Annual Impact Report 2020

Message from Leadership.

Message From Leadership.

On behalf of our staff and Board, we are pleased to bring you our 2020 Annual Impact Report. The past year has been unique, to say the least! Video calls, which were the science fiction of my youth, are now the norm. Though there are no flying cars, we do have more electric vehicles on the road than ever before and that, to us, is positive progress.

The word that comes up over and over again when thinking about the global pandemic is ‘resilience’. Humans are a tenacious bunch that can overcome seemingly impossible challenges when united toward a common goal. We will emerge on the other side of this pandemic stronger than before we were all wearing masks and religiously sanitizing hands. Knowing that the world can come together to overcome a global challenge provides us with all the confidence we need to know that we can meet the challenge of climate change and provide a sustainable future for all.

It was business not as usual for Sustainable Hamilton Burlington as we navigated the virtual business world and underwent the metamorphosis into Sustainability Leadership. The goal of the Sustainability Leadership Program is to guide our Members down the path to a bright, sustainable future. With the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reporting that 60% of global emission are now covered by net-zero goals, we should be busier than ever with this endeavor.

As the world has slowed and begins to open up again, we have the opportunity to create the future we want to see – we have the ability to optimise opportunity. The change in our southern neighbour’s federal administration will put a renewed (and welcomed) focus on GHG emissions and corporate ESG goals while putting pressure on our own governments to accelerate green policies. This, in combination with added sustainability pressure from our large financial institutions seems to be aiming the world in the right direction as we shift our thinking on what we value as a global community.

We hope you feel as inspired reading this report as we did putting it together. We are proud to promote and celebrate these positive environmental, social, and economic acts of our Members, showcasing that through sustainability comes prosperity.

May 2020

Rafiq Dhanji

Executive Director

Brian Paré

Chair of the Board

2020-2021 Board of Directors

Ruth Liebersbach

Secretary & Treasurer

Alanna Aqui

Director

Andrew Pride

Director

Brian Benko

Director

Richard Do Couto

Director

Tonia Sawchuk

Director

Travis Evens

Director