BC Hydro Power Smart Excellence Awards » Workplace Conservation Leadership Award

Since joining Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in February 2008, Duncan Campbell has taken energy conservation from a department-level initiative to a corporate-level plan. He started by making a good thing better. Vancouver Coastal Health had already introduced an excellent energy management program and a grassroots energy conservation initiative called GreenCare that encourages employees to take environmentally responsible actions. Duncan and his team kept the momentum going by bringing GreenCare to virtually all 22,000 employees in the organization, increasing both participation and energy savings. Duncan also brought the energy conservation focus to the boardroom table.

His team spearheaded the establishment of regular energy-focused reporting to senior management and required all requests for funding to consider energy consumption. These strategies make energy efficiency a high-profile part of Vancouver Coastal Health’s business operations. Duncan Campbell and his team are keeping the energy efficiency conversation top-of-mind for everyone in the organization.

The Contract Management Office (CMO), a small department in the provincial Ministry of Finance, proves that small changes lead to big action. The CMO team started to meet regularly to discuss ways to reduce their energy consumption. They launched a “Green Kick” contest where participants earned points for energy-saving actions, developed individual sustainability plans, gave workstations green tune-ups and shared tips in monthly emails. Their ideas began to catch on, and the energy savings grew throughout the CMO office and beyond. The CMO’s success shows that a small grassroots initiative can achieve big results.

GREEN TEAM MEMBERS: Gina Curran, Janice Hayward, Cherie McLean, Beverly Romeo-Beehler, Peter Rantucci, Gareth Jacobs, Darrell Eng, Caroline Hergt, Samantha Cameron, Lynette Linkletter, Sadie MacDonald, Cindy Luchies, Tammy Nanos, Jack Fourdraine, Bozena Christenson, Janette Ellis, Betty Blythe, Lara Bird, Barb Robertson, Sue Pearson, Nick Bystedt, Kathy Arnold

The Royal BC Museum’s Angela Williams is a sustainability champion. Since 2004, Angela has spearheaded the organization’s energy management program, and in 2008 she implemented a comprehensive environmental sustainability policy to encourage energy conservation and establish future sustainability goals. Angela encouraged several Power Smart energy improvement initiatives and engaged her fellow employees in energy conservation using a variety of communication strategies that sparked dialogue and participation. Representing the organization in Kamloops at one stop on the BC Hydro-sponsored “Free Spirit Conservation Tour,” she invited other organizations to follow the energy efficiency trail blazed by the Royal BC Museum.