BC Hydro is one of the largest electric utility companies in Canada, serving more than 1.7 million customers in the province of British Columbia.  The company’s mandate of providing “reliable power, at low cost, for generations” captures its commitment to the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental performance.

The company’s Customer Care and Conservation department regularly engage with clients on energy consumption and sustainability issues. To train and support staff in this department on BC Hydro’s sustainability objectives, the company introduced The Natural Step’s blended eLearning program in July 2008.

Ten staff members took part in a pilot of The Natural Step’s online course, Sustainability 101 and participated in a 90 minute facilitated dialogue session hosted by The Natural Step Canada. After reflecting on the course content, participants discussed how sustainability might be applied to BC Hydro and its clients.

Based on the success of the pilot project, BC Hydro offered the blended learning program again in Fall 2008 to an additional 60 staff members and provide ongoing coaching and support for the company as it works to embed a comprehensive understanding of sustainability into its operations.