On April 22nd, we will celebrate Earth Day, which is a great opportunity to reflect on the actions we can take within our organizations, learn about good environmental practices, and draw inspiration from local successes to motivate us to follow suit.
First, what is Earth Day?
April 22, 1970 marked the first celebration of Earth Day, which is considered the initiation of the environmental movement. Since then, this event has become the world’s largest environmental gathering, including various activities to raise awareness about environmental issues.
Where to Start
Do you want to participate in the movement, but don’t know where to start? The Earth Day website offers a wealth of ideas for mobilization activities and company challenges to raise awareness among your teams and start the conversation. Suggestions include organizing brainstorming workshops or eco-responsible events, checking that your suppliers have eco-responsible practices in their supply chain, or even initiating a zero-waste challenge for the day. These are some simple examples to act on April 22nd!
Asking the Right Questions
Take a few minutes with your team to discuss the issues with the aim of bringing a common reflection on your environmental impact. In which area is your impact the greatest? Where would it be relevant to put efforts more quickly?
There are tailor-made training courses to equip you with good environmental practices in your industry. This will give you basic practices to implement in your organization and push your thinking to another level. If you lack resources internally to initiate sustainability projects, you can also seek the help of experts. They can help you identify improvement opportunities related to your vision and implement and optimize your environmental practices while sensitizing your teams to change.
Inspiring examples
Here are some inspiring Quebec organizations that have taken the sustainable turn!
2 degrés is an incubator for environmental and clean technologies. The organization supports, structures, and drives the development of clean technologies with the goal of reducing the carbon footprint of our economic activities and creating sustainable wealth.
Vestechpro is a research and innovation center in clothing affiliated with Cégep Marie-Victorin, the only public Cégep offering fashion programs in Quebec. The center initiates and carries out research projects in cutting-edge sectors, including smart clothing, specialized and adapted clothing, digital transformation, and circular economy.
Flo designs electric vehicle charging stations. Their mission is to fight climate change and accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by offering the most reliable charging experience from urban centers to the countryside.
A Quebec-based company dedicated entirely to offering eco-responsible training equipment. Convinced that the fitness industry has a role to play in the ecological transition, Off the grid has developed an innovative spinning bike that converts users’ energy into electricity, entirely designed, manufactured, and assembled in Quebec.
Created by and for people who menstruate, Iris + Arlo is a social and environmentally responsible brand focused on overall health, offering healthy, sustainable, and design products. Iris + Arlo is more than just a brand; it is a movement towards equity and inclusion.
As a high-end litter producer and expert in animal hygiene, Intersand produces an alternative, biodegradable litter made from food residues, called EcoLife. Having a desire to contribute to the development of sustainable practices for the environment and for communities, the company has implemented a zero waste program aimed at reducing waste in their factories.
Boco Boco is a zero-waste online gourmet grocery store has a mission to simplify, promote, and guide people towards a zero-waste lifestyle.
Every day, les fermes Lufa deliver thousands of grocery baskets containing vegetables grown in their rooftop farms. Their vision is to create an innovative and sustainable model of urban agriculture that is more inclusive of all forms of local agriculture.
Insertech is a non-profit social enterprise that provides job training for unemployed young adults while giving a second life to discarded computer equipment from businesses. Insertech offers a complete and affordable IT solution to meet the technological needs of the community, including the sale of refurbished computers, repair services, computer courses, and technology activities.
Every initiative is good! What’s important is to implement actions that align with your mission, vision, and values.
At Point Cardinal, we can help you raise awareness among your team to understand the environmental impacts of your organization and offer realistic and concrete solutions. We are capable of implementing, optimizing, and measuring your environmental efforts, thus creating added value for your company and the society.
Happy Earth Day!
