3-minute read
Written by Casey Clair, Energy and Climate Advocate 

Community-based sustainability is a key strategy in developing flourishing eco-conscious businesses. At The Chamber, it is important for us to promote sustainable businesses and their green initiatives. In our Sustainability Spotlights, we will shift our focus towards sustainable practices and the people that adopt and amplify them. 

This past March, I spoke with Derek Earl, Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors for BizforClimate. BizforClimate is a non-profit organization with a passion for helping businesses drive climate action. 

It all began when a group of local business owners came together to figure out how to push for systemic change towards the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They started by engaging local businesses. To get that conversation going, they drafted the Climate Action Pledge, which currently has over 175 signatories across different sectors of business. In fact, many of the Climate Action Pledge signatories are members of The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

“So, we crafted an open letter. With a fairly generic statement of principles, most of that text sort of made its way into our Pledge… And within a few weeks, you have 80 plus companies signed on to the letter. We thought, jeez, if we get 30, 40, we’d be doing all right. We got over 80 and we thought, okay, there’s something to this, our gut feeling is right on this.” 

As well as being the home for the climate action pledge, BizforClimate is also a public resource hub. You can find articles, webinars, toolkits, and more to help you make sustainable choices. You can also read up on other businesses that have signed onto the Pledge, why they chose to do so and what makes their business sustainable. A big part of BizforClimate’s work is making sure that we look at our actions and the impacts we have on the world around us.

“Climate change has to be that consistent, permanent lens through which all policy and public sector investment decisions are made. And it has to be that permanent lens for which all business decisions are made going forward.”   

So, what can your business do? Derek recommends signing onto the Climate Action Pledge if you haven’t yet. 

Photo credit to the Winnipeg Free Press.

“Well, I think our message is really giving a call to action. You know, many of the companies signed on to the climate action pledge are Chamber members…We’d love to get everyone signed on. We encourage companies to think about it. We want to get the word out about who we are and what we’re doing. And it’s another way that they can help have an impact on climate change.”

Want some help making your own energy-efficient upgrades to your business? Reach out to Casey Clair at The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce for information on how to make your business more sustainable today!