Home Depot Canada employee planting trees
Chosen as one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2013:
By Richard Yerema and Julien Gagnier, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors
(Apr 21, 2013)
Some of the reasons why Home Depot was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2013):
- the majority of its store locations across the country has its own employee "Green Team", consisting of employee volunteers and appointees who provide new employee training for the company's Eco Options products and ensure that their in-store recycling programs for batteries, cardboard, paint and compact fluorescent light bulbs are in place and operating
- the company has an "Environmental Committee" that consists of cross-functional senior directors who help to shape, direct and monitor the company's environmental policies, programs and initiatives in accordance with the company's formal mission to reduce the environmental impact of its operations through innovation, waste reduction, energy efficiency and education of employees and customers
- through a series energy reduction initiatives (big and small) the company has reduced its energy usage from 25kWh per square foot in 2005 to 21.1kWh per square foot (enough energy to power 2,500 homes) -- and has set the goal of 20kWh per square foot by 2015
- the company is installing rooftop solar systems at 63 of its Ontario store locations through the province's feed-in-tariff program -- with 40 installations completed the undertaking will be able to generate a minimum of 14 megawatts of clean electricity
- as part of the company's community involvement program that dedicates over 65,000 hours of volunteer time, employees volunteer with a number of environmental initiatives across the country, from planting trees with the Evergreen organization to volunteering with the Great Canadian Shortline Clean-up to building sustainable (and affordable) housing with Habitat for Humanity
- the company recently partnered with Metro Vancouver to operate a pilot wood waste diversion project, noting that approximately one-third of landfill material is waste wood, an incredible 322 tonnes of wood waste was diverted over a six week period for reuse and recycling
- through its now familiar Eco Options products, the retailer currently has over 2,400 environmentally responsible product choices for its customers, ranging from solar panels to compact fluorescent light bulbs to home appliances and green lawn care products -- to qualify for the Eco Options designation all products must go through a third-party verification process and fall within one of the following areas: energy efficient; improved air or water quality; recycled content, reduced toxicity; renewable energy; water efficiency; and sustainable forestry (Home Depot is the largest retailer of FSC-certified wood products in North America)
- in 2008 the company took a leadership role and voluntarily phased-out harmful pesticides and herbicides across the country and began replacing with a new selection of environmentally-friendly alternatives -- this proactive initiative was introduced prior to most current (and the non-existent) government legislated deadlines
- throughout the year, employees also manage and work in partnership with other organizations in support of a number of unique initiatives that all share an environmental focus, including: the "Go Low Flow" toilet event to encourage customers to reduce water consumption; the "Mow Down Pollution" initiative that encourages customers to switch from gas to electric or people-powered lawnmowers; and the "Holiday Light Exchange" that encourages customers to turn-in their old incandescent light strings and receive significant discounts on new LED alternatives
Background Information
Major Canadian hiring locations: Toronto ON, Vancouver BC, Edmonton AB, Calgary AB, Winnipeg MB, Ottawa ON, Montréal QC, Halifax NS.
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| ©2013 Mediacorp Canada Inc. All rights reserved. Used by Eluta with permission. For comments or questions on this employer review, please contact Mediacorp's editorial team.
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