EEC honours companies demonstrating environmental excellence

The Eco-Efficiency Centres ninth annual Environmental Excellence Breakfast has become a highlight of Environment Week, consistently attracting larger and larger audiences of business people who have accepted the events principle message: whats good for the environment is good for business.

Ray Côté, director of the Eco-Efficiency Centre and a professor with the School for Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University, says the truth of this statement is being further borne out by the increasing amount of attention the companies recognized at the breakfast are attracting.

The companies we recognize at these breakfasts are those that demonstrate sustainable prosperity, Côté says. Except in one case, all of the 42 businesses we have recognized up to now are still doing well by doing good. And many of them have been recognized as best managed companies, for achievement in export, business excellence and innovation, to name a few. As others have found, theres a strong connection between environmental performance, innovation and good management.

Six companies were recognized at this years event: Ascenta Health Ltd., Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa, Minas Basin Pulp and Power Company Ltd., ORegans Toyota Auto Mall, Pratt and Whitney Ltd. and TRAX Construction Ltd.

Three of the six honourees are located in local business parks, including Ascenta Health of Wright Avenue in Burnside. Ascenta produces natural health products and is a leading supplier of fish-oil-based supplements. Ascenta sources its oils from wild fish stocks that are harvested using verifiably sustainable practices monitored by government authorities.

The company has also implemented several environmental initiatives at its Dartmouth office, including: programmable thermostats, T-8 fluorescent lighting and Energy Star office supplies, reusable dishware for employees, composting facilities, low-flush toilets and faucet aerators in its washrooms, and it contributes one per cent of annual sales to environmental causes. To reduce the chemicals it uses, Ascenta chooses environmentally friendly cleaning products and natural inks. Ascenta even subsidizes hybrid vehicle purchases for its employees.

Successful companies must rethink the way they measure their success, says Marc St.Onge, president of Ascenta. Environmental impact will eventually become a significant cost factor to any business and will threaten the viability of certain industries as natural resources are depleted and degraded. At Ascenta our greatest hope is that our initiatives will inspire more companies to take action.



Pratt & Whitney Canadas Plant 41, located in Aerotech, is a highly automated manufacturing site specializing in the precision machining of turbine blades, vane rings and complex engine casings. Plant 41 significantly extended the life expectancy of one of its chemical processes by removing silicates from the makeup water so that what was emptied and replenished on a daily basis can now last up to two weeks, saving the equivalent of 637,000 litres of potable water per year. In addition, last year, P&WC converted several solvent-based cleaning processes to an innovative water-based cleaner that the company developed. This allowed the company to reduce overall process air emissions by over 70% in one year.

Weve set some pretty aggressive targets, and our employees are achieving those, says Marc Paquet, general manager. Were growing, but at the same time, were reducing our energy consumption, reducing our waste. Were really proud of our team for their strong creative effort, and being recognized helps us strive to continue greening our business.



TRAX Construction Ltd., based in Bedfords Atlantic Acres, is moving away from the traditional industry practice of dig, haul, and dump, TRAX Construction has undertaken a number of initiatives that not only reduce waste associated with their developments, but also preserve the soil and reuse organic materials where possible. These practices achieve both waste diversion of materials that would traditionally go to a landfill and greenhouse gas reductions associated with transporting the waste.

For example, TRAX has eliminated 170,000 kilometres of truck traffic from HRM streets, preventing the emission of more than 200 tonnes of greenhouse gases.

TRAXs most significant development is an innovative new process called Greener Dig. The Greener Dig process significantly reduces construction wastes by sorting and reusing as many resources as possible on site.

Paul Behner, president of TRAX Construction Ltd., says he would like to see more companies in the construction sector follow suit with these types of policies.

The construction industry is destructive by nature. Were just trying to provide some balance by reusing organic materials.

With files from Andrew Robinson, Robert Bay and the Eco-Efficiency Centre.

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