See Who’s Among Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2016

Members of Canada’s electrical industry are well represented among winners of the 2016 Canada’s Greenest Employers Award. The awards were made in honour of Earth Day, the single biggest environmental event across the globe.

Here’s a sampling of this year’s winners from our industry:

• BC Hydro
• ENMAX Corporation
• Hydro Ottawa
• Manitoba Hydro
• PowerStream, Inc.
• Siemens Canada Limited

How one winner, Siemens Canada, earned its award

Siemens Canada employees continue to show their commitment to the environment with their annual Earth Day initiatives, which include tree planting, and local clean ups of parks and green spaces. Since 2012, Siemens has contributed nearly $300,000 to Tree Canada, and planted 6,000 trees nationwide, collectively reducing the carbon footprint by more than 42 tonnes. This year, Siemens presented a $51,000 contribution to Tree Canada, and 300 Siemens employees from 15 Canadian cities planted 1,500 trees at various planting sites.

Siemens Canada’s head office in Oakville, Ontario, has been certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold for Core and Shell and Commercial Interiors from the Canada Green Building Council. Powered through the Bullfrog Power program, the building features a number of energy saving initiatives, including the installation of energy saving lighting (which resulted in a reduction of its power consumption by 40%), the use of LED signage, and the installation of building automation controls and lighting sensors.

Siemens’ commitment to a more sustainable future is seen not only in Siemens’ Gold LEED certified head office, but in the company’s commitment to Intelligent Infrastructure which makes economies, cities and businesses more efficient, competitive and resilient. Globally, Siemens aims to cut its carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2020, as well as become the world’s first major industrial company to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030.

“Sustainability at Siemens Canada means acting in the best interest of society with a long-term vision as opposed to a short-term gain,” explains Robert Hardt, CEO, Siemens Canada. “We accomplish this by looking at our own footprint and the change we can affect, by engaging our employees in environmental initiatives on an ongoing basis and by continually innovating our products to be as efficient as possible.”

Other reasons for selection include Siemens’ commitment to manufacturing sustainable technology for the future and helping reduce energy consumption. Examples includes wind turbine blades, developed at the company’s plant in Tillsonburg, Ontario, the ongoing development of electric car technology, and the manufacture of electric car charging stations. Additionally, working in partnership with NB Power, Siemens Canada opened the Smart Grid Centre of Competence in Fredericton, to help develop an energy use roadmap and modernization plan for the future. Siemens is also a participant of the Advanced Energy Centre at MaRS Discovery District, a joint initiative between the public and private sectors.

See the full list of Canada’s Greenest Employers 2016: www.canadastop100.com/green/.