothing to elongate their life cycle.

• The store offers a venue for people to donate miscellaneous items they no longer need, without the need to dispose them off to the landfill.

• Items donated to and sold at the store get a second lease of life, thus contributing to a circular economy.

• In 2023, Vicwest completed its solar photovoltaic project at their Stratford facility. This array of 1,206 solar panels is capable of supplying 86% of the facility’s power requirements. It is estimated that annually, this array will generate approximately 600-700 MWh of electricity, which can power 60-70 Ontario houses for a year. Such a system is also anticipated to reduce the GHG emissions generated by 40 tonnes of CO₂e.

• Additionally, through collaboration with Festival Hydro, VicWest is directing excess renewable energy produced to the Stratford electricity grid- thus supporting the broader community with its energy needs.

• Ongoing decarbonization and carbon reduction efforts throughout plant operations. Between 2022 and 2023, DYNA-MIG has successfully reduced carbon emissions by 14%, improved water efficiency by 11% and reduced waste by over 33% from the previous year.
• Implementation of energy efficiency measures, reduction of natural gas consumption, and the reuse of manufacturing plant heat during winter season.
• Several environmental initiatives that focus on water conservation and waste reduction also underway.

• Successfully retrofitted an existing heritage-designated home to be more energy efficient whilst maintaining its architectural and heritage elements.
• Deep retrofit included smart design measures such as an airtight building envelope, incorporating daylighting techniques, insulation upgrades, installing triple-glazed, highly efficient windows, as well as replacing the natural gas furnace with a high-performance air sourced heat pump and a mechanical ventilation system.
• It is anticipated that these upgrades will result in substantial cost savings, especially those from reduced natural gas usage in space heating and cooling.

• Recognized for its annual event “Car-Free Friday” to encourage downtown businesses and those employed in the downtown core to use active transportation as an alternative to driving personal vehicles. Instead of relying on passenger vehicles for their daily commute, participants had the opportunity to walk, bike, roll, use public transport and carpool to work.
• This initiative also helped highlight the numerous co-benefits of car-free travel, including improved air quality, safer roads and enhanced health and wellbeing.

• Recognized for its 2023 edition of the Lights On Stratford (LOS) festival.
• All lighting exhibits use low voltage, low power-consuming LED technology, which is significantly more energy efficient and powered by hydro, which is a clean energy source.
• With a pedestrian friendly route, LOS also provided patrons the opportunity to benefit from the free shuttle bus through the main festival locations, in collaboration with Stratford Transit.

• Significant efforts towards organic waste management, ongoing recycling of office supplies, hosting an annual e-waste collection drive, organizing cleanup activities on Earth Day, and recycling single use personal protective equipment (PPE) through TerraCycle’s Zero Waste box initiative.
• The organization has also been encouraging employees to use active transportation and carpooling, installation of secure bike racks - both these initiatives implemented as an effort to reduce vehicular emissions, and enhance local air quality.
• MTE’s Pollinator Garden Project involved the design and construction of two pollinator gardens at the Stratford office demonstrating their commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship.

• Schaeffler Canada Inc. has placed a large focus on organization-wide sustainability, including managing energy consumption, reducing its carbon footprint and establishing specific goals, such as those for energy efficiency and landfill diversion. They were successful in creating and implementing a program for recycling, and successfully achieved an annual waste diversion rate of over 85%, with approximately 720 tonnes of waste being recycled and diverted from landfill in 2022-2023.
• In partnership with Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Schaeffler Canada Inc. installed a 4MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) on its Ontario St site, which has minimized the facility energy usage during peak consumption period, thus resulting in reduced strain on the provincial hydro as well as achieving annual cost savings.
• In 2023, Schaeffler implemented projects that resulted in water reduction by over 2% from previous years, and annual savings of more than 300,000 liters of water.

• Source produce locally and grow some of their own

• Support farms that adhere to sustainable practices

• Focus on bulk sales to reduce paper and plastic packaging material

• Reuse cooking oil as biofuel

• Partnered with local business to reduce packaging waste from takeaway containers

• Demonstrated efforts in organics waste management and diversion through an on-site composter

• Aimed to build a closed-loop system: organic and landscape waste is composted to nutrition-rich soil for the school's garden. Produce grown in this garden is given to the student-run restaurant for meal preparation.

• Aim to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2025
• Since 2020 Vicwest Lorne Avenue has reduced waste by 40%
• Ongoing tracking of waste through internal and external systems

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) recycling program including disposable masks, gowns, head and foot protection, and face shields

• Green Event Program, wherein all fundraising and other events minimize the use of plastic, ensure waste segregation (recycling and organic waste collection) in suitable receptacles

• Kitchen garden growing produce including herbs and vegetables for guests

• On-site composting system for food waste, paper and yard waste

• Use of natural water retention techniques and drip irrigation system

• Egg shells used as fertilizer, negating the need to procure synthetic fertilizer

• Phase-out of single use plastic containers for soap, shampoo and conditioner for guests

• Ongoing waste diversion includes single-use plastics, PPE, excess hair colour waste and hair clippings

• Reuseable and biodegradable foils that are made from construction waste and converted to stone dust at end of life

• Refill and bottle return program for select hair products

• Implementing organic waste collection have successfully diverted 224 L of organic waste from landfill

• Organization of e-waste drive for electronics

• Office supply waste recycling program to discard old writing instruments through another local business' writing instrument recycling program

• Participate in ink and toner cartridge recycling through another business' program

• Introduced Terracycle Zero Waste Boxes in our offices for recycling personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks and hard hats. Equal importance given to education and awareness amongst staff

• Employee engagement and community outreach

• Reiterate company's sustainability commitment with an updated Corporate Sustainability Policy

• Waste reduction efforts - reduced 4-5 garbage cans to one can per week

• Installed Terracycle boxes to recycle makeup containers, oral health products, razors - blades, handles, tubes & bottles that are not normally recyclable, and all asscociated packaging

• Supply plastic waste (that would otherwise end up in landfill) to a business in New Hamburg to create recycled plastic products such as plastic lumber

• Received Federal rebates (Canada Greener Homes Grant)

• Home energy audit to identify deficiencies

• Upgrade of insulation to R50

• On-site energy generation through installation of solar panels

• Realized cost savings from fuel switching, e.g. electric lawnmower

• Switched to an electric car to reduce emissions even further

• Installed geothermal source to fulfil heating and cooling needs of home

• No natural gas usage

• Switched to an electrical vehicle to eliminate need for fossil fuels for transportation
• Charge vehicle during off-peak times, use regenerative braking, moderate speeds, minimized use of air conditioning/heating

Decarbonization efforts throughout operations, including but not limited to:

• on-site renewable energy generation
• use of daylighting in the office
• fleet transition to electric vehicles
• rainwater harvesting and waste diversion strategy

• on-site renewable energy generation to supply energy and hot water requirements
• wind turbine and use of storage batteries to supplement energy needs
• water collection system and upgraded insulation