Walking the talk

Our Mission

EEM is committed to helping our clients turn the management of environmental and social performance into a source of long-term value by providing them with the skills and tools necessary to think and operate sustainably at all levels of their organization.

Walking the sustainability talk at EEM

As sustainability consultants, we recognize that our greatest impacts are the outcomes of the work we do with our clients. We also understand that this work begins at home. As such, we continually seek ways to reduce our footprint, engage with our community, and improve our own practices.

Reducing our footprint

Improving performance and reducing impact often require investment and short-term sacrifice. We feel confident about advising our clients because we have also made investments and sacrifices and fully understand related aspects of feasibility, cost, and value.

    • Sustainable transportation and mobility
    • One of the primary criteria in our new office search in 2010 was proximity to public transportation for both employees and clients.
    • The new office space we took occupation of in 2010 has significantly increased employee use of public transportation and resulted in more carpooling.
      • Carpeting
    • Rather than purchase new carpeting, we chose carpet tiles made from 52% recycled nylon that create very little installation waste (InterfaceFLOR).
    • We also moved 1,250 square feet of the same carpet tiles purchased in 2003 from our old office to re-use in our new office space.
    • We paid a premium for the new recycled carpet and reuse of the old carpet, which was equivalent to about a quarter of our moving budget.
    • Should we move again in the future, we will take these carpet tiles with us to our next location (minus those that need replacing).
      • Lighting
    • We worked with our new landlord to install split light circuits so that only areas that need it are lit.
    • A large internal window was also installed to increase the natural light in the office’s common area.
      • Paint/furnishings
    • Our office was painted with low VOC recycled paint
    • We re-used desks, cabinets, chairs, etc.
    • The very few new furniture products we needed (e.g. desks) were purchased from local Quebec manufacturers where possible.
      • Waste management/Recycling
    • Our kitchen waste feeds our own onsite worm farm. When the worms are at capacity, we divert our compost waste to nearby residential curbside compost collection.
    • We retain a private paper recycling company to collect all of our waste paper because the municipality does not yet offer recycling to businesses. This company takes the recycled paper to Quebec’s only recycled paper plant, which is powered by methane capture and biogas. In turn, we procure all of our recycled or FSC-certified paper back from this company.
    • All plastic, metal and cardboards are taken to nearby residential recycling collection until such time as the service will be extended to businesses. 
      • Carbon offsets
    • We introduced a new policy to charge clients for the purchase of carbon offsets when traveling to client sites.
    • We have also committed to offsetting and reporting all of our own GHG emissions at the end of each calendar year (the first of which will be for 2010).
    • We purchase all of our offsets as Gold Standard offsets from Planétair.
      • Printing
    • All documents are printed double-sided on recycled or FSC-certified paper.
      • Telecommuting
    • We offer telecommuting to employees living at greater distances.

Engaging with our communities

EEM believes that community engagement is everyone’s business. We aspire to be a good neighbour by getting involved in our community’s priorities and investing in improving its resilience.

Our policy leverages our strengths by supporting the prevention and mitigation of environmental impacts and enhancing the community’s quality of life. It also seeks to maximize the value of our contribution to the community by emphasizing the benefits of our expertise while providing all staff members with opportunities to participate.

Our actions in support of this policy consist of the company contributing professional time for each employee to community volunteer efforts and/or financial contributions to these or other causes.

    • Organized green initiatives at École St-Thomas in Hudson, Québec, such as the zero waste lunchbox challenge, recycling of food packaging, implementation of a composting program, and greening procurement;
    • Prepared and delivered a seminar on Water and the Global Economy at Destiny Québec, an annual youth conference;
    • Provided facilitation services to the City of Westmount’s multi-stakeholder sustainable development visioning session;
    • Financial support to the Fondation pour le développement durable d'Haiti, Eau vive/Water Can, Canopy (formerly Markets Initiative), and the Montreal Notre-Dame-de-Grace borough's Empress Cultural Centre and Food Bank;
    • Pro bono, three-year participation as multi-sector partnership brokers in three McGill University research projects related to ecology-based land use planning in the Richelieu Valley in the vicinity of Mont-St-Hilaire, Quebec.

Excelling in practice

The fields in which we operate are evolving rapidly, placing a premium on the currency of our knowledge. The changes we effect and the value we deliver rely on how well we lead our clients to new opportunities and help them improve the way they operate.  These factors place emphasis on the quality and professional capacity of our consultants and require us to invest in high quality professional development opportunities and research into emerging issues and trends.

Our objectives are to build and retain the collective knowledge of the firm and to provide opportunities for our people to develop professionally, both to deepen knowledge in specific skill sets and to broaden horizons.

    • Professional Development & Training
    • Project management
    • Environmental management
    • Environmental chemistry
    • Environmental impact assessment
    • Facilitation & collaborative strategic planning
      • Professional Accreditation Programs
    • Partnership Brokers Accreditation Scheme (PBAS)
    • The International Association of Facilitator’s Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) Program
    • GHG Inventory Certified Quantifier
    • Mining Association of Canada Towards Sustainable Mining Verification Certification
      • Conferences and Learning Events
    • Research and learning from participating in the Canopy Webinar on the Boreal Forest Conservation Agreement
    • Research and learning from attending the 2010 Sustainable Cities Conference
    • Research and learning from speaking at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum’s annual conference

 

EEM President Paul MacLean and long-time associate John Phyper found another way to advance sustainability thinking by writing Good to Green: Managing Business Risks and Opportunities in the Age of Environmental Awareness.