As one of our core values, Environmental Sustainability is an important part of our company culture. The nature of our work affords us the opportunity to have a significant impact on environmental sustainability, both with our customers’ projects and through our own decisions and actions – both corporately and individually. Sustainability is at the heart of who we are, what we do, and how we do it.
BIG PICTURE GOALSSustainability isn't optional. It's mandatory. Our current goal is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 60% over our 2017 baseline by 2030. We are currently tracking the carbon footprint we generate through electricity, water, and natural gas usage; amount of waste generated; and emissions generated by business travel and employee commuting. Knowing this change will take time, we wanted to make a commitment with a more immediate impact.
BEYOND ZERO CARBONFrom this point forward, we are committed to purchasing enough carbon offsets annually to offset our remaining emissions plus an additional 10% to take us Beyond Zero Carbon. |
HOW WILL WE GET THERE?It's an all-hands-on-deck approach. We need to reduce our emissions by 134 tonnes of CO2e by 2027. To be successful, we collectively need to make a few small, but important changes to have a lasting impact. This includes:
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As architects, engineers, and construction professionals, we can have a significant impact on the environmental stability of our region through our clients' projects. Whether or not a client has opted to pursue formal certification (such as LEED®), we work to incorporate sustainable materials and practices into every project to reduce construction’s tremendous impact on the environment, as well as reduce the owner’s operating costs. WalterFedy and AEC are advocates for environmental responsibility through memberships and participation in various environmental committees and organizations.
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Our commitment to sustainability is always changing and growing with the discovery of new resources and industry best practices. Below you will find a snapshot of this evolution over the past ten years.
2009 |
WalterFedy forms a Sustainability Advisory Committee. Their role is to enhance awareness of our commitment to sustainable practices within our team and keep a watchful eye on future design solutions ensuring we stay at the forefront of sustainable design.
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2011 |
WalterFedy’s new head office achieves LEED® Silver status.
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2013 |
WalterFedy partners with Sustainable Waterloo Region, pledging to reduce emissions by 40% over our 2010 baseline.
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2016 |
WalterFedy achieves 40% reduction goal over 2010 baseline.
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2017 |
WalterFedy is recognized by MediaCorp as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers
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2018 |
WalterFedy recommits to a new carbon reduction goal of 40% over the 2017 baseline by 2027.
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2019 |
A group of WalterFedy staff set out to plant over 2,500 trees in under 8 hours. We predict that 1,000 of these trees should reach 70+ years of age and offset our paper usage from 2018 by 11 times.
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2020 |
As part of the launch of our new Strategic Plan, WalterFedy purchases enough carbon offsets to counter our 2019 GHG emissions. Our contribution will fund two projects in our province focused on maintaining the function and diversity of ecosystems along the Niagara escarpment and re-establishing forest species: Niagara Escarpment Forest Carbon ProjectThe Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy is Ontario's largest and Canada's second-largest land conservation agency, dedicated to preserving natural systems that house 58 of Ontario's native species at risk or of concern. This project promotes and maintains the function and diversity of ecosystems along Ontario’s Niagara escarpment. The Niagara escarpment stretches from Niagara Falls towards Tobermory and extends along Manitoulin Island.
Ontario Biodiversity Afforestation ProjectThe Ontario Biodiversity Afforestation Project (OBAP) is the largest afforestation project of its kind in Ontario, developed for the sole purpose of sequestering greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of carbon offsets. The project re-establishes long-lived forest species on land historically used for agricultural purposes and was motivated by the restoration of historical forest conditions for areas where certain conditions prohibit their natural renewal. Excerpts from www.carbonzero.ca
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2021 |
WalterFedy revisits the 2018 goal and commits to reducing emissions by 60% by 2027, while also purchasing enough carbon offsets to bring us Beyond Zero Carbon.
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