PCTIA is classified
as a Crown Agency and as such is required to report on its carbon
impact and sustainability activities. PCTIA annually files its carbon
neutral action plan with the Climate Action Secretariat.
In preparing its first carbon neutral action plan report,
PCTIA was very pleased to discover that before being required to do
so, we had voluntarily undertaken some very significant carbon-reduction
activities. Read what we have done here and our previous actions in years past.
A "Green Team" has been formed, which will continue to investigage further opportunites for the
Agency to reduce its carbon footprint and use sustainable resources. We have included one member on the team from one of the accredited institutions in order to understand the indirect impact of our decisions (for example, on reports and forms) on our extended carbon footprint.
PCTIA's
Carbon Impact and Sustainability Objectives for 2010 - 2013
As a regulatory agency, PCTIA will seek to reduce its direct and indirect carbon footprint and impact
on the environment using the following key objectives:
A. To research and develop more opportunities
for registered and accredited institutions to satisfy PCTIA reporting
and filing requirements using on-line resources such as web-based
forms.
Goal: to have online web tools available on the PCTIA website for
institutions to submit basic reporting information by the end of 2010, and to increase the number
available each year in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
B. To keep foremost in all procedural reviews and business
function re-designs, an emphasis on paper reduction and the increased
use of technology.
Goal: to identify the top three business functions that use the
most paper and to identify a 30% reduction in paper use in the first
year and continued reductions in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
C. To source more post-consumer recycled products such
as paper and consumable office supplies.
Goal: to only purchase post-consumer recycled paper with a minimum
30 to 50% recycled content for in-house copying and printing beginning in fiscal year 2010-2011.
Carbon Impact and Sustainability
Activities 2010 - 2012
| Energy Usage |
All desktop computers are now Energy-Star compliant.
Special energy-saving power bars will be investigated which allow staff to completely shut off all trickle-power to desktop computers and devices when not in use.
All printers which are able will have duplex printing units installed.
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| Travel |
With limited scope of our travelling activities, there are no future plans to modify travelling methods beyond those already stated in our 2009 activities (see historical table below)
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| Sustainable Practices |
We eliminated the distribution of paper renewal of registration reports for 11 of the previous 12 months, saving the equivalent of approximately six 500-sheet packs of paper.
Disposable AA or AAA batteries in all devices which use them have been replaced with a charging unit and rechargable batteries. PCTIA recycled approximately 160 batteries in 2009.
An inventory of all office paper was taken including quantities and recycled content. Purchase decisions in 2010 and forward will now reflect our carbon usage and sustainability goals of using office paper with a minimum 30% recycled content.
Formal reports, including our Annual Report and Enrolment Report, have previously been printed on paper in volumes of approximately 500 each. In 2009 these reports were limited to 75 paper copies with the majority of the publications distributed online in PDF format. |
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Previous Carbon Impact and Sustainability
Activities
| Energy Usage |
Completed a project
to replace 90% of desktop computers and monitors with Energy Star-rated
devices.
Replaced four desktop computers with notebook computers for those
staff who travel significantly
Reconfigured Blackberry services so they no longer require a
computer to be turned on 24/7 to redirect messages to the handheld.
This enabled all of the agency's computers (except servers) to
be turned off every night and all weekend.
Upgraded an old server to a remote access server to allow staff
full access to their email and files to increase opportunities
for telecommuting
Decommissioned an older file server and moved its functions to
another existing server.
All office lighting at the Agency's office is turned off nightly
and on weekends. |
| Travel |
Relocated one staff position to
Victoria, virtually eliminating the need for other staff to travel
from the lower mainland to Vancouver Island when visiting institutions.
With 72 currerntly registered institutions on the Island, this
action may save fifty or more trips over the course of one year.
Implemented limited telecommuting on a trial basis and provided
a flexible working schedule to allow staff to commute outside
of traditional rush hours.
Located within a short walk of a Skytrain station, PCTIA's new
office location allows staff to attend meetings in downtown Vancouver
without using a personal vehicle.
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| Sustainable Practices |
Reused, resold or professionally
recycled all decommissioned PCs after removing all data.
Staff participated in planting a garden of over 400 bulbs in
the fall of 2008.
We routinely use reusable dishware within the office.
Mailing envelopes for most purposes were converted to window
envelopes, allowing the printed address on the letter to show
through, eliminating the use of labels.
Using water jugs and piped-in filtered water for meetings instead
of bottled water (except where provided by outside catering firms)
When leasing a new photocopier, the Agency selected a model with
a scanning unit, and this is used heavily to distribute PDF copies
of forms and documents to staff via email instead of on paper.
The Agency has for years, participated in a program which recycles
and refills all toner cartridges for all of its printers and copiers.
The Agency selects service vendors which have a positive environmental
record. For example, the firm that prints the Agency's annual
and enrolment reports has been awarded Canada's most environmentally
friendly printer for four years in a row. http://www.hemlock.com
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