HOW GOING GREEN CAN ADD GREEN TO YOUR COMPANY’S BOTTOM LINE

Travis Waite, WRLA

Summer has arrived! With the weather warming up and the grass turning green, it only feels appropriate that the summer issue of the Yardstick magazine is green themed. Since we are talking Dollars & Sense, we must talk about the other green initiatives that companies strive for—saving money and increasing profits.

No matter the nature of your business, most companies can reap the financial benefits of moving their company towards eco-friendly initiatives, while also reducing their carbon footprint. Whether companies are looking to improve their image, diversify their product lines, or cut costs, they undoubtedly realize the opportunities existing within the “green movement” we have seen over the past couple of decades.

So how do you translate taking your company in an eco-friendly direction to saving green on your bottom line? Here are a few ways to start:

1 Go Paperless

Transitioning to a reduced paper or paper-free work environment is a simple way for companies to save on printing-related costs while also improving employee productivity. Developing a paperless filing system not only saves on the cost of paper, toner, equipment, maintenance, and even storage, can also save time in trying to sift through a mountain of paperwork or old banker’s boxes looking for that old receipt or delivery confirmation from the past. An important caveat to this is ensuring you have spent the time creating an electronic filing system that is well-structured and organized.

2 OFFER ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

As companies continue to take a green stance, we are also seeing a shift in consumers becoming more environmentally conscious in their purchasing habits. We are seeing an increase in demand for eco-friendly products and services from vendors and suppliers who promote green initiatives, and a willingness from consumers to pay a premium to support companies whose values align with this philosophy. This creates an opportunity for companies to increase profit margins on these eco-friendly goods and, if marketed effectively, can increase your overall company perception among consumers.

3 Upgrade Old Or Inefficient Equipment

Many businesses and business owners are hesitant to invest in new equipment around the office due to the potentially large upfront cost. It can be something as easy as upgrading your old lightbulbs with LED bulbs that can last up to 50 times longer than their incandescent or fluorescent counterpart, while saving money on your company’s electricity bill. Other more complex upgrades include building retrofits such as energy-efficient insulation or windows or upgrades to building equipment such as water heaters or furnaces. What is often not factored into these decisions is how the cost savings over time will offset these upfront costs. In many cases, looking at these costs as an investment that will pay off down the road is a more practical way of analyzing the risk vs. reward. To learn more about this, see the article on page 31 on upgrading equipment.

4 TAX BREAKS & GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES

In an effort by the Canadian government in their fight against climate change and to aid in reaching their goal of net zero emissions by 2050, Canada’s 2023 budget has pledged a series of new green investment tax credits worth $35 billion. There are also a plethora of grants and subsidies available for companies who are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Eligibility and amounts for these government incentives will vary based on the size and type of business, with many geared towards companies who are reducing their production emissions. For retailers who may not qualify for some of these specialized incentives aimed at larger energy producers, knowing about some of the tax credits and rebates geared towards consumers can also be beneficial in helping to boost sales on energy-efficient products. You can find out more about these on the Government of Canada website under “Science and Innovation”

(Scan the QR code).

So if you are looking to save some green for your business while you’re enjoying the beautiful green outdoors this summer, keep these initiatives in mind.

How Building With Wood Is Creating More Sustainable Cities

To build better, more sustainable communities and cities, the answer lies in the country’s vast forests. Wood has long been used as a construction material—and for a good reason: it’s natural, renewable, and increasingly being recognized world-wide as a more sustainable option. Since carbon stays stored in wood products, these buildings continue to serve as carbon sinks long after the wood used in their construction has left the forest.

As our schools, seniors’ residences, community centres and city halls take shape, they can also help create the carbon storage needed to meet net-zero carbon goals in the form of beautiful buildings.

“We are still building. We have a housing crisis. We have to change our fundamental practices,” says Carol Phillips, Partner at Moriyama & Teshima Architects, a Toronto-based architecture firm. “Why not use renewable materials that can be sustainably harvested and actually pull the carbon out of the atmosphere?”

Mass timber construction can be completed 25% faster, reducing carbon pollution during construction by up to 45% and it requires less energy to heat and cool long-term. By adopting a zero-waste approach and using every part of the harvested tree, the Canadian forestry industry is converting materials that would otherwise be considered wood “waste”—such as chips and sawdust—into the biofuels that will help reduce our country’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Take, for instance, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) headquarters located in Toronto—a mass timber project that is currently under construction. Its architecture prioritizes wellness at every level: natural daylighting and fresh air is abundant, solar heat gain and glare is minimized thanks to large overhangs, and a rainwater harvesting system is used for toilet flushing and irrigation. There’s also a green roof, rooftop solar PV panels, and automated daylight dimming to maximize energy savings. The building’s structural components will feature Canadian-sourced mass timber where possible, and will demonstrate a smart, modern, and innovative application of natural materials.

Over the last 12 years, out of the almost 500 mass timber projects across Canada, more than 30 are Indigenous led. For example, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation government’s new campus-style village centre is a standout example of a wood primary structure building. The multipurpose gathering space features a wavy roof form symbolic of the Indigenous culture’s connection to the sea. Cedar log columns and beams define the Government Chamber, and an abundance of windows allows for natural light and fresh air. Green roofs planted with indigenous species help regulate temperature, save energy, and encourage biodiversity. The building embodies the community’s cultural heritage and values, created through an integrated collaborative design process.

Owned by the City of Vancouver, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a healthy and vibrant non-profit organization dedicated to delivering over 3 million visitors a year with memorable experiences through access to first-class cultural, music, sporting and family entertainment events, as well as access to public space for passive recreation. All revenues generated are invested back into park space, community programs and non-revenue generating educational and entertainment experiences.

Note: The amphitheater is designed by Revery Architecture, a Vancouverbased, and internationally recognized architecture studio renowned for designing flourishing work. The Amphitheatre will be constructed beginning in 2024, with completion targeted for 2026. The PNE is currently seeking corporate partners for this project.

In addition to creating more inclusive, sustainably built communities, increasing the use of wood in construction would provide numerous economic benefits, including the creation of 50,000 new jobs between 2018 and 2028 in the manufacturing, design, and construction sectors. It would also add $7.5 billion worth of economic activity through the construction of 900 new commercial, residential, and institutional wood buildings in Canada.

Mass timber projects are taking place across Canada, including Alberta where the Capilano branch of the Edmonton Public Library is a LEED Silver-certified facility with a striking design that boasts a dramatic, black aluminum-clad roofline offset by a wood soffit. The singlestory building features a continuous, angular Douglas fir CLT roof supported by prefabricated steel framing, which runs the entire 77-meter length of the structure. Ample glazing provides a connection to the outdoors, and wood slats diffuse the sunlight and create a dynamic grid of shadows. The LEED Silver building also incorporates sustainable features such as LED light fixtures, a heat recovery system, and low-flow water fixtures, making it an environmentally responsible community space.

“The movement right now towards considering mass timber has everything to do with the fact that it is a renewable resource, and it is designed by nature to be a carbon sink,” says Phillips. With over 20 years of working in Canada and abroad, Phillips has led some of the Toronto firm’s most valued civic, cultural, and educational buildings. She brings a passionate drive for powerful and graceful architectural solutions, including George Brown College’s Limberlost Place designed in partnership with Vancouver-based Acton Ostry Architects.

The 10-storey tall wood, mass timber, net-zero, low carbon building is an expansion to George Brown College’s Toronto waterfront campus and will be the first institutional building of its kind in Ontario. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is also turning to mass timber for their new headquarters with a four-story cedar-clad building that aims to be one of the most energy-efficient commercial mid-rise buildings in North America. On the other side of Toronto, the Scarborough Civic Center Branch stands as the 100th branch of the Toronto Public Library—and it’s most innovative, designed to provide a sustainable natural oasis in a dense, urban environment.

“What I love about designing and building with wood is that it really connects you to the properties of the material itself,” says Phillips. “It really makes you think about the source material—how it was grown, where it was grown, the context— and it sequesters carbon in the body of the material.”