|
News & Announcements4/20/2010 | FM gearing up to host Earth Day events BLJC facility management (FM) team members are gearing up to host Earth Day events in an effort to raise awareness about sustainability. Taking place across the country at BLJC client sites, and in some cases coinciding with planned activities by the client, the day and weeklong events will see BLJC staff members hand out Earth Day kits, which include literature and products to promote sustainable behaviour. “The primary motivation is to spread the gospel of sustainably,” says Peter Rombos, building performance specialist. He says the kits, designed specifically for the day by the Energy and Sustainability Team, contain energy-efficient lighting, eco-friendly soap and reusable shopping bags, and offer people simple tips and recommendations about living sustainably in the form of “things you can do right now in your life.” While individual actions may seem small, the collective effort of many people implementing these types of changes can have a large impact, Rombos adds. “We think it’s not a big deal turning off a light, but the truth is it’s not one light, or two, it’s thousands of lights that we turn off.” It’s the first time BLJC has created the kits, 250 of them, and planned a co-ordinated event across the country. Rombos says facility managers were encouraged to design their own events, using the toolkit as part of a local activity. At our client's head office in Toronto, Marc Hanjani says BLJC staff members are hoping their event will influence the 4,000 bank employees in the building. The national director of critical environment says our FM team will be setting up a booth near the cafeteria to hand out information and raffle off prizes from the Earth Day kits in hopes of sparking conversations and raising awareness about consumer choices. Later in the day, BLJC staff will also do a walkabout of the building to pick up any trash on the grounds. Hanjani, who says his personal goal for the day would be to see people stop buying bottled water, will also be hosting a second event at another client location, which is holding a weeklong campaign. Another event planned for Earth Week includes promoting the concept of a litterless lunch at a Toronto TELUS office building by handing out reusable lunch bags, and having BLJC's President, Gord Hicks, present the Client Project Canada, Climate Change presentation. "I am always available to support our teams and clients through building awareness on climate change, and what we can do to minimize our carbon footprint. I hope I can contribute to making a difference" Hicks says. |
