Chosen as one of Canada's Greenest Employers for 2011:
By Kristina Leung and Richard Yerema, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editor
(
Apr 20, 2011)
Some of the reasons why TD Bank Financial Group was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2011):
a pioneering organization that for 20 years has support a variety of local community initiatives through its longstanding "TD Friends of the Environment Foundation", which has provided millions of dollars to thousands of environmental projects across Canada since 1990
one of the first major financial institutions to set and achieve carbon neutral status for its Canadian (and its US and international) operations -- this goal was realized in the past year and has been achieved through: energy reduction initiatives (from new lighting, upgrading of heating and cooling systems and adopting new design standards for its new construction); the purchase and support for green energy production (the bank is one of the largest purchasers of sustainably produced energy in the country); and through carbon offset purchases, including energy retrofits for schools, not-for-profit organizations and community housing projects.
was also the first Canadian bank to hire a "Chief Environment Officer" (the new position is currently occupied by an environmental scientist with over 20 years of working experience in the field) who has spearheaded the updating of the the bank's Environmental Policy, which sets the bank's guiding principles for environmental management
across the bank, employee-led "Green Teams" and individual "Green Ambassadors" and "Green Coordinators" work to help manage corporate initiatives as well as design and implement tailored programs at locations across the country -- and recently set-up a special email address to capture environmental feedback from employees
has implemented a number of waste reduction initiatives, including paperless record keeping, recycling and reduced paper usage, and new environmentally-focused procurement strategies
has constructed two branches in Canada (and two in the United States) that are designed to meet LEED certification requirements -- and is constructing a branch in the United States designed to meet the prestigious LEED Platinum certification (using half the energy as regular comparable structure)
and is currently piloting a branch in London, Ontario with a rooftop solar array that is capable of generating close to 75% of the branch's electricity peak summer demand
in partnership with Tree Canada, the bank recently launched the "TD Green Streets" program to provide funding for innovative urban forest planning initiatives in 20 communities across the country -- the funds are directed to tree planting, inventory maintenance and educational activities
the bank also launched its first "TD Tree Days" event in which employee from across the country will plant trees in their communities -- and to celebrate 150 years of business in Québec, the bank partnered with the Association forestièe Québec métropolitan, providing $150,000 for the planting of trees in Québec and the Chaudière-Appalaches regions
recently introduced a number of unique green financial products, including an environmentally-focused investment fund, reduced rates for mortgages and lines of credit for qualified energy efficient homes and equipment, and special "MicroFIT" financing products for energy projects approved for the Ontario Power Authority's MicroFIT program
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