“The fact that the top three organizations on the 50 Best Corporate Citizens list are all co-operatives suggests that co-ops are living up to our principles and making a real contribution to the economy and Canadian society,” said Kathy Bardswick, President and CEO of The Co-operators. “More and more, people are considering the track record of a company, rather than just the product and price, when deciding whom to do business with. And studies like this one provide valuable information that can help them make informed decisions.” Hear more from Kathy Bardwick.

Since the approval of The Co operators Sustainability Policy in 2007, the organization has had the strong commitment of The Co operators Management Group, the Board of Directors, the Sustainability Steering Committee, and staff and agents across the country. This award recognizes the value of these combined efforts. It further demonstrates what can be accomplished by working together to achieve our vision. Sustainability will continue to be an integral element in our business strategy, as we plan the next phase of our sustainability journey.

The Youth for Sustainability Challenge wants to engage Canadian youth under 25 to take action towards a sustainable future. How does it work? You must submit your idea before August 31, 2010. Once your idea has been reviewed, it will be posted for public voting. If your idea is voted into the top 20, you could be eligible for up to $10,000 in funding!

For more information please visit http://www.youth4sustainability.com/

The Co-operators believes that achieving sustainability requires a multi-disciplinary approach, a broad social commitment and the energy and passion of youth. That’s why IMPACT!  The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership will continue to run the comprehensive program focused on young sustainability leaders that will include an in-person conference to be held in September 2011.

The first program, held in 2009, excited, empowered & equipped 180 young sustainability leaders to launch sustainability initiatives across Canada. Alumni from the inaugural program have campaigned to ban plastic bags, created “Green – jobs” workshops, held speaker series, lobbied provincial government to include sustainability in educational curriculum, successfully advocated City Council to charge more for water usage and more.  

As one IMPACT alumnus told us, “this conference changed my life. It gave me inspiration and motivation to pursue my dreams for a better world. Through the workshops, presentations, discussions, and meeting like minded youth I have been transformed into a lean green impact machine that will stop at nothing to change this unsustainable world we live in.”  Another IMPACT! Alumnus spoke at The Co-operators Annual General Meeting – visit page 4 of the Gallery for video of her thoughts on the conference. 

Program design, speakers and other details for the 2011 program are still being developed. Visit us regularly for updates on the 2011 program and to keep track of what IMPACT! 2009 alumni have already accomplished.

• Carbon footprint reduction of 12% since 2007 through energy efficiency improvements in 9 corporate offices; 6,000 hours of video conferencing; converting its vehicle fleet to more fuel-efficient models to reduce emissions by 31%.
• Promoting sustainable behaviour with its stakeholders by offering hybrid vehicle discounts, environmentally responsible home insurance endorsements and socially responsible investment options. 
• Engaging Canadian students in sustainability dialogue by leading IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership.
• Supporting a meaningful agreement in advance of the UN Conference on Climate Change by signing the Copenhagen Communiqué on Climate Change and the 2009 Investor Statement on the Urgent Need for a Global Agreement on Climate Change.
• Contributing a total of $5.1 million to Canadian communities through corporate funding, staff and agent donations, and volunteerism.

Read the full report and let us know your thoughts.

• The Co-operators, based in Guelph, Ontario, which includes co-operative holding company The Co-operators Group Ltd. as well as subsidiaries The Co-operators General Insurance Company, HB Group Insurance Management Ltd. of Mississauga, and Addenda Capital of Montreal; and
• Co-operators Life Insurance Company of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Introduced in 2009 by the international human resources firm Hewitt Associates, the “Green 30″ compiles results of confidential employee surveys to capture staff assessments of their employers’ “green” credential.  The 30 companies who made the list:

• consider long-term social, environmental and economic impacts in decision-making;
• work to minimize the impact of its operations, products and services on the environment; and
• adopt and disclose practices that are environmentally responsible.

Kathy Bardwick, president and CEO of The Co-operators, says “Our staff members recognize that sustainability is at the heart of how we operate, as a good corporate citizen and as an insurance company that sees first-hand the devastating effects of climate change. From our board of directors to staff members in offices across the country, people are making efforts every day to lessen the impact we have on our environment, and to contribute to more healthy, prosperous and green Canadian communities.”

From 24-27th, 2009, 180 young Canadians selected to participate at IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability worked with academics, industry leaders and each other and were inspired by keynote presentations from David Suzuki and Peter Schiefke. IMPACT! is more than an event, it is a catalyst for action – read on to see how the pre-conference research, our time together last September and post-conference support has translated to action on sustainability across Canada…

Alla Guelber – Royal Roads University (Victoria, B-C)
“I applied to the IMPACT! Fund and received funding create a Green Jobs & Social Innovation Workshop in Kananaskis from April 30 to May 2, 2010. I also successfully applied for graduate funding to conduct research on experiential environmental education for youth and received funding from the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. In the past three months, I have secured funding, established 2 partnerships to make the workshop a reality, and found an assistant to work with me in creating it. Once the workshop is put on, it will reach 20-25 participants, 4-6 guest speaker/facilitators, and will be widely advertised in local media and through social networking.”

Robert Mcourteau- Bishops University (Lennoxville, QC)
“I am eliminating plastic bags from Lennoxville, Quebec! It is really building steam – shirts and bags, stickers, fact sheets, petitions, volunteers, strategy, press coverage, etc. etc. etc. It just keeps going! I’ve talked to a number of businesses, and have now officially made Bishop’s University campus plastic bag free! We’re on our way! The volunteer response has been excellent, students, professors, campus clubs, fraternities and local businesses have all provided assistance or expressed their support. We are only a hop, skip and jump from having the entire university endorse the project, and will move into the community with much more force!

Marco Mwenda – Assiniboine Community College (Brandon MB)
 “I established a project to raise awareness on climate and environment in general. The first speaker series was on February 8th, 2010.” 

Alison McDonald – Trent University (Peterborough, ON)
“I am working on the Sustainable food systems project for which we received funding from The Co-operators Foundation IMPACT! Fund. We are actively pursuing this project, and are currently in meetings with the administration. There has been some media attention, and lots of student and faculty support. The project will take time to complete, as land is needed to begin. This is our main focus at this time.”

Erin Carlson – University of Guelph (Guelph, ON)
“I organized and lead a townhall meeting of students, professors and administrators in order to discuss and help save the organic agriculture major at the University of Guelph. Since last April I’ve been heavily involved in making sure that this unique, growing, and necessary program does not get thrown out. A meeting held at the end November attracted about 50 students from different backgrounds and areas of study, professors, decision-making administrators, industry leaders, and farmers. There is a very good chance that the Organic Agriculture major will be saved, in fact the largest obstacle has been overcome so keep your ears open for more good news!!

IMPACT! alumni from across Canada continue to work on innovative personal and community sustainability projects. Visit often to find out what they will accomplish in the next 6 months!

NOTE: To view the video broadcast during the webinar, click on the small video camera icon at the top right hand of your screen once the file is open.

On March 16th, renowned environmentalist, author and broadcaster David Suzuki also spoke with IMPACT! Alumni. That webinar will be posted here shortly.

Lawrence Yeh – University of Waterloo (Waterloo, ON)
“I wanted to initiate dialogue and communicate with others who share similar goals and interests. A Toronto event took place in November 2009 at the Atlantis Pavilions at Ontario Place. We sold almost 300 tickets and over 400 people attended. In January 2010, two events were held in Kitchener and featured local sustainability groups, including Sustainable Waterloo. The events have enhanced networking among like-minded individuals and organizations.

Ellen Quigley – University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, SK)
“I’ve started a tap water information project with funding from The Co-operators Foundation’s IMPACT! Fund. I also lobbied the City of Saskatoon to increase the water rate as usage goes up! The water rate change will affect all 220,000 residents of Saskatoon, and the tap water project, which provides tap water at community events, will reach thousands at festivals this summer.

Shane Yates – Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS)
“In March, Municipal World Magazine published my article about the IMPACT! conference and how encouraging youth is key to sustainable municipalities.”

Graeme Bousada – Mount Alison University (Sackville, NB)
“I helped to organize 350 day at my university. It was part of a global call to action in which people from around the world displayed the number 350 in some creative fashion. Approximately 600 people were present and I delivered and wrote the speech for the crowd in Sackville, New Brunswick on October 24th. 600 people were directly involved.”

Visit often to read about IMPACT! outcomes across Canada.

Young people care deeply about sustainability. That’s why in September of 2009, 180 university and college students from across Canada assembled in Guelph, Canada. These outstanding people were selected from over 900 applicants to attend IMPACT! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership – an event designed to excite, empower and equip young people with the tools and knowledge they need to be catalysts for greater sustainability.  Before they set foot at the University of Guelph campus, they had already spent 25 hours during the summer researching the current sustainability practices in one organization of their choosing, as well as taking a sustainability e-learning course developed by The Natural Step. During the conference, students discussed current sustainability practices with each other and the experts from industry and academia who were guiding them. They critiqued current practices and developed new ideas to move organizations ahead.

To capture the students’ findings, the Research Network for Business Sustainability produced The New Normal: Sustainable Practices Your Future Employees Will Demand. The report presents many of the students’ ideas on issues from climate change and pollution to employees, community and consumers; to poverty and human rights. It is organized by sector, including: insurance and financial services, manufacturing, retail, municipal services, food systems, energy production, information and communications technologies, and hospitality and tourism. www.nbs.net/new_normal

Other conference outcomes are being measured one, three, six and twelve months after the conference. Regular blog posts provide updates on these outcomes and visit the IMPACT! Fund Page to find out about more about our grant recipients and their current projects.