4-minute read
Post Contributed by Rizzie Enriquez, Project Manager/Business Analyst II, Assiniboine Credit Union
Leadership Winnipeg Class of 2024-2025
Working for ACU, the only Manitoba financial institution to be a B Corp, it is close to my values to support raising awareness on sustainability in our community. Our March 13th session on sustainability underscored the importance of true leadership as the driving force behind any successful sustainability initiative – going beyond business success and creating lasting impact. The leaders we met set a powerful reminder that the true measure of leadership in sustainability is not in seeing immediate results but in knowing that their efforts will pave the way for a healthier future.
Sustainability at RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg
RBC Convention Centre is committed to maintaining a greener facility and sustainability by developing partnerships, supporting local suppliers and products, and participating in Earth Day cleanup. Matthew Wedlake, the Director of Finance and Corporate Services explained the green initiatives that they have accomplished and working on. He explained their hybrid heating system, energy-efficient LED lighting working with Efficiency Manitoba, and that they have incorporated the principle of reduce, reuse, and recycle – in this order of priority. During the tour of the building, he showed our group how they are implementing green meetings in their event spaces. The meeting room we used also had compostable products and no plastic coffee cups. Their kitchen practices are especially interesting to note. Chef Melissa Makarenko, who prepared a sumptuous lunch for us, explained that they partnered with Compost Winnipeg, Sweet Makers Honey Company that enables their South Building to host bees that make local honey, and with Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization. So far, they have donated 3,470 lbs of food equivalent to 15,093 LB GHG’s averted.
Understanding our Impact to Reduce Global Warming – Green Action Centre
Josep Seras Gubert, Executive Director at Green Action Centre engaged us with a visual presentation of the effects of climate change. He let the group come up with climate action ideas around waste management, building and energy, and transportation and how to prioritize these actions based on impact and feasibility. He explained the different programs they started and are currently running, two of which I am familiar with – Workplace Commuting Challenge and Compost Winnipeg. He also encouraged collective actions by demanding politicians prioritize the planet in policy decisions, learning from the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) from our Indigenous community, and participating in the workplace commuting challenge or backyard composting.
Playing the Long Game: The Forks
The Forks has taken significant steps towards reducing its environmental footprint through a program called Target Zero and in partnership with the Prairie Climate Centre. One of the standout initiatives at the Forks is the adoption of a geothermal heating and cooling system. Despite the higher upfront costs of installation, the geothermal heating system’s savings will far outweigh the initial investment. To ensure the success of these programs and because of cost savings, The Forks was able to afford a full-time staff – a Sustainability Coordinator to oversee composting operations. Our group was able to see a portion of the geothermal heat pump system, their food sorting area for waste management, their equipment running on vegetable oil, and their built-from-scratch crusher. They have been modeled for their composting operations boasting an overall reduction of greenhouse emissions by 70%.
The Noble Pursuit of Immediate Action: Key Takeaway
We define leadership as being catalysts for change, driven not by immediate results but by the long-term impact of our actions. We lead with the confidence that every effort, regardless of scale or cost, contributes to preserving our planet for future generations.
