Sustainable Business Magazine by Sustainable Business Magazine

SUSTAINABLE ISSUE 06/15

B U S I N E S S

M A G A Z I N E

BIOX

CORPORATION

GREENFIELD SPECIALTY ALCOHOLS INC POTENTIA SOLAR INC SUSTAINABLE CAMPUSES

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

UNC CHARLOTTE ALSO FEATURED THIS ISSUE

GFO • SOLARSHARE • SUNMINE

S U S TA I N I N G T O M O R R O W. T O D AY

SUSTAINABLE

B U S I N E S S

M A G A Z I N E

Sustainable Business Magazine is committed to promoting sustainable printing. This magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified material and manufactured using environmentally sustainable procedures. All lithographic printer inks used are vegetable-based.

SBM Media Ltd Norwich Enterprise Centre, 4B Guildhall Hill, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1JH, United Kingdom • T: +44 (0)1603 516519 Email: info@sustainablebusinessmagazine.net www.sustainablebusinessmagazine.net Editor: Fiona FitzGerald Assistant Editor: Thomas Massey George Newell Profile Writers: Marcus Bonnano Joe Cook Contributors: Brad Bradford Michael Conte Ray Davis John A. Gorman Andrea Kent Andy Nadel Kent Macwilliam Aaron Quesnel Meghan Fay Zahniser Web Administrator: Steve Phipps

CONTENTS ISSUE 06/15

Welcome to the latest issue of Sustainable Business Magazine Sustainable Business Magazine aims to spread awareness of the values of sustainability, as well as the brilliant ways in which organizations continue to meet challenges and champion corporate social responsibility. This issue features the second installment of our ‘Canadian Bioeconomy’ series. The series is being run in partnership with the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) and features detailed profiles of CRFA members, showcasing how their efforts are contributing to a more environmentally and economically sustainable future. Each installment is prefaced by a foreword from Andrea Kent, President of the CRFA, and the second installment features articles on BIOX Corporation, GreenField Specialty Alcohols, and Grain Farmers of Ontario. We are also very proud to present the first installment of our ‘Solar Leadership’ series. The series is being run in partnership with the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) and celebrates how CanSIA members are producing and delivering clean and reliable renewable energy. Each installment of the series will be prefaced by a foreword from John Gorman, President and CEO of CanSIA, and the first installment features articles on Potentia Solar, SolarShare, and the City of Kimberley’s SunMine project. The latest installment of our AASHE’s ‘Sustainable Campuses’ series features the University of Ottawa and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The series is being run in partnership with AASHE (the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) and celebrates the continuing efforts of North American universities to develop and operate sustainably, as well as the role they’re taking in educating students and the wider public about the importance of sustainability. As always the series is prefaced by a foreword from AASHE’s Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. Details of upcoming sustainability events can be found on our events calendar. This issues’ highlighted event is the International District Energy Association’s (IDEA) 106th Annual Conference and Trade Show, entitled “Inspiring the Next Generation”. The event took place between June 28th and July 1st in IDEA’s hometown of Boston, MA, and attracted over 960 attendees from 22 countries, as well as dozens of area college students who were able to attend and learn more about the industry. The conference featured a full schedule of technical presentations, panel discussions, peer exchange, and networking opportunities. This issue’s three guest editorials have once again been provided by a selection of industry experts and feature an economic report from Ray Davis, President of OGW Energy Resources, a social report from Michael Conte and Andy Nadel, Owner and CEO of Pride Products Distributors, and a food report from Kent Macwilliam and Aaron Quesnel, Founder of Sky Harvest. We hope that you find this issue both interesting and inspiring. Thank you for reading.

Economic Report OGW Energy Resources

Food Report Sky Harvest

Social Report Pride Products Distributors

Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA)

BIOX Corporation

GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc.

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA)

Potentia Solar Inc.

SolarShare

SunMine

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)

University of Ottawa

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

IDEA 2015 Event Review

Global Events

Advertisers Index

FRONT COVER IMAGE IMAGE PROVIDED BY BIOX CORPORATION

The Sustainable Business Magazine Team

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

ECONOMIC REPORT

ECONOMICREPORT

By Ray Davis, President of OGW Energy Resources.

Bold Enough to Lead in the Fiscally Conservative Approach to Environmental Stewardship OGW Energy Resources (OGW) is one of the oldest exclusively renewable and sustainable energy companies in the Midwest. OUR CONSERVATION APPROACH Some say that the environmental impact of human activity only became recognized as a concern in the latter half of the 20th century and environmental awareness has developed as a relatively new concern in our society. We disagree with this statement. The human 2 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

race has always had excellent examples of Nations that conserve and live with the land. We believe that more and more individuals are waking up to realize a lifestyle that many of our ancestors considered everyday living. With increased environmental consciousness from trigger events such as Three Mile Island, governments began regulating industrial activities with environmental protection in mind. As we gain a better understanding of our interaction with the environment and standards grow ever more stringent, OGW Energy Resources knows that distributive generation is one of the best ways towards impactful environmental stewardship. Our approach towards impactful environmental stewardship... be our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fiduciary. At OGW we know environmental stewardship starts with sustaining our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bottom line. Period. OGW

At OGW we know environmental stewardship starts with sustaining our client’s bottom line. Period. OGW designs energy solutions that are at the forefront of innovation. designs energy solutions that are at the forefront of innovation. We work directly with global manufacturers to develop creative, fiscally smart energy management solutions that benefit our clients. Every renewable and sustainable energy solution we propose is tailored to our clients’ needs and their return on investment. Our goal is simple: We want to cut utility costs, increase cash flow, and give our clients a competitive edge to help their organization hedge against energy inflation. In short, we are industry advocates, linking intelligent energy solutions with sound financial sense. TOMORROW’S CHALLENGES TO ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP At OGW Energy Resources, we do not have a political agenda and we do not promote solutions that make little fiscal sense. Herbert Stein stated, “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop”. A simple and true statement that applies to the world economy, population, and resources. All three issues are directly tied together. Consider that in the first 8 months of 2015 the world had over 96 million births and 40 million deaths. The world’s population is exploding and for the next 40 years it is estimated that we will see a net growth of 70,000,000 each year. Growth on this scale will challenge every nation to preserve and protect their natural resources. Simply put, natural resources will be depleted. OGW’s mantra on this front is that with a positive economic effect, sustainable and distributive generation solutions are a positive impact against the depletion of natural resources.

must maintain all the costs associated with their infrastructure and renewable adopters do not pay their share. The funny part of this argument is that the business or homeowner that has a solar or wind system only serves to assist the utility company, particularly on high demand days. The interesting fact is that distributive generation fees do not show a clear delineation between pole and wire charges versus generation when the distributive generation adopter is using less. It just doesn’t seem right to have more fees for less usage. Operating out of the greater Dayton, Ohio area, OGW Energy Resources sees this issue clearly as a freedom of choice issue. We advocate for our clients from a fiscally conservative standpoint. For some clients, cash flow is the most important issue and for others realizing SRECs, 30% ITC, and Modified Accelerated Depreciation is suitable. At its core, the utility companies that are changing the solar industry by changing the economics through extra fees will force residential and commercial decision makers to consider a new rate variable that was not there before. Uncertainty is no friend to a viable project. c For more information about OGW Energy Resources, go to www.ogwenergyresources.com The views and opinions expressed in this guest editorial are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers or Sustainable Business Magazine (SBM Media Ltd).

ONE ROAD BLOCK AFTER ANOTHER New distributive generation fees are creating ambiguity in the renewable market place, and certain utility companies are hurting the economic viability of wind and solar. In Arizona, a $50 a month net metering charge is being added to future customers with rooftop solar arrays. In Indiana, HB 1320 will bring many new requirements for solar installers, as well as new interconnection costs, increase fixed utility fees, and revoking the retail rate from net metering. In Wisconsin, the same is happening, as fixed fees and demand charges for new solar installations continue to increase. In Utah, a new law was added in 2014 that allows utility companies to charge small renewable adopters extra fees to account for the costs associated with net metering programs. Several other states are considering laws to allow utility companies to have renewable energy related charges. Their justification and mantra is fairness. The utility companies argue that they still SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

FOOD REPORT AARON QUESNEL, FOUNDER, SKY HARVEST.

FOODREPORT

By Kent Macwilliam and Aaron Quesnel, Founder of Sky Harvest.

Chefs Love Micrcogreens for More than Just Flavor Restaurant customers demand sustainably grown, local-organic produce. But for restaurants, pairing nutrition and sustainability is a challenge. Consumers are growing aware of agricultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution to water contamination, ecological degradation, and unsustainable resource depletion. Their preference is gradually shifting towards local and organic food. As fresh, sustainably grown produce is in limited supply, a lag exists between the availability of local-organic produce and demand from sustainably-minded customers. Local farms, already at threat from sprawling cities, are forced to compete with international suppliers for shelf space at grocery stores. To grow cheap produce means sticking to the status quo by using harsh fertilizers and pesticides on crops. These pressures, especially apparent in the cold, wet Pacific Northwest, make it 4 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

tough for chefs in Vancouver, British Columbia, to source truly sustainable, local-organic ingredients. WHAT CHEFS WANT AND WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AVAILABLE Above all, quality and freshness of produce are top priorities for chefs. Sustainably grown local-organic food has the advantage of providing both. On the other hand, exotic produce supplied from far away places is often neither. Whether the produce is organic or not requires a lot of time and fuel to transport. The delay from harvest to consumption costs chefs in nutrients & quality. Energy intensive systems compensate to keep produce fresh during transportation to restaurants. Keeping produce fresh during transport requires refrigeration. Air conditioning units on trucks and cold storage warehouse facilities

maintain the cold chain at each stage of the food’s journey. These cooling methods consume vast quantities of electricity and fuel and contribute far more carbon emissions than just moving dry goods. An alternative is flying fresh produce which has an even greater global greenhouse gas contribution. Any sustainable solution to the insufficiency of quality fresh produce for restaurants must benefit the local environment, limit carbon emissions, and help the local community. Providing the freshest ingredients means reducing transit time for food, and emissions can be curbed by rethinking the need for extensive cold chains during conventional transportation. Organic certification is a 3rd party verified step aimed at mitigating the up and downstream environmental impacts of food. If all these criteria are met locally, the community will benefit from green jobs. But how can we achieve this? FRESH LOCAL ORGANIC WITHOUT EMISSIONS Vancouver startup Sky Harvest answers the demand for sustainable produce: nutrient-dense microgreens. These greens are super flavourful seedlings, harvested before the nutrients contained in the seed are used to fuel mature plant growth. They’re known for their superfood status, providing high concentrations of vitamins and nutrients. Sky Harvest’s farm is in a warehouse in East Vancouver, just minutes from the downtown core. In fact, the microgreens are grown so close to the majority of restaurants in Vancouver that owner Aaron Quesnel delivers them by bicycle. The lag between

The microgreens are grown so close to the majority of restaurants in Vancouver that owner Aaron Quesnel has chosen to deliver them by bicycle. harvest and consumption is reduced to hours, with no tailpipe emissions during transport. Over 40 restaurants are supplied by Sky Harvest, a number steadily increasing for the past 2.5 years in business. The product is adaptable with over 20 different offerings, most of them certified organic. The microgreens are rich in colour and flavour, making them an ideal way to feature a variety of dishes, sustainably. This suits traditional and local-organic specialty restaurants alike. The verdict is in from the chefs who buy for restaurants, microgreens sell. These Chefs have a new local-organic tool in their sustainability toolkit thanks to Sky Harvest and their nutrient-dense microgreens. www.skyharvest.ca c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

SOCIAL REPORT MICHAEL CONTE AND ANDY NADEL, CO-OWNER AND CEO OF PRIDE PRODUCT DISTRIBUTORS.

SOCIALREPORT

Written by Michael Conte and Andy Nadel, Owner and CEO of Pride Products Distributors.

How Eco-Friendly Promotional Products can be Highly Effective and a ‘Greener’ Alternative Deciding how to market your company can be a daunting task. As people continuously purchase a plethora of promotional products, a movement towards eco-friendly and sustainable items has become inevitable. Sustainability’s three core pillars 6 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

encompass economic, social, and environmental concerns. Today’s businesses are utilizing eco-friendly products to reinvent consumer views and incorporate sustainability into almost every aspect of their company.

Companies look to get their logos out in the most creative ways in order to grow their business. Eco-friendly promotional products can be the ‘greener’ way to get your company’s name and logo in front of clients, while still demonstrating a respect for the environment.

In our industry, companies look to get their logos out in the most creative ways in order to grow their business. Eco-friendly promotional products can be the ‘greener’ way to get your company’s name and logo in front of clients, while still demonstrating a respect for the environment. Take an eco-friendly water bottle imprinted with your logo. This is an item that can be used over and over again, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of plastic water bottles consumed. With this item, the consumer is repeatedly looking at the company logo, all while helping the environment. When people think of promotional products, they often think of cheap giveaways which display the name of the company but are soon tossed away. Eco-friendly promotional products are often items meant to last, and that means clients will constantly be reminded of the logo as they reuse the product. Reusable water bottles are an extremely eco-friendly promotional product, but there are many other creative items which have also shifted to become ‘green’. Bamboo USB drives, tote bags, and even

pens are just a few items that have proven to be sustainable alternatives. This means that they are created out of reused goods and that their production has not had a negative effect on the environment. Not only are these products eco-friendly, but the way they are produced reflects your company’s commitment to sustainability. Eco-friendly, sustainable products are not only reusable, but can also be more effective than print or media ads. With this marketing strategy, businesses will continue to gain new clients because their logos are printed on items that are environmentally responsible. So next time you are deciding on a new marketing strategy, think about the environment, and how eco-friendly and sustainable promotional products can have a greater lasting impact than other traditional marketing plans. With both economic and environmental incentives, social benefits come from the creative items Pride Product Distributors can offer. Not only are sustainable products socially acceptable, but in the long run they are a good indicator of economic influence. These products also attempt to reverse the negative effects we have had on our environment. Promotional products may only be a small part of how we can save our planet, but with growing populations and industries, sustainable products can be part of the answer for growing a business. Promotional products may not be top of a company’s priority list, but they should definitely be considered in marketing strategies. Contributed by Pride Product Distributors sales and marketing intern Michael Conte. Michael is a rising senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY. He is majoring in environmental studies and has a double minor in economics and sustainable community development. Through his internship with Pride Product Distributors, he has recognized the array of sustainable products a business can purchase. Pride has been in business for 18 years in Springfield, NJ and is a distributor of promotional products. c Visit them at www.pride-products.com SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

CANADIAN RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION GREENFIELD SPECIALTY ALCOHOLS’ ETHANOL FACILITY, CHATHAM, ONTARIO, CANADA CRFA MEMBER.

BUILDING CANADA’S

BIOECONOMY ANDREA KENT, PRESIDENT OF THE CANADIAN RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION (CRFA).

A foreword to the ‘Canadian Bioeconomy’ series by Andrea Kent, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA).

We’ve been building Canada’s renewable fuels industry for 30 years. What began as a group of determined corn farmers looking to find new revenue for their crops has turned into today’s Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. This has laid the foundation for a viable, domestic industry with 26 renewable fuels facilities across Canada producing 1.8 billion litres of ethanol and 400 million litres of biodiesel annually. It’s an industry that has created over $5 billion in economic activity and over 14,000 jobs since 2007 while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over 4.2 megatonnes (equivalent to 1 million cars) every year. And while our accomplishments 8 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

are impressive, our potential is nowhere near exhausted. Climate change and environmental sustainability is one of the defining challenges of the 21st century and it’s especially tough because this isn’t just a scientific concern, activist cause, or industrial challenge. Climate change is a global problem that brings to light serious challenges and it is innovative companies, such as CRFA members, who are helping transform these challenges into opportunities. Biofuels are the cleanest and most sustainable source of fuel available and are an established part of Canada’s energy mix. Renewable fuels like ethanol and renewable

port the work of Canadian renewable fuels producers and innovators by investing in Canadian innovation, growing market access for renewable fuels, and fighting climate change while growing the economy. EXPANDING RENEWABLE FUELS REQUIREMENTS Mandated levels of renewable fuel content have succeeded in securing a market for a product that burns cleaner when compared to petroleum-based alternatives. The net result is that consumers receive the benefits of cleaner fuels, and Canada reduces its emissions. There are NO technical barriers to increasing the federal renewable diesel mandate to ensure a 5% inclusion by 2020. At the same time, expanding renewable diesel use to other markets — like marine, rail, mining, power engines, and oil sands expansion — would make significant emissions reductions in otherwise very carbon intensive industries.

diesel reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 99% compared to fossil fuels. Their use extends our petroleum supply while protecting our environment. Canada’s biofuels industry continues to grow, improve, and innovate. Today agricultural waste, residue, and even garbage can be used to make biofuel. In April 2014, we released our new vision and plan for biofuels and the bioeconomy in Canada. Our policy recommendations sup-

PROMOTING INNOVATION The priority we place on sustainability and innovation will ultimately determine our long-term economic prosperity. The growth of today’s Canadian bioeconomy is due in large part to renewable fuels technology, but success relies on expanding emerging technologies and successfully bringing them to market. Creating a comprehensive Bioeconomy Strategy – similar to the one which exists in the United States and the European Union — is needed to support innovative and potentially ground-breaking technology, accelerate

progress in research, and ultimately shape Canada’s overall energy future. BUILDING PATHWAYS INTO THE MARKETPLACE Renewable fuels diversify our fuel mix and extend our petroleum supply while delivering the environmental benefits many customers and governments want. There are over 3.5 million vehicles on Canada’s roads that can take up to 85% ethanol (E85). In the United States there are over 3,000 E85 pumps, as well as thousands of others that offer mid-level ethanol blends and 10-20% biodiesel directly to consumers. However, there are less than ten pumps that offer E85 to consumers and none that offer higher biodiesel blends at commercial sites in Canada. Governments should be encouraging existing pump turnover and new market entrants so that renewable fuels are available to Canadian consumers where they want them - at the fuel pump. A FAIR VALUE FOR GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS Over 40 countries worldwide either have or are in the process of putting a price on carbon. Be it a direct tax, a trading system, or a low-carbon fuel standard, putting a price on carbon and rewarding those who reduce the total amount of carbon is the solution. Biofuels are an efficient, low-cost pathway to realizing GHG reduction targets and are an essential part of any low-carbon strategy. Monetizing GHG benefits is an opportunity to provide financial returns and incentives for companies that practice and/ or adopt more sustainable practices and clean technologies. CRFA supports policies that maximize this opportunity and are working with jurisdictions on systems that recognize and encourage the economic value of renewable fuels products. FROM BIOFUELS TO BIOECONOMY CRFA members are already hard at work, creating more renewable fuels and sustainable products that stimulate the economy and help fight climate change. We are excited to work with Sustainable Business Magazine to profile some of our members and show how their businesses are helping shift the energy landscape in Canada. c

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

BIOX CORPORATION

FROM FATS Scott Lewis, Vice President of Business Development and Sales at BIOX Corporation, speaks to Sustainable Business Magazine about how the company grew from a fledging concept into an important link in the North American renewable fuels market.

10 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 11

BIOX CORPORATION

Using proprietary technology, BIOX Corporation delivers high quality biodiesel to the international market with unparalleled speed and efficiency. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the company owns and operates a 67 million liter per annum facility that converts a wide range of feed stocks including rendered animal fats, used cooking oils, Distillers Corn Oil and seed oils into ASTM standard biodiesel. The foundation of BIOX’s business is its unique conversion process that is

able to utilize feed stocks with low free fatty acid (FFA) content such as seed oils as well as animal fats and used cooking oils that have substantially higher FFA content. This is achieved through the introduction of a cosolvent that turns both triglycerides and FFAs into methyl esters without the need for high temperatures or pressure. This technique was invented by a professor at the University of Toronto. Initially BIOX licensed the rights to the technology during its incorpora-

tion in September 2000, but the success of a one million liter pilot plant built in Oakville, Ontario, proved the company was able to deliver a 1:1 triglyceride and FFA in to methyl ester yield, which led to the company acquiring the rights to the technology itself in 2002. The next few years were spent designing and engineering the plant to ensure maximum efficiencies would be achieved at a commercial scale. In April 2007 the Hamilton, Ontario, based plant came online.

We offer full service to the liquid bulk and dry bulk transportation industry operating throughout Canada and the United States TD Smith Transport is a family owned company that has been in the transportation industry since 1946. We are committed to offer customers safe and competitive transportation. We believe in building long term relationships with our customers through continuous improvements, preventative maintenance and safety programs.

We are proud to be partnered with BIOX and congratulate them on their current and future successes TD Smith Transport - 540 Sligo Road East, Mount Forest, Ontario, N0G 2L0, Canada • Tel: 519-323-2004/5 • Office Fax: 519-323 3646 Dispatch Fax: 519-323 3567 • Toll Free Canada: 1-800-265-8781 • Toll Free US: 1-800-463-0387 • www.tdsmithtransport.com

12 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Mr. Lewis explains that location has played a very important role in the story of BIOX, having been a key factor in their start-up process and being a key factor in their potential for future success. “The driving force behind building in Hamilton was that we expected the Canadian federal Renewable Fuels Standard would come into effect in 2007 and open the Canadian market for biodiesel. However, it didn’t come into effect until 2010, and even then it took a few years

to permeate throughout the market, so it was a difficult time in the Canadian biodiesel industry. Since then, several provinces have brought their own mandates into effect. The most recent is Ontario which brought in the Greener Diesel Mandate in April, 2014. The industry was effectively sustained during these lean years by the Natural Resources Canada ecoEnergy for Biofuels program. Essentially, this was a 7 year subsidy program beginning at a rate of 26 cents per liter of fuel sold, gradually diminishing year on year until April 2015 when the subsidies ended, leaving a free-standing marketplace. BIOX was one of the first adopters of the scheme and benefitted greatly. Another reason the Hamilton site was chosen is that we understood the potential of our technology. Back in 2002, conversion technology relied on single source materials, such as soybean and canol oils, so biodiesel companies would build plants close to seed-crushing facilities. When looking at our technology though, we saw that we had a unique ability to float between different commodity supplies and therefore didn’t want to co-locate next to just one. Our thinking was that the one thing that wouldn’t move, so long as we could get the mandates in place, was the distillate market. Distillate markets exist close to large clusters of people so if we built in an industrial center close to significant volumes of distillate, which would be distributed to and consumed by the public, then in fact we could get the best of both worlds. We chose a location next to the Shell terminal in Hamilton.” THE GIRL NEXT DOOR It took a long time and a lot of effort for BIOX to get the attention of Shell Canada, mostly due to the delay in the blending mandates. Between April 2007 and April 2014 every single liter of BIOX’s biodiesel

was sold outside Ontario due to this lag. The first three years of production saw the company’s product being delivered throughout the USA, as well as to Europe, but following a change in EU laws in 2009 and the introduction of new mandates in the USA in 2010, they eventually became focused solely on the USA. As a result the company is registered with the U.S. EPA as a foreign biodiesel producer and importer of renewable fuels, as well as in the state of California for the low carbon fuel standard. A distribution point in New York Harbor became an essential tool for BIOX’s business, enabling it to reach customers further afield. Low carbon fuel standard schemes are also in effect in British Columbia and Alberta. BIOX was eventually able to sign a joint venture agreement with Shell in 2012 with the project being completed late in 2013. At that point, BIOX began selling its biodiesel in Ontario. A pipeline was constructed between a dedicated storage tank at the BIOX production facility and the Shell distribution center, enabling BIOX to deliver biodiesel via the most efficient logistics to Shell while constantly monitoring its own product. Shell then blends the biodiesel into their

“BIOX is a very strong, forward thinking company with an outstanding work ethic. In today’s competitive market, partnering with a company that has similar drive, focus and a solid place in the biofuel market is invaluable. Their accessibility and responsiveness in dealing with us is more akin to a family business than the industry Goliath that they are. We are proud to be working with BIOX as part of the solution in journeying towards meeting the increasing demands of the biofuel mandate.” Joe Silvestri, President

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 13

FID CHEMICALS

We buy and sell

GLYCERIN Of all grades and feedstocks

CRUDE & REFINED Also: FFA - UCO - ACID OILS

Contact us today 450-621-4230 II 800-565-7627 INFO@FUTUREINTERNATIONAL.COM WWW.FIDCHEMICALS.COM Future International Diversified Inc.

Visit us at http://www.imtt.com

14 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

BIOX CORPORATION

WITH THE MARKET POINTING IN THE DIRECTION OF COMPLIANCE PATHWAYS WHICH BIOX ALREADY OCCUPIES, THE FUTURE APPEARS FULL OF POSSIBILITIES.

distillate, meaning BIOX’s fuel is delivered to hundreds of Shell customers throughout the region, helping Shell to meet its federal and provincial blending obligations. The company highlights the joint venture as one of their proudest achievements. “We were looking to structure a project such as this with Shell, for many years before they even noticed that we were there,” says Mr. Lewis. “We finally came together in 2012 and it took another 18 months to get the deal structure and the project built out but now that it is established we see it as the next step in the evolution of petroleum -renewable fuels integration.” MOLECULAR NETWORKS BIOX sees strong links with petroleum and gas companies as being key for the renewable fuels industry. By making use of established distribution hubs and networks to increase the logistical efficiency of their product they can work with oil and gas companies to better meet their mandated blending obligations for biodiesel and ethanol. Governments worldwide are already heading in this direction by introducing measures that demand increasing percentages of renewables in commercial gasoline and diesel, with schemes such as low carbon

fuel credits already present throughout numerous American states and Canadian provinces. Due to its ability to process a wide variety of low carbon feedstocks, BIOX can deliver more credits by way of lower quantities than competitors because the versatility and efficiency of its conversion process. This, understandably, is very attractive to fuel distributors including major commercial oil and gas companies such as Shell Canada. With the market pointing in the direction of compliance pathways which BIOX already occupies, the future appears full of possibilities for the biodiesel producer. They are already qualified in several regions as a producer and distributor and the new local joint venture with Shell within Ontario’s Greener Diesel Mandate means demand for their product can only increase. When asked about the possibility of new plants and facilities to meet this increase, Mr. Lewis outlines BIOX’s future plans: “The amount of capital required to build new plants is extensive and there is abundant supply capacity throughout the world at this time. Unless we see a dramatic increase in the volume of mandates, there is already enough biodiesel production capacity in North America. Should we, therefore, build more plants? No. Do we intend to control

more of the existing production? Yes. The renewable fuels industry has become very regulated so a lot of our customers are buying our product because of the work we have already put in to comply with regulatory standards. Localized production will become very important in this regard. If my customer has locations on opposite sides of the country that they want us to be at, then we will be there. Getting the right molecules to the right customer at the right time will be the crux of our future business.” c

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 15

GREENFIELD

SUSTAINABLE

ALCOHOL Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Barry Wortzman, Vice President of Business Development at GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc., about energy efficiency and the future of biofuel. 16 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Founded in 1989 by real estate developer Ken Field, GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc. has grown to become one of Canada’s largest alcohol producers; manufacturing and retailing high purity industrial alcohol, beverage alcohol, and co-products like distillers grains and corn oil. The company is also a veteran in the renewable energy industry, having been involved in ethanol fuel production since the 1990s. GreenField was behind Canada’s first fuel ethanol supply agreement, and its plant in Chatham, Ontario, was Canada’s first large-scale fuel ethanol facility. Now the company is getting closer to commercializing new, highly efficient second-generation technologies which are set to revolutionize biofuel production.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY For GreenField, sustainability begins at home. The company invests millions of dollars each year into capital projects to reduce their energy consumption and better manage their environmental footprint. “Sustainability and energy efficiency are part of our DNA,” explains Barry Wortzman, Vice President of Business Development at GreenField. “At our plant in Varennes, Quebec, we currently have a project underway where we are establishing an anaerobic digester on the grounds of the plant.” This digester will process organic waste which would otherwise be put into landfill and will use the biogas generated to displace part of the fossil fuel – namely, natural gas

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 17

GREENFIELD

– which GreenField needs to power the plant. This will cut carbon emissions while also cutting costs. Furthermore, GreenField has an ongoing program in which it incorporates new leading-edge energy efficient technologies into its plants. At its Tiverton plant in Northern Ontario, GreenField has installed high-efficiency, high-energy boilers with condensing economizers. With the incorporation of these boilers, the plant raises its own steam. “More sustainable,” Mr. Wortzman notes, “and certainly much more energy efficient.” In two other plants, GreenField has installed additional fermentation capacity to increase the ethanol yield, using less corn to produce more product. COMMUNITY INVESTMENT GreenField buys a huge 62 million bushels of corn a year from local farming communities situated around its plants – a tremendous investment in the local economy. However the company goes further than that by partnering with other businesses in the community in order to ensure that the communities themselves remain vibrant. “In our Chatham plant in southwestern Ontario, we have a collaboration with a company 18 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

called Truly Green which operates greenhouses,” explains Mr. Wortzman. “They’ve located their facility across the road from our ethanol plant. We send them – literally across the fence – carbon dioxide (CO2) that is produced by our fermenters, and they use that CO2 as the food to hydroponically grow tomatoes. In addition to the CO2, we plan to provide them with waste heat from our process, which will substantially reduce the heating and energy costs for their greenhouse facilities.” Another example of GreenField partnering with local businesses can be seen with their steam-raising capacity at their Tiverton plant. The Tiverton plant now supplies steam to a neighboring plant which had previously been burning bunker oil to generate steam. “Again,” says Mr. Wortzman, “it’s a real benefit to the community, and to the environment.” RESEARCH AND INNOVATION For eight years now GreenField has manned a complete Research and Development (R&D) facility not far from its Chatham plant. The facility has fifteen full time employees including scientists, lab technicians, engineers, and operators.

Furthermore, GreenField has collaborated with a number of academic institutions: The University of Western Ontario, the University of Windsor, Queen’s University, the University of Saskatchewan, the University of Guelph, York University, and the École Polytechnique in Montreal. “We facilitate their programs and get the benefit of post-doc students who go on to work with our people and contribute to what we’re doing,” explains Mr. Wortzman. “We enable these graduate students to be part of this exercise, and we can use their brainpower to move our project along. These kinds of collaborations are meaningful both ways.” This investment in innovation is now coming to fruition, in the form of a clean, renewable fuel - namely cellulosic ethanol -produced from non-traditional feedstocks. CELLULOSIC ETHANOL The process of extracting the starch from corn kernels is a relatively simple one. Much more complex is processing lignocellulosic biomass (which can be agricultural residue like corn stover or sugarcane bagasse, or woody biomass like chips or sawdust) into cellulosic ethanol.

Henry Heyink Construction Ltd. is pleased to provide Civil construction services at GreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc. Chatham facility

MWS Solutions Inc.

Mechanical and Electrical Installations

Chatham, Ontario

Affordable, experienced and professional, 3 things that set us apart! We are a dynamic company skilled in Electrical, Mechanical and Service for Industrial, Commercial and Institutional customers within our service region. • PIPING • MILLWRIGHT & RIGGING • ELECTRICAL • SHEET METAL & HVAC

• FABRICATION • ENERGY MANAGEMENT • ORBITAL WELDING • ENGINEERING & DESIGN

MWS Solutions - 612 Colby Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, N2V 1A2, Canada Tel: (519) 886 - 2475 • Fax: (519) 886 - 4128 • Email: info@mws-solutions.com

www.mws-solutions.com

Industrial • Commercial • Institutional.

Haller Mechanical Contractors Inc. was established in 1973 and has completed numerous projects in the Industrial/Commercial industry over the past 42 years. The work completed includes all phases of Process Piping Systems in various alloys such as stainless steel, monel, and titanium. Other systems include standard

plumbing, H.V.A.C., complete air, steam and condensate systems, as well as all types of Boiler Systems. We have a 15,000 square foot manufacturing facility fully equipped to fabricate 1/8” Ø through to 60” Ø plus pipe sizes in any material including standard black, stainless steel, monel, inconnel and titanium.

Haller Mechanical Contractors Inc.1537 McDougall St, Windsor, ON N8X 3M9, Canada Email: hmc@hallergroup.ca • Tel: 519-254-4635 • Fax: 519-254-3385 • www.hallergroup.ca SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 19

GREENFIELD

“OVER THE PAST TWENTY YEARS WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO GROW OUR COMPANY TO BECOME CANADA’S LEADING AND LARGEST PRODUCER OF A FULL MENU OF ALCOHOLS.”

Electrical • Instrumentation • System Integration

www.Hardie.on.ca 20 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

It is precisely this process which GreenField’s R&D facility and their university colleagues have been working on for the last eight years. “We recognized early on that the most difficult but key process step is pretreatment, which fractionates the feedstock and recovers the sugars,” explains Mr. Wortzman. “Over the last eight years we’ve developed our own process for pretreatment, as well as the equipment to execute that process. As a result we now have around twenty families of patents that we are prosecuting internationally. We’re currently running validation trials, and we expect to be in a position to

commercialize that pretreatment technology in the near term.” PROUD ACHIEVEMENTS “Over the past twenty plus years we’ve been able to grow our company to become Canada’s leading and largest producer of a full menu of alcohols, something we’re very proud of,” says Mr. Wortzman. “We’ve earned the distinction over that period of being one of Canada’s best-managed companies and we have been able to become one of the most cost-effective producers in the world, again, something we’re very proud of. More recently, over the last five

to ten years, we’ve been committed to the biorefinery concept, integrating new technologies into our core business as well as developing our own second-generation technologies, thus building wisely on our base business. We haven’t just sat back and rested on our laurels; we’ve built on our core to move forward by adopting the biorefinery concept and developing our own advanced technologies. Now we’re on the verge of commercializing our second generation pretreatment technology and we’re very excited about it. It’s been a long road getting there, but the finish line is in sight.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 21

GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO

STRONG Uniting barley, corn, oats, soybeans, and wheat, Grain Farmers of Ontario is the largest commodity organization in the province of Ontario, Canada. The organization invests in the areas of research, market development, advocacy, and communications for the benefit of its farmer-members. Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Barry Senft, Chief Executive Officer, for insight into how the organization has established and propagated itself.

22 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 23

GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO FARM IN ONTARIO.

Grain Farmers of Ontario, was formed in 2010 through the merging of the Ontario Soybean Growers Association, the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association, and the Ontario Wheat Producers Marketing Board. The three former legacy organizations had, for many years, been carrying out effective work for their farmer-members; however, following agreements from all three organizations, it was decided that a single organization would be established to represent the interests of grain and oilseed farmers in Ontario. As a result Grain Farmers of Ontario was established in January 2010. In July 2015, the organization expanded its membership to also represent the province’s barley and oat farmers, previously represented by the Oat and Barley Council of Ontario, but without representation in recent times. WHEAT FIELD.

24 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

DIRECTIVES Grain Farmers of Ontario represents 28,000 farmers across the province and 6 million acres of barley, corn, oats, soybeans, and wheat. As an organization formed by farmers, and led by farmers, strategies and goals are driven by grassroot issues. “We have a broad set of strategies that focus on developing an innovative and successful business environment which will allow our farmer-members the opportunity for profitable growth,” says Barry Senft, Chief Executive Officer. “In recent times, sustainability has become a prominent topic for Grain Farmers of Ontario and over the past two years our annual strategic plan has been adjusted to reflect this.” The organization dedicates over $2 million annually to research, market development, and sustainability initiatives. Through EARLY SEASON SOYBEAN PLANT.

THE ORGANIZATION DEDICATES OVER $2 MILLION ANNUALLY TO RESEARCH, MARKET DEVELOPMENT, AND SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES.

EARLY SEASON CORN PLANT.

public and private partnerships, Grain Farmers of Ontario is actively involved in more than 70 projects to deliver on objectives in these areas each year. RESPONSIBLE FARMING Grain Farmers of Ontario is committed to responsible farming practices. They have a full time staff member dedicated to sustainability and environmental initiatives. The organization is active in several international sustainability programs including the Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) and the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI). In 2014, Grain Farmers of Ontario helped conduct a pilot project which saw sixteen Ontario soybean farmers become certified under the RTRS standard and saw 10,000 metric tonnes of Ontario RTRS certified soybeans grown. Closer to home the organization is also involved in a number of national programs including the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops (CRSC) and the Canadian Field Print Initiative (CFPI).

“Our involvement in these programs has reinforced to us that Ontario farmers are very responsible, adaptable, and forward-thinking,” says Mr. Senft. “With the public perception of grain farming so influential in our province, it’s critical that we do a better job of telling the public about the good farming practices taking place across Ontario.” Grain Farmers of Ontario is also working with organizations around the

province on implementing the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Program in Ontario. This program is focused on applying fertilizers at the right source with the right rate at the right time in the right place. “Improving the water quality of our Great Lakes is a major initiative for the province; we see the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program as a great proactive voluntary approach the Ontario agriculture industry can take.” ADVOCATING FOR FARMERS “Ensuring our farmers have access to the best tools and technology available is a critical task of our organization,” says Mr. Senft. “We advocate for farmers and work with government, as much as possible, to provide guidance and the farmer voice in policy development.” In recent years, advocating has become a true challenge for the organization facing changes in political leadership and regulatory direction. Ontario is the only province to restrict the use of neonicotinoid seed SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 25

GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO

“THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING AND ADAPTING TO CHANGING ENVIRONMENTAL AND BUSINESS CLIMATES IS RESEARCH, COOPERATION, AND COMMUNICATION.”

SOYBEAN FIELD.

treatments and for Grain Farmers of Ontario, this action is extremely concerning. “Our farmer members choose technology, such as seed treatments, because of the great benefits to crop management and the environment. This particular tool has actually helped drive some of our sustainability practices, such as minimum tillage and reduced foliar applications, because of the soil-borne pest control,” says Senft. “This regulation is alarming because it moves us away from some of these sustainable farming methods and it also isolates

26 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

our province, as the rest of Canada is not regulated the same way.” The regulation has potentially far-reaching impacts on competitiveness, financial sustainability for farmers, and could be precedent-setting. Grain farmers are firm in Ontario, that all farmers in the country should have equal access to agricultural technology and the organization continues to work diligently on their behalf on this, and other, important advocacy issues. BIOFUELS “Advocating for farmers can also mean advocating for our end-use markets,” says Senft. “We are proud to have helped increase both the ethanol and biodiesel mandates in our province, which are strong markets for corn and soybeans.” With advances in technology and variety development, corn and soybean production continues to grow in the province of Ontario. In 2014, over 7.5 million metric tonnes of corn and 3.8 million metric tonnes

of soybeans were produced in the province. This is compared to 5.6 million metric tonnes (corn) and 2.5 million metric tonnes (soybeans) produced in 2005. “Increases in production levels can pressure markets lowering prices for farmers,” says Senft. “The introduction of biofuels in Canada provided new market avenues for our farmer-members and helped keep prices strong. Biofuels are now one of our top three markets for corn and soybeans.” Grain Farmers of Ontario has been a strong advocate for increased biofuel mandates both provincially and federally. Current mandates include 5% ethanol and 2% renewable diesel. The organization hopes to see the renewable diesel mandate increased to 5% by 2020. FATTENING CAPACITY The future of Grain Farmers of Ontario demands a profitable and sustainable environment for barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farming across the province. As the

GROWING CONNECTIONS EXHIBIT PROMOTING GOOD IN EVERY GRAIN.

challenge of a changing climate spreads throughout the world, ongoing investment in agricultural research and sustainability practices will ensure that farmers are able to continue producing their crops well into the future. “The key to understanding and adapting to changing environmental and business climates is research, cooperation, and communication,” says Mr. Senft. “Farmers have always been striving to improve their practices and better the environment, though today this is occurring faster and under greater volatility.” When asked about what he thinks the future will look like, Mr. Senft suggests a

clear vision. “We are going to increase productivity. A lot of research is focusing on increasing crop yields throughout the year. Coupled with that, we have the opportunity to widen our markets, with opportunities, such as supplying to the biofuels industry. As production quantity increases, our farmers will have greater flexibility to sell to different customers. We will also continue looking at how to improve our communication to the general public. Everything has the possibility of improving and Grain Farmers of Ontario is striving to ensure we are planning, preparing, and driving forward to ensure the best future for our farmers.” c GROWING CONNECTIONS EXHIBIT PROMOTING GOOD IN EVERY GRAIN.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 27

CANADIAN SOLAR INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION

“OUR GOAL IS TO BUILD A CANADIAN SOLAR ENERGY INDUSTRY WHICH IS STRONG, EFFICIENT, ETHICAL, AND PROFESSIONAL.”

SOLAR LEADERSHIP A foreword by John A. Gorman, President and CEO of the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA).

JOHN A. GORMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CANSIA.

28 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

On behalf of the members of the Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA), I am pleased to offer this foreword to the “Solar Leadership” series in Sustainable Business Magazine. The Canadian solar industry is proud of the sector we have built, with nearly 2 GW installed by the end of 2014! As CanSIA members, the solar industry is poised to solidify solar electricity as a mainstream energy source and an integral part of Canada’s diversified electricity mix. The sun provides an inexhaustible supply of clean fuel to power our homes and our economy. Solar energy is positioned

to play a key role in our transition to carbon-free lives and a carbon-free economy. Our goal is to build a Canadian solar energy industry which is strong, efficient, ethical, and professional, with capacity to provide innovative solar energy solutions and to play a major role in the global transition to a sustainable, clean-energy future. CanSIA members are companies involved with the delivery of solar energy products and services in Canada, or with the delivery of other products and services to Canada’s solar energy sector. CanSIA proudly represents manufacturers, installers, project developers, builders, architects,

engineers, consultants, and a variety of other companies and organizations who contribute directly to the growing number of solar projects in Canada. In Ontario, where the vast majority of Canada’s solar is installed, government support for solar has enabled rapidly declining costs for manufactured components. Capital costs for solar have declined by 65% over the last 6 years, to where solar + storage technology is getting cheaper than anyone ever imagined. The value of solar + storage is exactly what electricity systems of the future need (i.e. empowered consumers and a clean, cost effective solution that enhances the predictability, reliability, flexibility, and resilience of the electricity grid) with none of the unwelcome and costly social, health, and environmental externalities.

Innovations in solar + storage, with announcements like Elon Musk’s Powerwall energy storage system, designed to connect to a home solar installation, will revolutionize our energy system and make every home energy independent. The solar world has been anticipating this day, and is abuzz with the possibilities. Solar + storage is the key to making solar dispatchable as it circumvents the energy source’s main difficulty, that the energy it generates is only available when the sun is shining. Distributed generation like solar on rooftops can delay distribution system upgrades as demand on a circuit grows, because less power has to be shipped into the circuit. It also can reduce the need to build new transmission lines to carry power from distant grid-scale generation. Solar’s unique nature as a distributed

source of energy means that it can empower Canadians to reduce their carbon footprints not only with respect to their electricity use, but also by enabling carbon reductions in buildings, industry, and transportation. As we learn to adapt to a carbon-constrained future, growing load on the electricity system with plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs), a new model of energy consumption is emerging. Getting that energy from renewable sources like solar is a primary objective. As we hope to demonstrate in this series, the solar industries sector recognizes the importance of clean fuels to Canadians. We encourage you to read more about CanSIA and the work of the solar industry at www.cansia.ca, or contact me with your questions or comments at jgorman@cansia.ca. c

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 29

POTENTIA SOLAR INC EASTYORK.

POTENTIA HAS 263 OPERATING SITES GENERATING 54MW OF ELECTRICITY FROM ONTARIO ROOFTOPS.

LONG-TERM

THINKING Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Chris Asimakis, President and Chief Operating Officer of Potentia Solar Inc., about the future of solar energy. Chris Asimakis has been in the Ontario energy business for a long time. “Over thirty years now,” says the President and Chief Operating Officer of Potentia Solar Inc. “I spent eighteen years at Toronto 30 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Hydro, where I learned how the company operated and how utility people see their role in the world. Then I went to EnWave, a district energy company, where we did a project called Deep Lake Water Cooling,

which was basically a very large geothermal system which uses Lake Ontario’s cold water to air condition buildings. That was where I learned about district energy, and the importance of on-peak energy in terms of

NELSON BOYLEN.

EASTYORK.

pricing. Now, with this company, we have an energy pedigree.” Potentia’s combined expertise in energy, finance, and real estate is what makes it unique. The Toronto based company, Potentia Solar, started in 2010 after the passage of 2009 Green Energy Act with the intention of owning, operating and developing solar installations at customer sites. Today, Potentia has 280 operating sites generating 56MW of electricity from Ontario rooftops, with 70 more currently under construction. “Potentia is an independent power producer (IPP) whose growth trajectory is unique in the Ontario market” says Mr. Asimakis proudly. UTILITIES MINDSET So what does an IPP business model mean for a solar company? “It means we have a long-term view,” says Mr. Asimakis. “We only develop sites that we will eventually own and operate, and we expect to be operating these assets for their term. There are leases which have seventeen years of life left that we’re renewing right now. Also,

effectiveness of operations. One of the results of a utility mindset is you look at assets and you say: ‘We have forty years of life on this asset.’ Everything is viewed through that window. It’s a patience game. You find ways to operate more effectively and increase the rate of return substantially over what’s expected and that’s the key. When we started Potentia, we made very strategic decisions about the operations. For example, all our sites are monitored. The vast majority have weather stations in order for us to get proper data, and all of the analytical assessment is done in-house here. In the energy business, you learn that, when it’s properly analyzed, data turns into knowledge, which can be used to make better decisions.” PROFITABLE PARTNERSHIPS Potentia Solar has partnerships with some of Ontario’s biggest businesses. “We’re very proud of our relationship with Canadian Tire and Home Depot,” says Mr. Asimakis. Potentia’s largest customer is the Toronto District School Board. “I believe it’s the larg-

est single rooftop portfolio in Canada, if not North America. It consists of 311 schools, and we’re about a third of the way through, either operating or under construction. We expect by the end of the year to be well past the halfway mark.” Potentia is also working with four other school boards; in Waterloo, in York, in Simcoe, and in Ottawa. As a result of these partnerships, Potentia is able to collaborate with their clients to promote solar energy. Canadian Tire is considering reaching out to their customer base about Potentia, while many of the partnering schools have invited Potentia to collaborate. Potentia are providing an aid for teachers to teach about solar, which has been approved by curriculum leaders. For use in these schools, Potentia has produced a ten minute video about the history and future of solar. “Our partners allow us to have tentacles into communities which would be close to impossible for us to reach without them,” explains Mr. Asimakis. “Because of that, we invest a lot of time and effort into those initiatives.” SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 31

POTENTIA SOLAR INC

INVESTING IN YOUTH The school partnerships are an example of Potentia’s distinctive, forward-looking priorities. “Supporting youth is a big thing for the company,” says Mr. Asimakis. “As well as our work with the schools, we hire younger people. We’re investing heavily in the notion that younger people understand sustainability and renewable energy. It’s more effort for

senior management in terms of mentoring, encouraging, and teaching, but it’s paid off really well for us. They’re motivated, they’re committed, and they want to be here. When investors and lenders speak to our young people, seeing how they light up and give it their all is something truly special. It shows the depth of the company, and the confidence that we have in these people.”

Potentia also has an internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee which organizes sustainability and community-engaging activities. “It would be very easy to rely on the nature of a business like this to say: ‘We’re doing our social and environmental responsibility already’,” says Mr. Asimakis. “But we’re not happy with that. The CSR committee helps us give back to the community, particularly to the youth and the elderly. For example, the City of Toronto has days where there are community clean-ups, and we plan to participate in that. Then there are little things we do in the company. For example, all the computers have been set up to do double-sided prints as a default. Things like these are small, but they’re extremely important, because they set in place a certain culture.” BRIGHT FUTURE So what’s next for Potentia? “Our mission statement is to help the world eliminate its reliance on fossil-based fuels,” explains Mr. Asimakis. “We plan to live up to that. There are a lot of established interests, which can make it hard to

Martifer Solar Triumph, Ltd. is a strategic partnership between Martifer Solar Canada, Ltd and Triumph Inc. to serve the growing demand for solar PV in the Canadian market with offices in Toronto, ON and Calgary, AB. The company has the ability to serve all of Canada and is an active player in solar Development, EPC and O&M of rooftop and ground-mounted PV projects. Martifer Solar Triumph was honored to be selected by Potentia Solar Inc. to participate in the implementation, in Toronto, of one of the biggest PV rooftop portfolios in North America, with more than 300 PV systems on rooftops, with a combined installed capacity of nearly 40 MW. The Company is a reference PV player in Canada known by the high standards of quality, reliability and safety added to all the projects where is involved.

• Over 30 Years in Business • Full EPC Services • Construction, Electrical, Data Communications, IT and Renewable Energy Divisions Fitzpatrick Electrical Contractor Inc. 41 Maple Street Uxbridge Ontario, L9P 1C8 • Tel:905-686-1661 www.fitze.ca

32 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

NELSON BOYLEN.

POTENTIA EXECUTIVES (L TO R) CHRIS ASIMAKIS PRESIDENT & COO, RICK DAINARD CFO, DAN ARGIROS CEO.

POTENTIA STAFF MEETING (JASON, MIKE, DAWIT, ZARA, NAFISA, MICHELE AND JANETTE).

POTENTIA ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION STAFF WORK ON A PROBLEM (SONIA AND NAFISA).

make change happen. Solar has very few friends in those established interests. However, four or five years ago people were saying ‘this is never going to happen,’ and despite those people we’ve managed to establish this foothold

in Ontario. Now we want to move into other provinces, the U.S., and perhaps even the Caribbean. We want to do good things, both from a business perspective and from a community perspective. It’s our intention to show people that there’s

a better way to generate power, and there’s a better way to distribute it; ways which don’t affect the environment negatively and which affect communities in a positive way. We’ve got stuff to prove here.” c

GORDON BROWN.

“IT’S OUR INTENTION TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT THERE’S A BETTER WAY TO GENERATE POWER, AND THERE’S A BETTER WAY TO DISTRIBUTE IT.”

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 33

SOLARSHARE MIDAIR PROJECT, BRAMPTON, JUNE 2015.

SOLAR FOR ALL SolarShare is a co-operative based in Ontario, Canada, which operates in the solar energy sector. Sustainable Business Magazine speaks with President Mike Brigham about the rapid growth of the group, its unique industry offering, and why the company is so appealing to investors. SolarShare offers a unique approach to expanding the limits of the renewable energy industry, using public bonds, known as Solar Bonds, to raise money which is then ploughed back into developing new projects. As a not-for-profit co-operative, it has garnered huge interest in just five years. The organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roots extend back to 1998, when a group of people came together with a vision of moving Ontario, Canada, towards an environmentally sustainable future by 34 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

establishing the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC). The stated goal of TREC was to push forward a sustainable agenda using two broad principles: First, to establish industry-specific co-operatives that would operate independently to generate funds and finance their own projects; second, to bring sustainability principles into the school curriculum throughout the province. The latter of these two points has been successful, with TREC having gained a foothold in

four grades of secondary education. This project, known as TREC Education, has now become its own independent entity with full charity status. THE START OF SOMETHING NEW The former of the two principles began in 2003 with the formation of the WindShare Co-operative, an organization whose most notable success is the landmark wind turbine close to downtown Toronto. One of the investors in this project was Mike

LYNDA YOUNG, SOLARSHARE MEMBER SINCE 2011. SOLARBONDS.CA

Brigham. Impressed with TREC’s strategy and people, and with personal experience in solar energy, Mr. Brigham offered his services should a solar co-operative be established. It took many years but after the passing of the Green Economy and Green Energy Act, which promoted new initiatives through the use of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs), SolarShare was incorporated in 2010. After just six years, SolarShare has become North America’s largest renewable energy co-operative with public investments totaling more than $12 million. Mike Brigham, now President of SolarShare, explains their bond system in more detail and talks about the role it plays in the company’s overall business strategy. “We started selling

bonds in 2011. We sell them directly to the public and they are five year bonds paying a 5% annual return, available in multiples of $1000 Canadian dollars. Only people or businesses residing within Ontario can buy them, but each can buy as many bonds as they like. Bonds comprise 30% of our total finances, with the larger 70% coming from 16-year fixed rate, non-recourse loans that enable us to offer competitive interest rates on our public investment, yet limit our future interest rate expense exposure. By limiting bonds to just 30% we are able to offer our public customers a very low risk investment with an excellent 5% return. Similar bonds also offer 2% returns so SolarShare is very appealing to the public.”

SUMMERVILLE PROJECT, MISSISSAUGA, SEPTEMBER 2014.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 35

SOLARSHARE

THE PAST 11 MONTHS HAVE SEEN NINE OF SOLARSHARE’S LARGEST PROJECTS COME ONLINE.

HOLTBY PROJECT, BRAMPTON, SEPTEMBER 2014.

ROOFTOP REVOLUTION Taking this mix of public investment and loans, SolarShare invests in solar panel projects of all sizes, ranging from 10 kilowatt (kW) rural farm locations to large 600 kW industrial rooftop spreads. The past

36 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

11 months have seen nine of SolarShare’s largest projects come online - rooftop projects ranging between 300kW and 600kW doubling the organization’s total generation capacity and bringing it to a total of over 5 megawatts. There are currently three more

projects under development that, when completed, will bring the total number of completed projects to 34 and total investment to $34 million. This represents very rapid growth for an organization which began just five years ago. “Our projects

NOODLE FACTORY 111 PROJECT, BRAMPTON, JUNE 2015.

are based on 20 year power purchase agreements under the FIT program that provide steady long-term income which make them financeable and allows us to commit to 20 year roof leases,” explains Mr. Brigham. “Our rooftop projects begin when commercial developers approach us with permission from the landlord or owner to develop a system. We make an offer to the developer based on the size of rooftop, the roof lease cost, how much work needs to be carried out on the rooftop to prepare it, and how much energy the project is modelled to generate., If the developer agrees then we put in a FIT application. Because

we are a co-operative, our chances of a successful application are increased, and this is even more appealing for our partners. An incidental bonus of our projects is that they shade a great deal of a building’s roof; the property owners for our first large rooftop project came back to us and said that our rooftop system had reduced air conditioning costs in their building by 60%.” New people on both sides of the projects come to SolarShare largely through word of mouth. Though the co-operative attends trade shows, conferences, farmers’ markets, environmental fairs and other promotional events - including possessing their

WINTER WORK AT BASALTIC PROJECT, VAUGHAN.

FORMER MAYOR MCCALLION AT RIBBON CUTTING AT WATERVIEW PROJECT, MISSISSAUGA, JULY 2011.

NOODLE FACTORY 153 PROJECT, BRAMPTON, JUNE 2015.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 37

SOLARSHARE

A LOT OF EFFORT IS BEING PLACED INTO IMPROVING OUR PROJECT COST EFFECTIVENESS, TO EXTEND OUR REACH EVEN FURTHER.

SOLARSHARE PRESIDENT MIKE BRIGHAM AT SUNFIELD, SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO, FALL 2011.

own team of volunteer promoters that man stalls and provide information - a great deal of their bond sales go to friends and family of existing investors. Its not-for-profit status assures people that SolarShare is operating from a place of action rather than money, and also provides the public with an opportunity to contribute directly to the advanceFORMER MAYOR SUSAN FENNEL AT HOLTBY PROJECT ROOFTOP EVENT, BRAMPTON, SEPTEMBER 2014.

ment of the province’s solar energy boom without needing to build solar systems on their own property. Meanwhile the owners of property and land on which SolarShare’s projects reside have gained the opportunity to support the renewable energy industry while generating additional money from an otherwise unused resource such as a roof-

top. These mutually beneficial arrangements have turned SolarShare into a nationally, and even internationally, important name. INFLUENCE An illustration of how far SolarShare’s influence stretches, as well as its desire to help the industry and the world, is highlighted

Maintenance Matters To ensure the SolarShare portfolio of ground and roof mount systems produce at maximum output, a Cachelan SolarVu monitoring system is installed at each site. Emailed alarms allow O&M staff to quickly find and repair faulty equipment. Performance analysis reports are generated from the stored lifetime data to ensure ROI targets are met. SolarShare members can check real time output at solarbonds.ca to watch their bonds investment at work.

38 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

made a conscious decision to continue the spirit of co-operative transparency by making all of its projects available for people to look at, play around with, and learn from through a dedicated website which uses detailed monitoring data. The organization has already received very positive feedback from the public, with some people even stating their hope for it to become a trend throughout the energy industry. AIMING HIGH Having already grown extremely quickly from very humble beginnings, and with everything at present pointing towards even greater success, SolarShare looks almost certain to continue flourishing. “At the moment we basically plan to continue doing what we are currently doing but scaling upwards by Mr. Brigham. “At first we only intended to promote solar energy, but because our bond system has helped overcome a number of different hurdles we now find ourselves in the position of being seen as leaders when it comes to raising social capital. TREC has been asked to provide consultation and facilitation of bond sales to another organization with a biogas project, and by a social innovation organization to aid their bond sales in order to raise money for a new building. Others are asking to utilize our expertise while TREC is taking what SolarShare has learned and developed in its own service business and, in all circumstances, we are happy to share and pass on this knowledge to environmental and social improvement organizations moving in directions we agree with.” Another innovative social concept put forward by SolarShare is the ability to see live generation data from all of their projects via their website. Most energy companies keep detailed data private but SolarShare

to ever larger levels in order to reach the point where we can impact the mainstream of Ontario energy,” explains Mr. Brigham. “In internal discussions, we have estimated that the co-operative needs to be around ten times as big as we currently are, with investments in the hundreds of millions of dollars, in order to reach a significant number of mainstream Ontario residents. A lot of effort is being placed into improving our project cost effectiveness and to extending our reach even further, possibly elsewhere in Canada. We are also looking at discovering the magic element that will resonate most strongly with the public, helping us to really turn up the wick. $34 million is a heck of a good start for just four years of business but we see it as just that: A start. We believe we have much further to go.” c

CHRISTOPHER CHARLESWORTH, SOLARSHARE MEMBER SINCE 2012. SOLARBONDS.CA

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 39

SUNMINE SUNMINE WORKS UNDER VARIABLE SUN CONDITIONS.

40 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Kevin Wilson, Economic Development Officer for the City of Kimberley, about the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ambitious SunMine project. Written by George Newell.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 41

SUNMINE

“SUNMINE IS BRITISH COLUMBIA’S LARGEST SOLAR PROJECT, WITH 4032 SOLAR-CELL MODULES MOUNTED ON 96 SOLAR TRACKERS.”

SUNMINE WITH THE CANADIAN ROCKIES IN THE BACKGROUND.

Kimberley, British Columbia, is a city built on mining. Named after the Kimberley diamond mine in South Africa, the city was home to one of the world’s largest lead and zinc mines. Twenty billion dollars’ worth of ore was pulled from the Sullivan Mine, supporting a thriving community of miners and their families. By the end of the

42 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

century, however, the wealth of the mine had been depleted, and production finally ceased in 2001. It’s an old story, but one which, for Kimberley, has a happy ending. Unlike so many other mining-dependent communities, Kimberley didn’t disappear when its mines closed. In the 1980s, the city and the com-

pany which operated the mine, Cominco, which is now known as Teck, invested in economic diversification. Kimberley today is a thriving, tourism-based community of 6,700, with a ski resort, adventure sports, golfing, and the largest municipal park in Canada. For the city’s latest ambitious project, it is once again taking advantage of an abundant natural resource: The energy of the sun. “SunMine is British Columbia’s largest solar project, with 4032 solar-cell modules mounted on 96 solar trackers,” explains Kevin Wilson, Economic Development Officer for the City of Kimberley. “In 2008, an organization called EcoSmart approached the city and pointed out we had among the best solar exposure in Canada – the best, without exception, in the southeastern corner of B.C. Teck also has large tracts of fully reclaimed land for potential use. The site that SunMine eventually was built on is the site of the former mine concentrator.” In 2011, 76% of voters in Kimberley approved the city borrowing $2 million to build SunMine. Construction began in 2014

SUNMINE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

construction). “It took eighteen agreements with eight different organizations,” says Mr. Wilson. “For most of those organizations, this is the first project of this nature they’ve done. Our ability to have persevered and ironed out so many agreements is something that we’re all very proud of.” Within these agreements is space for expansion. “Right now the facility’s peak is just over 1MW, but we negotiated a 2MW agreement with BC Hydro so we can expand without having to go through those

processes again,” explains Mr. Wilson. The Teck substation that SunMine plugs into has a capacity of about 7MW, and the land on the mine’s former concentrator site has space for a solar farm producing up to 200MW. “Since we started operations in June, SunMine’s actually been producing about 16% above the modelled forecast production. We want to monitor production to make sure we’re doing the best job possible. We want to learn what the operating cost is and what the revenue potential is 4032 CONERGY 260 WATT SOLAR MODULES.

and the facility commenced operations on June 22nd 2015. “The former concentrator site is optimal for a solar facility,” says Mr. Wilson. “It has an elevation of 1200 meters and slopes southward, with good east-west southern sun exposure. During the long days of June and July, it receives direct sunlight from six o’clock in the morning until nine-thirty at night. Plus, SunMine is able to take advantage of legacy infrastructure from the concentrator, consisting of two substations. A Teck-owned substation ups the voltage, and a substation owned by BC Hydro provides an interface to the electrical grid. These substations are only a kilometer away from SunMine.” WORKING TOGETHER SunMine is a truly collaborative project. The three key players are the City of Kimberley, the EcoSmart Foundation (a non-profit based in Vancouver dedicated to developing sustainability and renewable energy projects), and Teck Resources Limited (who own the site and contributed $2M to SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 43

SUNMINE 32 ABB TRIO POWER-ONE STRING INVERTERS CONVER 1000V DC TO AC ENERGY.

in any given year, so we have a sense of what the return on investment is over the long term.” SPREADING THE WORD SunMine has been confirmed by the Canadian Solar Industries Association as the first large-scale use of solar trackers in Canada. It’s the first redevelopment of a mine site into a solar facility. It’s the first large-scale

44 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

solar facility in British Columbia, and the first owned by a municipality in the province. It’s the first thousand-volt DC solar installation outside of Ontario. It’s also the highest solar facility in Canada. With this long list of firsts, SunMine has attracted attention nationally and in the United States. Other mountain towns, particularly, have shown interest. “SunMine demonstrates that reclaimed mine land

can be used for this kind of facility,” says Mr. Wilson. “There’s not a lot of human interaction with the land, so the risks are lower, and this allows us to return this land to productive use. We’ve shown it can work; now we’re getting a lot of interest from other areas that have similar assets and similar resources.” A BOON FOR THE REGION British Columbia is already ahead of the curve in terms of generating its own renewable energy. The province produces 95% of its electricity by hydroelectric generation, providing the people of B.C. with comparatively cheap, low-carbon electricity. Even in this energy landscape however there are advantages to having solar facilities like SunMine. “Obviously coal and natural-gas-based generation has side effects in terms of emissions,” explains Mr. Wilson. “Hydroelectric is free of emissions, but it’s not necessarily free of impacts. You flood large tracts of land and displace other productive uses on that land. Also, year by year, precipitation changes. So, for example, this year B.C. has been quite dry, and the dams are at lower levels than they have been historically. Though the upfront

MAYOR MCCORMICK IS CONFIDENT THAT KIMBERLEY’S FUTURE IS BRIGHT.

SUNMINE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY THE CANADIAN SOLAR INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION AS THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE USE OF SOLAR TRACKERS IN CANADA.

costs of solar, amortized over the life of the equipment, tends to be marginally higher compared to hydroelectric, it’s a far clearer cost-benefit equation. We know what the costs are, and we have thirty years of weather data collected at the nearby airport, so we know what the solar resource is. Like a stock portfolio, you want to balance risk by investing in different types of energy generation.”

The city of Kimberley is just across the border from Southern Alberta, has a regional trading population of 70,000, and is fifteen minutes from an international airport. “SunMine also has benefits for the reputation and visibility of Kimberley,” says Mr. Wilson. “We want to inspire folks that share our values to consider visiting or maybe relocating to Kimberley. Our community has evolved from a mining and resource-reliant

community to a tourism, lifestyle, values, and knowledge-based community. When 76% of your voters decide it’s a good idea to borrow money for an innovative project, I think that reflects what the community thinks is important in terms of measured risk-taking and evolution, in terms of the environment, and in terms of living in symbiosis with nature. We think that’s going to get the attention of a lot of people.” c

SUNMINE TRACKERS NEARLY VERTICAL TO TRACK SUN LOW ON HORIZON IN WINTER.

96 DEGER D100 SOLAR TRACKERS.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 45

AASHE SFSU-CHANT LEADER MICHAEL ZAMBRANO GETS READY TO KICK THINGS OFF.

RAIN GARDENS AROUND THE UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON CAMPUS ARE DESIGNED TO COLLECT, RETAIN AND SLOWER ABSORB WATER RUNOFF FROM SURROUNDING SURFACES OR ACT AS A NATURAL FILTER SO WATER IS CLEAN BY THE TIME IT ENTERS A STORM SEWER.

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY TO END COAL INVESTMENTS: THE SFSU FOUNDATION HAS AGREED TO NOT INVEST IN COMPANIES “WITH SIGNIFICANT PRODUCTION OR USE OF COAL AND TAR SANDS.” THE FOUNDATION WILL ALSO SEEK TO LIMIT INVESTMENTS IN FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES.

SUSTAINABLE

CAMPUSES A foreword by Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE Executive Director

MEGHAN FAY ZAHNISER, AASHE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

46 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) supports and encourages the advancement of sustainability at higher education institutions through programs such as the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), professional development offerings, and an annual conference & expo. STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. This comprehensive assessment tool helps institutions understand exactly how they are performing, as well as identifying areas for improvement related to sustainability in academics, operations, and administrative efforts on campus. With more than 650 institutions registered for STARS, it has transformed the way campuses track and monitor their sustainability progress. We have institu-

tions that participate in STARS annually and are able to see their improvements through an increased score. Institutions, both national and international, work toward a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum rating, or they may opt to be recognized as a STARS Reporter where they only report data without receiving a rating. In addition, given that transparency is critical to sustainability reporting, all STARS data is made available to the public which easily enables our members to share information and best practices. Professional development opportunities also boost sustainability efforts and are one of the top member offerings and benefits. Members can access webinars for free and receive discounts for workshops, STARS, and conference registrations. Members also have access to the Resource Center. The online Resource Center is a comprehensive

BABSON UNIVERSITY.

DELTA COLLEGE LIVING WALL.

source of information on sustainability in higher education. It provides administrators, faculty, operations staff, students, and other campus stakeholders with the tools, information, and guidance they need to lead a sustainability transformation on their campus. We are also looking forward to welcoming AASHE members and others in the campus sustainability community to the AASHE 2015 Conference & Expo, themed Transforming Sustainability Education, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Oct. 25-28. The annual conference allows everyone the opportunity to share and exchange ideas on the expansion of

sustainability efforts, as well as providing a platform for feedback. Attendees also have an opportunity to hear from internationally recognized sustainability leaders such as last year’s featured keynote speaker Annie Leonard, Greenpeace Executive Director and creator of “The Story of Stuff Project”. Founded in 2005, AASHE celebrates its tenth year throughout 2015, and remains committed to inspiring and catalyzing higher education to lead the global sustainability transformation through the aforementioned efforts and many other exciting celebratory initiatives planned throughout the year. See the AASHE website for information on these

initiatives including live tweet sessions and a video campaign kicking off at the conference in Minneapolis! I’m excited to build on past successes from my six years at AASHE. It is vital that we remain focused on providing support and additional resources to empower higher education institutions to be the foundation for a thriving, equitable, and ecologically healthy world. Sustainable Business Magazine’s continued support highlighting sustainable campuses is pivotal to furthering the campus sustainability community and AASHE’s vision, and we are thrilled to continue the partnership, especially throughout this monumental year for AASHE. c VIRGINIA TECH.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS CHICAGO STUDENTS TEACH DIVERSITY WITH GARDENS.

WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 47

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

CLOSING

THE LOOP Sustainable Business Magazine catches up with Jonathan Rausseo, Campus Sustainability Manager at the University of Ottawa, about the Office of Campus Sustainability’s newest projects. “We’ve still got the living wall,” says Jonathan Rausseo, Campus Sustainability Manager at the University of Ottawa. “Still working on the cistern, still putting together the ice bank.” Mr. Rausseo is referring to a previous article which appeared in Sustainable Business Magazine in Spring 2014, in which he discussed, among other remarkable projects, a huge cistern for collecting rainwater

which would be used to aid heating and cooling systems. “We’ve still got those giant programs,” explains Mr. Rausseo. “Now while we’re waiting for money to come through for those, we’re keeping ourselves busy with the bread-and-butter stuff of sustainability. The more mundane stuff.” It quickly becomes clear, however, that when talking about the University of Ottawa, ‘mundane’ is a relative term. NEWLY INSTALLED SOLAR PANELS ARE JUST THE FIRST OF MANY ARRAYS THAT HAVE BEEN PLANNED FOR THE CAMPUS.

48 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

THE CENTRE OF THE CAMPUS WILL BE TRANSFORMED FROM A PARKING LOT TO A NEW MULTI-USE SPACE. THIS SPACE WILL INCLUDE GREENERY AND AMENITIES. THE NEW SPACE WILL ALLOW THE UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA TO HAVE CONCERTS, PROTESTS, CONVOCATIONS, FAIRS AND SKATING RINKS.

EAT SUSTAINABILITY, DRINK SUSTAINABILITY The university’s latest big project is its new zero-waste dining hall. “We worked with Chartwells, our food service provider, and we went through a list of every single thing that possibly can produce waste, and we’ve eliminated it all,” explains Mr.

Rausseo. “We start in the back-of-house. The packaging and everything that’s coming in is recycled, or composted, or used in a different way. Then, front-ofhouse, we took away everything which produces waste. No takeaway containers, no disposable cups and straws. Everyone gets forks, knives, and plates, real cups,

condiments in real bottles, real salt-andpepper shakers. There’s one bin, for compost. Then the construction of the hall itself uses recovered wood and recycled materials. A project like this is important because it can inspire the rest of the campus. It’s a space which everyone uses every day, and it gives people pause and

DINING HALL.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 49

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA

DINING HALL.

allows them to understand: Yes, it’s actually possible.” In addition to the new dining hall, the university puts an emphasis on sourcing food locally. The contract the university has with its food service provider insists on a percentage of local food, and that percentage gradually increases year by year. “At one point, the provider asked if they could grow some of the food on campus,” says Mr. Rausseo. “We’re looking at farming within an urban context. We’ve had such success this summer, next year we’re actually taking a rooftop near one of the campuses and turning a section of that into a dedicated herb garden for the cafeteria.”

WASTE AUDIT ON CAMPUS. THIS YEAR THERER WAS A 60% DIVERSION OF ALL WASTE ON CAMPUS.

STUDENTS WHO COMPLETED A COMMUNITY SERVICE PLACEMENT FOR THE SUSTAINBILITY OFFICE.

Then there are the water fountains. The University of Ottawa is a bottled water free campus; instead, there are 174 water fountains. “It’s a small thing which means a lot to us because it has a big impact,” says Mr. Rausseo. “People occasionally forget their bottles and still want to buy water. We give out free bottles all the time, but we’re now actually going to be putting reusable water bottles in the vending machines. It’s one of those little things that helps close the loop.”

ally a store in which everything is free. Outgoing students often can’t take some of their clothes, books, and appliances. Rather than throwing them away, the university collects these things, cleans them, and gives them to new students. “We’re trying to embrace the idea of industrial ecology where you say the waste from one system is really just the food of another,” says Mr. Rausseo. These combined efforts to reduce waste add up. This year, the university hit 60% waste diversion overall. “It’s a big achievement because we keep expanding the definition of what’s waste,” says Mr. Rausseo. “Last year, for example, someone mentioned biomedical waste over in our

WASTE DIVERSION The list of the university’s programs to reduce waste goes on. There’s the Free Store – liter-

Central to Chartwells’ residential dining program, Pulse on Dining, is a commitment to

LOVE FOOD NOT WASTE.

Member of Compass Group Canada Compass-canada.com • dineoncampus.ca

50 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

Love Food…. Lots of fresh and nutritious offerings delivered in an open-kitchen restaurant format to fuel the minds of the next generation. Not Waste… Creating a dining environment that is commitment to no disposable packaging, recycling and composting leadership and programs that center on waste reduction. We congratulate our partner, the University of Ottawa, for being a leading example of the Love Food Not Waste philosophy with their newly renovated Dining Hall. Together, we can achieve our shared vision through sustainable innovation and advance sustainable food and dining services on your campus.

“WE’RE TRYING TO EMBRACE THE IDEA OF INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY WHERE YOU SAY THE WASTE FROM ONE SYSTEM IS REALLY JUST THE FOOD OF ANOTHER.”

THE FREE STORE IN THE SUMMER TIME. THIS YEAR THEY WERE ABLE TO DIVERT 22 TONNES OF DONATIONS.

hospital. No-one ever considers that real waste because it basically needs to be incinerated. So we throw all these extra things which aren’t traditionally considered waste

into our numbers, and this year we finally capped 60% for the first time.” This substantial figure has very real economic benefits for the university. “To

play devil’s advocate, we had an internal group check how much money we’d save if we didn’t recycle,” says Mr. Rausseo. “What we found, contrary to what we expected, was that because we recycle and divert stuff, we’re actually saving ourselves over a million dollars a year. We commissioned two external groups to check that, because we couldn’t believe it, and they came up with the same result. Initiatives like our furniture reuse program end up saving us a fortune. By reusing furniture rather than throwing it out, and by scavenging components and parts from old equipment, we save the university $800,000 a year at a cost of $150,000 a year. Everyone seems to think if you recycle it’s more expensive. But it’s not true – not even by a long shot.” SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS Since 2014, the university has been meticulously going through their buildings, assessing the efficiency of the systems, and installing new technology. One building, which hadn’t been looked at since the 1970s, reduced its energy consumption by almost SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 51

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA CAR FREE ZONE. THE UNIVERSITY IS WORKING TO REMOVE VEHICLE TRAFFIC FROM THE CAMPUS TO MAKE IT A MORE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY ZONE AND A CLEAN AIR COMMUNITY. THIS IMAGE IS A RENDERING OF HOW THEY WILL BE INFILLING THE SPACE WITH TREES AND CHANGING THE ASPHALT TO PAVING STONES.

87%. The university is not only looking to improve energy efficiency in older buildings. “One of our new buildings is one of the most energy efficient buildings we have,” says Mr. Rausseo, “but we discovered that at night it’s still consuming energy at 75% of its maximum. You’d expect that to be around 15%, so now we’re going through and making sure people are actually turning

things off, making sure systems are shutting down. Socialization of information is a very important part of what we do. It’s mundane stuff like that which actually end up saving you a lot of money.” As for the future, the University of Ottawa is putting the final touches to its new Campus Master Plan (CMP), which will establish a framework to guide the growth

and transformation of the university over the next two decades. It has allowed the university to take a systematic approach to how they use their spaces and design their structure. “It’s allowed us to look at the whole campus, try to determine what the potential growth of these spaces could be, and then try to figure out based on that knowledge how these spaces could connect intelligently,” says

University of Ottawa Master Plan

Winner of 2015 Ottawa Urban Design Award

52 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

UNIVERSITY PLAZA. AS THE UNIVERSITY MOVES TO A MIXED-USE CAMPUS, THEY WILL BE WORKING TO CREATE SPACES THAT ARE MORE IN TOUCH WITH NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. THEY ARE DESIGNING THEIR SPACE TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE CAN LIVE ON A CAMPUS THAT FEELS LESS LIKE A COMPOUND, AND HAVE MORE OF A NATURAL SETTING.

Mr. Rausseo. “In the CMP, we’re looking at developing a lot more mixed-use buildings. They will have several stories of residences, and we’re considering becoming utility providers for these spaces. Can we create micro grids for distributing energy? Can we purify the water? Can we take over some of the city services? We’re basically inviting the city to come into our campus, and this

is going to allow us to do a lot of things where we can actually show people how we can reduce our resource consumption in a way that works in a real-world application. Then we’re going to have two stops on the City of Ottawa’s new giant light rail project. That’s going to quadruple our capacity for bringing people on and off campus. I think the possible number is 1200 people every

three minutes. The CMP is allowing us to get rid of every parking lot on campus, and we’re replacing them with parks. There’s one being constructed now in the center of campus. It’s going to be a venue for festivals, for concerts, for protests, and in the winter it’ll turn into a skating rink. I can’t imagine a better image to demonstrate what we’re becoming.” c

CAMPUS EXTERIOR. RENDERING FOR 2018.

Empowerment Through CSR At CIBC Mellon, we are committed to doing well by doing right. We empower our employees across our company through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, from organizing volunteer activities to developing new sustainability programs. CIBC Mellon’s commitment to corporate citizenship and continuous improvement means better results for clients, employees and communities. We believe that by acting with responsibility, care and commitment at all times, we can make a positive and meaningful difference – today and in the future. www.cibcmellon.com Twitter: @cibcmellon ©2015. A BNY Mellon and CIBC Joint Venture Company. CIBC Mellon is a licensed user of the CIBC trade-mark and certain BNY Mellon trade-marks, is the corporate brand of CIBC Mellon Trust Company and CIBC Mellon Global Securities Services Company and may be used as a generic term to reference either or both companies.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 53

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE

A VIBRANT

COMMUNITY Sustaining Business Magazine talks to Michael Lizotte, University Sustainability Officer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Written by Joe Cook.

At the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) more than 27 thousand students are part of an urban re54 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

search centre which is set upon a sprawling and partly forested 1000 acres of land. UNC Charlotte maintains a thriving vibrant com-

munity feel and is committed to, and indeed may have already achieved, its stated aim of transitioning into a regional model.

UNC Charlotte recognizes that it is important to try to act in a wholly sustainable manner, that the current economic equilibrium is wildly out of kilter, and that depletion of natural capital is no longer a reasonable option. UNC Charlotte’s approach is comprehensive and involves Interlinking pro-active Management (a professional Energy Manager scrutinizes various projects), utilizing differing certifications, and the inclusion of student bodies in research and decision making. “We’re in the middle of a revolution right now,” says University Sustainability Officer Michael Lizotte. “There’s construction everywhere.”

UNC Charlotte construction projects generally aim for LEED Silver certification, and the university now finds it has arrived at a crucial crossroads. “We are moving from being primarily a commuter campus with a lot of car parking to having substantial on and off campus housing. The new buildings have been certified as ‘green buildings’.” Recent North Carolina state legislation has put forest product protection into statute, meaning UNC Charlotte’s ability to use the LEED rating system was somewhat jeopardised. Lawyers eventually approved UNC Charlotte to LEED but Dr. Lizotte reported that despite more work being needed

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 55

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE

UNC CHARLOTTE IS CREATIVELY EXPLORING HOW THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO INSTITUTIONALIZE SUSTAINABILITY IDEAS.

in-house, there was enough reason for UNC to have staff trained in ‘Green Globes’ certification as well. Acquisition of green building certificates was considered so essential that having differing certifications available was seen as necessary in case legislation should prove troublesome again. Later the

state additionally mandated aggressive water and energy goals which actually ensured UNC Charlotte stayed above the LEED Silver energy and water targets. UNC Charlotte have had two separate buildings which have actually achieved LEED Gold certification. One of them is

notable for the fact that it’s a high profile building in downtown Charlotte. There exists a great deal of competition for the status and creditability of green building certification. This building was set to house two distinct fields of study, namely business and architecture, which are both sensitive to being housed within green buildings. Mr. Lizotte concedes that a valuable lesson was learnt from this: They are all chiefly dependent on the ‘customer’, in this case academic departments, for indicating preferred green credentials. INSTITUTIONALIZING SUSTAINABILITY UNC Charlotte is creatively exploring how they might be able to institutionalize sustainability ideas. The university actively

56 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

encourages student cooperation. Scholarly groups directly research on-site projects while students independently offer input through personal design projects. At one end of the spectrum mass campaigns of voluntary work have been instigated; such as a day of litter picking which is publicly endorsed by the Chancellor. At the other end of the scale feasibility studies are initiated by students with a view to certifying on-site construction projects such as green halls of residence buildings. One of these feasibility projects concerns engineering students and the heating plant. The project is investigating whether it’s possible for the plant to be converted into an electricity-producing cogeneration plant. Rooftops are also being actively scrutinised and re-designed with sustainability in mind.

Outstanding blueprints are duly noted and archived so that if and when funding becomes available these designs can be ‘pulled off the shelf’ and implemented. These efforts all result in the cultivation of a vibrant, forward thinking, and inclusive community. This community spirit was evident when students voted in a resolution which stated that the new football stadium that was being built on campus must function as a zero waste facility. Students even put money towards the provision of waste bins to meet this challenge. It’s not only buildings that require continued renovation. The extensive campus presents a variety of challenges and opportunities, especially considering the university gardens, well known in the state, remain a draw to the wider public.

Overgrown trees and inappropriate planting areas all mean that a landscaping plan needs to be drawn up, with procedures and methodologies examined in the process. Storm water management presents another opportunity. On-site storm ponds are not only unattractive but don’t serve multiple purposes, something that Dr. Lizotte believes needs addressing. Many of the buildings on the UNC Charlotte campus were built in the 1960’s and are therefore approaching an age where they now require major refurbishments. This could potentially be a growing burden and financial drain for the university; however they have orchestrated a process of ‘retro-comissioning’. As part of this process LEDs are replacing florescent lights throughout the university, but sustainability SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 57

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE is also evident in social terms. Underrepresented groups, such as minority or women led businesses, are pro-actively sought out for service and construction contracts. These contracts include specific language which ensures that sustainable policies are maintained. Chartwells, one of the largest dining contractors in the United States, provides services to UNC Charlotte and has said that they’ll attempt to use some locally grown food produce from the student garden in their food and dining area. Perhaps this is a small token but Dr. Lizotte believes that it could in fact be a crucial “early step” towards exploring other exciting opportunities for local food partnerships. “We have a new dining hall that’s opening so we are

excited about new opportunities. We think food offerings are going to be changing to a healthier mix than we’ve traditionally had on campus. The new dining hall is probably also going to allow us to more than double our organic composting from food waste.” GREEN CLEANING UNC Charlotte has two Green Cleaning Programs. The first is the Housing and Residence Life Green Cleaning Program. The Housekeeping Department of Housing and Residence Life is a campus leader in implementing a green cleaning system. This system includes bucket-less mopping to reduce water use, concentrated chemicals to reduce spending, and an energy efficiency replacement system which means that heater,

stoves, and refrigerators are replaced with energy efficient models. The second is the Facilities Management Green Cleaning Program. This main aim of this program is to obtain LEED points for buildings being constructed to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standard; something which produces significant health and environmental benefits. This program includes reviewing products for greener options, vacuums with HEPA filters and lower noise output, and the use of microfiber cloths and mops. Having two departments handle different areas of green cleaning can prove an advantage. The teams can compete and 58 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

grapple with different green cleaning techniques and certifications. If there is effective dialogue and sharing of results, this can increase overall productivity. UNC Charlotte boasts a professional Energy Manager. Part of the process of modernizing the system involves metering energy and transferring that information online. This allows more effective observation of what’s really happening within buildings. The university is constantly searching for opportunities to power down buildings, and also enforces a winter and holiday shutdown during which temperatures are reduced substantially across the entire campus.

Looking to the future UNC Charlotte have been earmarked for a whole new extension of light railway line, yet because of the site’s mammoth size they will be required to house two entirely separate stations. Despite being 7 miles from downtown Charlotte all roads leading to campus should have full biking and pedestrian facilities within several years and bicycle trails will be included through and around campus. “We are going to initiate bike sharing programs so that people can move around the campus,” explains Mr. Lizotte. “Within a few years we are going to rank as one of the most bike-able, walkable areas in the city of Charlotte.”

Surrounding housing, landscape, and commercial development mean UNC Charlotte has become a hub, also known as an ‘anchor area’, for the city of Charlotte. If UNC Charlotte continues to grow in this responsible and sustainable manner it will likely become a shining example, not only to other universities, but also to the city as a whole. “It’s interesting to watch the area develop,” says Dr. Lizotte. “As well as the major education institution the housing is now going to be to here, and the retail is now going to here. Becoming an anchor area in the community is one of the best ways in which we can contribute.” c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 59

IDEA 2015

CONTINUAL URBAN GROWTH PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION IN THE WAY WE GENERATE AND DISTRIBUTE ENERGY.

THE CONFERENCE WAS THE LARGEST IN IDEA’S HISTORY, WITH MORE THAN 960 ATTENDEES FROM 22 COUNTRIES, 39 STATES AND 5 CANADIAN PROVINCES.

IDEA 2015: INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION Written by Brad Bradford

Cities still represent the best opportunity for more sustainable, resilient, and lower carbon futures. With roughly three quarters of energy consumption and 80% of CO2 emissions worldwide coming from our urban centers, cities also present a large environmental policy challenge. While our cities and metros house more than half of the global population today, that number is expected to increase to 75% by 2050. Continual urban growth presents opportunities for new investment and innovation in the way we generate and distribute energy. 60 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

District energy and combined heat and power (CHP) continue to emerge as a key strategy for towns and cities seeking large scale energy savings and emissions reductions. From recovering industrial surplus heat, to tapping renewable sources of cooling, to harvesting indigenous fuel resources, utilities are joining forces with cities to bridge multiple pathways to successful district energy implementation. The International District Energy Association’s 106th Annual Conference and Trade Show, entitled “Inspiring the Next Genera-

tion,” took place June 28 – July 1 in IDEA’s hometown of Boston, MA. The conference was the largest in IDEA’s history, with more than 960 attendees from 22 countries, 39 states, 5 Canadian provinces and over 340 different cities, including government officials, regulators, municipal staff, planners, sustainability directors, system owners and operators, attorneys, consultants, manufacturers, and suppliers. The conference featured a full schedule of technical presentations, captivating panel discussions, invaluable peer exchange and many opportunities to interact

with colleagues and friends. Additionally, dozens of area college students were able to attend and learn more about the industry due to tremendous sponsorship support from leading industry firms. Proceedings, photographs, and video clips from the conference are available at www.districtenergy.org. NORTH AMERICAN LAUNCH OF THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) DISTRICT ENERGY IN CITIES INITIATIVE IDEA2015 proudly hosted the North American launch of the UNEP District Energy in Cities Initiative, and provided a forum for the City of Boston to join the UNEP Initiative as a Champion City. The Global District Energy in Cities Initiative is part of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform, which was launched in 2014 at the historic UN Climate Summit in New York, where over 50 countries and cities announced new large-scale commitments on energy efficiency that will significantly reduce emissions and lower energy costs. These commitments focus on five energy efficiency sector initiatives, or “accelerators,” with the District Energy in Cities Initiative being one of them. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership, USDN Network, and US EPA Clean Power Plan all recognize district energy/CHP as strategic energy infrastructure. Boston is a city that is proud of its commitment to energy efficiency. As outlined by Austin Blackmon, Boston’s Chief of Envi-

ronment, Energy and Open Space, the city has made solid progress toward the goals outlined in its Greenovate Boston 2014 Climate Action Plan, where district energy and combined heat and power (CHP) are integral to meeting the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The 2014 plan also sets a target of having 15% of energy use for large buildings and institutions come from cogeneration. Meeting that goal will require continued investment and engagement from private sector partners like Veolia and Biogen and the many institutions in Greater Boston utilizing CHP, like Harvard University, MIT, MATEP and others. Boston ranked first out of 34 of the most populated US cities in the City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. It was ranked on its policies and other actions to advance energy efficiency, across five policy areas: Local government operations, buildings, energy and water utilities, transportation, and the community as a whole. “UNEP welcomes the City of Boston’s commitment to join the Global District Energy in Cities Initiative,” said Mark Radka, Chief of the UNEP Energy, Climate and Technology Branch at UNEP. “Cities are starting to realize that modern district energy can be a key element of their climate change response. A transition to modern district energy could enable cities and countries to improve their energy efficiency for heating and cooling while pursuing 100 percent renewable energy or carbon neu-

IDEA2015 PROUDLY HOSTED THE NORTH AMERICAN LAUNCH OF THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME’S (UNEP) DISTRICT ENERGY IN CITIES INITIATIVE WITH PARTNERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THE CONFERENCE ALSO PROVIDED A FORUM FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON TO JOIN THE INITIATIVE AS A ‘CHAMPION CITY’.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 61

IDEA 2015

WITH MORE THAN 100 EXHIBITORS, THE EXHIBIT HALL AND TRADE SHOW PROVIDED EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR NETWORKING AND LEARNING ABOUT THE LATEST INDUSTRY INNOVATIONS.

tral targets. We must use the momentum gained at the regional launch of the Global District Energy in Cities initiative in Boston to boost ambition ahead of the Paris Climate Conference (COP21).” Boston’s role as a champion city with the UNEP will be to share its approaches,

62 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

especially with other cities facing infrastructure renewal and modernization to strengthen the local economy, as represented by the leadership of Brad Swing and Travis Sheehan of City of Boston in hosting the Multi-Buildings Microgrid Workshop in conjunction with IDEA2015 on behalf of

the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). It takes a combination of planning, assessment, and innovative strategies to move the needle on district energy and CHP in a city. CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS This year’s annual conference featured two pre-conference technical workshops, and one regulatory workshop in parallel with conference programing. More than ever before, cities, towns, and communities are seeking more sustainable and resilient energy supplies. Historically, institutional campuses have led the way in building, owning, and optimizing highly resilient CHP + district energy systems to support mission critical operations like healthcare and research. Saturday’s workshop, “Campus + City: Symbiotic Sustainability, Resiliency and Reality Check” featured operational, design, and regulatory experts to share best practices in emergency preparedness, operational resiliency, and design guidance on the functionality of district energy, CHP,

and microgrids. The workshop concluded with a tour of the Harvard University Blackstone Steam Plant, the backbone facility of Harvard’s university microgrid. On Sunday, more than 80 participants gathered for the “Community Energy Planning Workshop”. Experts from across North America and Europe lead a series of discussions and interactive exercises that focused on community energy policies and tools for system development and deployment. The first half of the workshop focused on capacity building, determining the right governance model for projects, and the most appropriate model for managing risk. Case studies from district energy developments in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Denmark provided context. The second half of the workshop provided participants with an opportunity to learn about various tools to evaluate district energy projects. Small breakout groups gained hands-on experience with the PLAN4DE tool, developed in conjunction with the International Energy Agency. The tool was designed to model and illustrate the potential GHG emissions reductions and energy savings that can result by optimizing the built environment for district energy. Additionally, participants received an overview of the IDEA screening tool, used to synthesize large volumes of information

essential for making community energy development decisions. In parallel with conference programing, Monday featured a special microgrid and district energy regulatory workshop. Following on the heels of a successful series of Boston-based microgrid workshops in 2014, the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) provided the City of Boston and its partners a grant to design and run a larger project on Microgrids and District Energy. The project brought together four cities in Massachusetts (Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Northampton), along with New York City and Washington D.C., key regulators and utilities from the three jurisdictions, and influential district energy/ microgrid developers. The purpose was to learn together about emerging best practices related to forging multi-user agreements that create value, and are legally and technically sound. The project consisted of a white paper with case studies capturing lessons-learned and emerging best practices; a legal and value-stream analyses of microgrid issues in the three jurisdictions; a straw proposal for multi-user microgrids; and the face-to-face multi-stakeholder/multi-jurisdictional workshop held at IDEA2015. The workshop and associated materials will be used to generate a final report which will serve as a primer for other cities considering microgrids and district energy.

THE “DISTRICT ENERGY IN CITIES” PANEL BROUGHT TOGETHER URBAN SUSTAINABILITY PROFESSIONALS AND GLOBAL INDUSTRY LEADERS. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: GRANT ERVIN, CITY OF PITTSBURGH; SHANNON LAWRENCE, C40 CITIES CLIMATE LEADERSHIP GROUP; SUSANNE RASMUSSEN, CITY OF CAMBRIDGE, MASS.; LILY RIAHI, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME; AND BRAD SWING, CITY OF BOSTON.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 63

IDEA 2015

ROB THORNTON, CENTER, PRESENTS THE IDEA DISTRICT ENERGY SPACE AWARD TO THE EMPOWER TEAM FOR THE MOST SQUARE FEET SERVED, 38,543,000 SQ FT. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MOHAMED KAHOOR , TARIQ AL YASI, ROB THORNTON, AHMAD BIN SHAFAR, SAMER KHOUDEIR, AND RAMESH RAMADURAI.

PLENARY PANELS Following Monday’s conference opening with welcome remarks from IDEA Chair Ken Smith of District Energy St. Paul, three plenary panel discussions moderated by IDEA President and CEO Rob Thornton expanded on the progressive, future-forward theme underpinning the conference. The first panel of the morning, “District Energy in Cities,” featured Nicola Butterworth, Department of Energy & Climate Change, U.K. Government, London; Grant Ervin, City of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Shannon Lawrence, C40 Cities, London, U.K.; Susanne Rasmussen, City of Cambridge, Mass.; Lily Riahi, District Energy in Cities Initiative, United Nations Environmental Programme, Paris, France; Bradford Swing, City of Boston, Mass.; and Tim Taylor, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, City of Christchurch, New Zealand. This panel marked the coalescence of urban sustainability professionals with global industry leaders to discuss emerging drivers for deployment and expansion of district energy in cities, such as cutting greenhouse gas emissions, addressing climate adaptation, enhancing business continuity, and economic resiliency. 64 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

The second panel, “Paradigm Shift: Utility of the Future,” brought together prominent district energy executives with regulatory commissioners to discuss the evolution of the utility business model and integration of thermal energy and electricity delivery for urban centers. The panel featured Bill DiCroce, Veolia North

America; Judith Judson, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources; Betty Ann Kane, Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia; Kim Sung-Hei, Korea District Heating Corp.; Werner Lutsch, AGFW; Constantine (Gus) Sanoulis, Con Edison Steam; and Ken Smith, District Energy St. Paul.

FROM LEFT: ROB THORNTON, IDEA; KIM SUNG-HEI, KOREAN DISTRICT HEATING CORP., AND KEN SMITH, DISTRICT ENERGY ST. PAUL, CELEBRATE THE SIGNING OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN IDEA AND THE KOREA DISTRICT HEATING CORP.

Rounding out the morning was the third panel, “Mobilizing Industry Growth and Investment.” This panel featured Carlyle Coutinho, Enwave Energy Corp.; Michael King, District Energy Development Ltd.; Thomas Lefebvre, I Squared Capital; and Mark Spurr, FVB Energy Inc. Panelists synthesized their own experiences with district energy development and investment and discussed why district energy projects continue to be attractive investments in North America and overseas. TECHNICAL PROGRAM The Monday-Tuesday three-track technical program featured more than 100 speakers across a wide range of topics including alternative fuels; financing and incentives; business development, customer interface & service; market transformations and technologies; CHP, controls, commissioning and partnerships; CHP/microgrids; climate, water, and policy drivers; energy storage; community energy planning; distribution, operations, and training; district cooling: from plans to implementation; industry innovation; operations and customer service; and utilities master planning.

MICROGRIDS EMERGING AS A RESILIENT SOLUTION Microgrids continue to gain more attention in today’s ever-demanding energy market as a solution to achieve energy resiliency, independency and security. This was reflected throughout conference programing, with presentations addresses the three major technology components for a robust microgrid solution: distributed generation, load management and advanced microgrid control system. Feedback received from municipal leaders and other decision makers highlight the value and benefits of microgrids for the end user: Island mode of operation, demand response and other economic market participation, improved reliability and uptime, and renewable energy integration. While microgrids are primarily considered a means to keep electricity flowing during prolonged power outages, they can also integrate cogeneration, energy, and communications technologies with sensors, groups of buildings, and energy markets to lower energy usage, reduce electric transmission and distribution costs, manage loads, minimize risk, and reduce emissions. In this way, microgrids can go

beyond providing an insurance policy to offer resilience with a payback. Programing explored the technologies, strategies, trends, and business cases at play. DEVELOPMENT DUE-DILIGENCE With increasing interest in district energy development from new agencies and partners, conference programing took a deeper dive into examining the technical steps and investment-grade economic analysis to support drive sustainable district energy projects for urban communities. Analysis focused on rate structures and competitive life-cycle cost analysis of total investments. Additionally, presenters provided critical linkages between government objectives, environmental efficiency goals, economic value for the builder, and cogeneration profiles that can unlock significant LEED points. For more information on the technical proceedings, please visit: www.districtenergy. org/106th-annual-conference-and-trade-show IDEA SYSTEM OF THE YEAR AWARD Awarded annually, this honor recognizes system efficiency and environmental stewSUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 65

IDEA 2015

VINCENT MARTIN (CENTER), VEOLIA ENERGY NORTH AMERICA, RECEIVED IDEA’S 2015 SYSTEM OF THE YEAR AWARD ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE VEOLIA BOSTON TEAM, IN RECOGNITION OF THE COMPANY’S BOSTON-CAMBRIDGE DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEM.

ardship, outstanding performance in the areas of safety and reliability, and overall commitment to excellence in customer service and industry engagement. IDEA System of the Year Award Chair Raymond DuBose proudly presented this distinction to Veolia North America for its Boston-Cambridge district energy system. Since acquiring the system in 2005, Veolia has invested $168 million on capital and infrastructure improvements, including work to increase network efficiency and significantly reduce environmental impacts. The company’s recent $112 million “Green Steam” project included the acquisition of Kendall Cogeneration Station in Cambridge, Mass., and a 7,000-ft steam pipeline extension, enabling up to 75 percent 66 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

of the system’s heat supply to consist of recycled green steam. Due to the pipeline extension and increased CHP use, Veolia has reduced the excess thermal energy discharged from Kendall Station into the Charles River, garnering recognition from the mayors of both Boston and Cambridge. The project has reduced sulfur dioxide emissions by 61 percent, nitrogen oxide emissions by 36 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by 475,000 tons per year – equivalent to removing 80,000 cars from the road annually or installing 900 football fields’ worth of solar photovoltaics. When accepting the 2015 System of the Year Award, Vincent Martin, regional senior vice president with Veolia North America, said, “We are pleased to accept this im-

portant industry recognition from our peers at IDEA, and on behalf of the entire Veolia team in Greater Boston, we are proud of our contributions to supporting the sustainable growth and improved economic and environmental performance in the cities of Boston and Cambridge. We would not be successful without the support and leadership of those in local and state governments who helped us to accomplish this investment in clean energy for the commonwealth.” TECHNICAL TOURS A hallmark of IDEA programming, the conference concluded with four informative technical tours. Delegates were granted unprecedented access to four of New England’s premier district energy systems:

Biogen Cogeneration Plant - Cambridge The Biogen corporate campus in Cambridge is the U.S. headquarters of a company that researches, develops, and manufactures biopharmaceuticals. The Biogen cogeneration plant includes a 5.4 MW gas turbine, a heat recovery boiler with a capacity of 50,000 lb/hr, two dual-fuel boilers each with a capacity of 50,000 lb/hr, and 1,800 tons of absorption chiller capacity. The plant is the recipient of the Northeast Clean Heat and Power Initiative’s (NECHPI) CHP Champion Award for 2013. Harvard University Blackstone Steam Plant - Cambridge The Energy and Facilities Group of Harvard University provided a tour of the brand

new 7 MW CHP addition being installed and commissioned at Blackstone Station, a vintage 1906 powerhouse on Memorial Drive being retrofitted for microgrid operations. The project is the largest to-date to utilize special Massachusetts air permitting regulations designed to encourage CHP. The plant has been developed to maximize operating flexibility while protecting ambient air quality and streamlining the review process. Veolia Energy Kendall Cogeneration Station - Cambridge Veolia Energy provided a tour of their IDEA System of the Year award winning plant, a recent $112 million dollar investment to repower this key generating asset by

improving the heat rate, enhancing resiliency, and recovering waste energy that was being dumped into Charles River with new piping infrastructure from Cambridge to Boston. This investment fundamentally reinforces the objectives of the EPA Clean Power Plan. Longwood Medical Area Total Energy Plant (MATEP) - Boston This tour featured the mission-critical CHP district energy system providing power, district heating, and district cooling services to the Harvard-affiliated hospitals in Longwood Medical Area including Dana Farber, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess and Harvard Medical School. This plant was awarded the EPA CHP Energy Star Award in 2013. c SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 67

GLOBAL EVENTS

OCT

2015 SUSTAINABLE

B U S I N E S S

M A G A Z I N E

8th - 9th

NewLEEF 2015 St John’s, NL, Canada www.neia.org

The Newfoundland and Labrador Economy and the Environment Conference (NewLEEF) brings together experts in the field of the green economy, and those who are working within the environmental sector, to assess the projected growth opportunities against capacity and barriers in the province.

13th - 15th

Energy Storage North America San Diego, CA, USA www.esnaexpo.com

Energy Storage North America is North America’s largest energy storage conference and exhibition, recognized and recommended for its focus on projects, customers, and deal-making.

15th -17th

Earth Matters Conference Canmore, AB, Canada

A critically important conversation about energy and environmental education – for a sustainable future.

19th - 22th

BioCycle REFOR15 Boston, MA, USA www.biocyclerefor.com

BioCycle REFOR15, the official Conference of the American Biogas Council, will highlight: Anaerobic digestion, business of biogas, biogas, digestate and compost markets, food waste recycling, livestock manure management, biosolids management, and energy net zero wastewater treatment.

25th - 28th

AASHE 2015 Conference & Expo: Transforming Sustainability Education Minneapolis, MN, USA www.aashe.org

AASHE 2015 Conference & Expo, themed Transforming Sustainability Education, will convene a diverse group of campus representatives including faculty, students, sustainability officers, staff, administrators, and presidents together with business, non-profit, government, and community members for a sustainable celebration.

www.abcee.org/conferenceorg

PROMOTE YOUR EVENT HERE If your organization has a trade show or event, please let us know and we will promote your event on our global events pages.

For more information please contact us at: info@sustainablebusinessmagazine.net

3rd - 5th

The SRI Conference: All In For Impact Colorado Springs, CO, USA www.sriconference.com

The SRI Conference on Sustainable, Responsible, Impact Investing serves thought leaders, investors, and investment professionals in the ESG, Shareowner Advocacy, and Impact Investing space.

13th - 15th

Green Festival 2015 San Francisco, CA, USA www.greenfestivals.org

Green Festival San Francisco is our longest-running show and we are thrilled to be returning to the city for the 14th consecutive year. With citywide recycling, composting, and energy efficiency programs, San Francisco leads the nation in establishing one of the most eco-friendly communities.

18th - 20th

GREENBUILD International Conference and Expo Washington, DC, USA www.greenbuildexpo.com

The excitement is already building, and Greenbuild 2015 is truly gearing up to be a Monumental Green event. We’re bringing back the best education in green building, renowned speakers in the industry, and exciting events for you to attend.

25th - 27th

The 16th Forum Solarpraxis – Forging the Next Energy Era 2015 Berlin, Germany www.solarpraxis.de/en/ conferences

Solarpraxis is among the leading conference organizers for renewable energy. Since 1998, we have been organizing high-quality industry events for decision makers which are substantiated, close to the market, and customer-oriented. The Forum Solarpraxis is recognized worldwide.

68 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

NOV 2015

LONDON, UK (OCTOBER 15-16) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, USA (OCTOBER 29-30) ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA (NOVEMBER 12-13)

Advanced Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Training

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to become the next certified CSR Practitioner! This challenging 2-day training offered by Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE), aims to give you all the latest tools and resources required to implement or upscale existing sustainability initiatives taking place in your organization. Participants will have the chance to complete a twoyear sustainability plan that will qualify them for earning the globally recognized CSR-P Certification.

Topics discussed include: • Maintaining high confidence levels among stakeholders & implementing sustainability in Supply Chain • Current Global and Local Legislation for CSR and GHG emissions, Sustainability (CSR) • Learning how to produce an effective CSR Report • External Assurance and how to communicate and gain credibility in your report Book your seat now for CSE’S upcoming trainings

London, UK October 15-16

Chicago, Illinois, USA October 29-30

Atlanta, Georgia, USA November 12-13

Can’t make it to our Trainings? Register now for CSE’s online courses that cover all sustainability hot topics! • Diploma on Corporate Sustainability: Foundation course certified by IEMA • Online Certificate on Carbon Reduction Strategy • Online Certificate on Sustainability Reporting For more information visit http://www.cse-net.org/article/127/upcoming-trainings or contact us at sustainability@cse-net.org SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

| 69

ADVERTISERS INDEX C Cachelan P36 Centre for Sustainabilty and Excellence P69 CIBC Mellon Inside Front Chartwells P50 F Future International Diversifed Inc. Fitzpatrick Electrical

70 | SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

P14 P32

H Haller Mechanical Contractors Inc. Hardie Industrial Henry Heyink Construction Ltd.

P19 P20 P19

I IMTT (International-Matex Tank Terminals)

P14

M MWS Solutions Inc. Martifer Solar Triumph Ltd.

P19 Back Cover

P Port of Johnstown

P19

S Siltri P14 T T.D. Smith Transport

P12

U Urban Strategies Inc.

P52

SUSTAINABLE

B U S I N E S S

M A G A Z I N E

SUSTAINING TOMORROW. TODAY www.sustainablebusinessmagazine.net

GROUND-MOUNTED | ROOFTOPS | BIPV | O&M SERVICE

Toronto Canada | Over 7.5 MW rooftop PV implemented in 2015 for Potentia Solar Inc.

Martifer Solar Triumph, Ltd. - 1 Connie Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6L 2H8, Canada Tel +1 416 534 8877 • Fax +1 416 534 8863 • Email solar.cd@martifer.com • www.martifersolar.com