The Salvation Army’s ‘Green’ Initiatives
While the environment may down the list on the election agenda, politicians can still sense that the public continues to worry about ecological deterioration. Canadians are eager to make choices that will benefit the environment. With this in mind, The Salvation Army continues to look at realistic alternatives that promote environmental stewardship.
Success stories
In the summer of 2010 The Salvation Army Ethics Centre conducted a survey of ministry units in Canada and Bermuda. The results were inspiring.
• “To supplement our food bank we planted a vegetable garden on the property.”
• “We ordered a bicycle rack to encourage volunteers, clients and staff to come to church/work on their bike instead of using their vehicle.”
• “We change our furnace filters regularly and have had our ducts cleaned to ensure better heat/cool air flow.”
• “We placed light sensors in all washrooms and offices as well as programmable thermostats.”
• “We have replaced all bathroom faucets with metered faucets to control water flow.”
• “We eliminated the use of water bottles and replaced them with jugs of tap water and glasses.”
• “We use recyclable bags for distributing food.”
• “We have stopped using plastic cutlery and paper plates.”
• “We have retrofitted all electrical fixtures. This has earned us a designation as a “Power Smart Business” from the provincial government.”
Environmental policy
In April 2010 The Salvation Army in Canada issued an environmental policy that outlines nine steps toward sustainable practice. They include:
• Awareness and compliance with environmental legislation.
• Making environmental concerns an integral part of the planning and decision-making process.
• Committing sufficient resources to reduce the ecological footprint of Army operations.
• Promoting good environmental stewardship of all organizationally owned leased vehicles.
• Giving consideration and, where appropriate, include environmental initiatives (e.g. LEED Canada. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System) in all facility design and ongoing maintenance projects
• Promoting environmentally sustainable transport options.
• Promoting waste management strategies that will address the proper handling and disposal of all wastes, reduce the production of waste, and pursue opportunities to reuse and recycle waste materials. This strategy will target all aspects of day-to-day operations including construction and renovation projects.
• Identifying, evaluating, controlling and minimizing the environmental risks associated with our operations.
• Evaluating environmental performance through periodic reviews and audits to ensure that conduct is consistent with the above principles.
‘Green’ toolkit
In the next few months a ‘green’ toolkit will be available to all Salvation Army ministry units. It’s a collection of resources to help educate and equip units to be environmentally aware and engage in sustainable practice. Areas of focus will include Energy and Resource Consumption, Business Practice, Waste Management and Site Development, as well as resources for worship and study.
The Salvation Army believes that we are called to be good stewards of the earth, every day, in all our decisions, big and small.
