This past week, we released our 2011 Report on Sustainability. Themed Performance. Partnerships. Possibilities., it communicates our environmental, social and economic performance through narrative and a series of charts, graphs and videos.
We hope you’ll take time to look at it – it’s a great way to learn more about our operations and what we’re doing to improve our performance. A key part of the report are goals we’ve set for ourselves to reduce our impacts on air, water, land and improve our energy efficiency.
Putting together this year’s report (a year long process that is no small feat, involving significant narrative development and data collection) got us thinking. Its central focus is collaboration – basically how by working with others we can achieve even better sustainability results.
We thought in this spirit, we’d encourage you to see what not only Suncor and industry are doing, but also examine your own footprint - specifically how we as individuals can make a difference when it comes to the environment.
According to the Global Footprint Network’s Ecological Footprint Atlas, humanity currently requires the equivalent of 1.5 planets to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste. If we continue down this path, by 2030 we will need to equivalent of two Earths to support us.
Not sure how much land area it takes to support your current lifestyle? Try taking the Global Footprint Network’s personal footprint quiz.
Now that you have a baseline to work with, here are just a few actions you could take to reduce your overall footprint according to yousustain.com:
- Don’t let your car idle unnecessarily;
- Shut off electronics completely when not in use;
- Take reusable bags to the store;
- Fly less often and take direct flights whenever possible;
- Compost;
- Program your thermostat to adjust the temperature when you are not home;
- Eat less meat;
- Hang clothes to dry;
- Use rain water for your plants;
- Switch to digital billing.
Best practice sustainability isn’t something that just corporations and governments do – we all have a part to play. While sometimes it may not seem like an individual effort may make a difference, but the truth is, it does.
