The Natural Step Canada would like to congratulate our partners ISL Engineering and Land Services and The Co-operators (as well as Co-operators Life Insurance Company) for being named to Canada’s Green 30 list for the second year in a row (see our 2010 congratulations). It is wonderful to see these businesses receive the prestigious recognition they deserve for their amazing sustainability vision and leadership.

Please read an excerpt from the announcement below, or visit Maclean’s Magazine to read about all the companies on the Green 30 list.

And to learn more about how businesses like these are setting themselves apart from the crowd, read our recent Business Communiqué: How Business Can Capture the Value Proposition of Sustainability.

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Canada’s greenest employers

The Green 30 is based on how employees perceive their employer’s environmental efforts. We asked each organization that made the 2011 list, compiled by Aon Hewitt, to highlight some of the key programs and practices that they think earned them high marks. Here are some of the highlights:

Co-operators Life Insurance Company

Insurance, Regina

• Sustainability strategy aims to reduce emissions from business travel and building climate control by 50 per cent by 2014.
• Youth Engagement for Sustainability network educates young people in the community to make their homes, schools and communities greener.
• Partners with the Saskatchewan Science Centre to create environmental awareness programs during Earth Month, which included stage shows, family-friendly nature games and a speaker series.

ISL Engineering and Land Services, Ltd.

Engineering consulting, Edmonton

• Developed a strategic approach to sustainability by partnering in 2009 with the Natural Step, which helps companies embed sustainability into their business model.
• Twenty-eight “sustainability champions” initiate internal programs, and identify and educate on best practices.
• Company programs include “Kick Carbon to the Curb” to reduce its carbon footprint, and “Last One Out” aimed at decreasing energy use. As well, a smart car is available for off-site meetings.

The Co-operators

Insurance, Guelph, Ont.

• Between 2008 and 2010, the company reduced carbon emissions by 10 per cent thanks in part to building retrofits, and installing video-conference technology to cut down on travel for meetings.
• A “Sustainability 101” course introduces employees to the basics of sustainability. The e-learning session is not compulsory, but has been taken by more than 1,500 staff members.
• A Stakeholder Sustainability Survey monitors the company’s progress toward its goals every year, and serves to gather new ideas.

THE METHODOLOGY: The Green 30 is based on employee opinion data collected as part of Aon Hewitt’s annual Best Employers in Canada study and Best Small & Medium Employers study. More than 134,000 employees and 2,500 leaders at over 250 organizations participated in the 2011 edition of these studies. To be eligible, organizations must be in business for at least three years and have 50 or more employees.

Visit Maclean’s Magazine to read about all the companies on the Green 30 list.