Sustainable Waterloo’s 2010 year-end report celebrates a Community Built on Action

(WATERLOO, ON) March 22, 2011 – Members of Sustainable Waterloo’s Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) are taking action on climate change with commitments to reduce carbon emissions by almost 1,700 tonnes over the next 10 years – equivalent to taking more than 377 cars off the road. Their commitments, reductions and sustainable initiatives are published in Sustainable Waterloo’s 2010 Report, released today.

“RCI members are coming together to create a community of knowledge sharing and action while promoting the tangible bottom-line benefits of lowering their environmental impact,” says Mike Morrice, Executive Director, Sustainable Waterloo. “Their commitments, successes and stories are something we can all be proud of.”

Celebrating Action

Sustainable Waterloo’s year-end report celebrates the achievements and commitments of organizations across Waterloo Region that are taking measurable action to advance our community towards a more environmentally sustainable future. The theme of the 2010 Report is a community built on action, which highlights the community of support that has emerged across Waterloo Region amongst organizations looking to advance the sustainability of their operations.

“The environmental challenges we face are complex in that there is no central command from which to manage things. We need to find solutions that work in several directions at once – ecological, technical, political and social. Real progress toward greater sustainability takes real action, and Sustainable Waterloo fosters a community built on action,” says Dr. Barry Colbert, Director, CMA Centre for Business & Sustainability, Wilfrid Laurier University and Sustainable Waterloo Board Chair.

Some key highlights of the 2010 Report:

  • RCI members undertook 115 sustainable initiatives in 2010 through projects ranging from energy saving motion      sensing equipment to producing energy from waste.
  • The Region of Waterloo retrofitted traffic signal lights to save 1,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
  • 20 per cent of RCI members are working on projects that will decrease emissions associated with commuting and      business travel.
  • 18 per cent of RCI members found ways to improve their equipment efficiency.
  • 14 per cent of RCI members found ways to reduce and reuse their waste.

“Sustainable Waterloo has done a tremendous job in harnessing the power of collaborative leadership when it comes to environmental sustainability in Waterloo Region,” says Rosemary Smith, CEO of the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation. “Success is not possible if all constituents involved in a problem do not work together to find a solution, and Sustainable Waterloo continues to find ways to encourage and engage all of us to learn about the importance of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and has helped us post exciting results in this reduction.”

Report being released at the 2nd Annual Evening of Recognition

The 2010 Report, “Celebrating a Community Built on Action,” will be officially released at Sustainable Waterloo’s  2nd Annual Evening of Recognition, being held tonight at the Delta Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel. An advance digital copy of the 2010 Report can be previewed by media at www.sustainablewaterloo.org/2010Report.

Time:                    5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location:             Delta Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel – Grand Ballroom
                             105 King Street East, Kitchener 

This event is free, registration is required

About Sustainable Waterloo

Sustainable Waterloo is a not-for-profit that advances the environmental sustainability of organizations across Waterloo Region through collaboration.

About the Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI)

The Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) facilitates voluntary target-setting and reductions of carbon emissions by organizations across Waterloo Region.

Members of the Regional Carbon Initiative plug-in to a community of support, linking like-minded organizations focused on implementing successful and cost-effective projects that result in greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.