Halsall took top honours at Green Living’s second annual Excellence in Corporate Responsibility (ECR) Awards in Toronto, which celebrate Canadians who are transforming business practices to create sustainable social and environmental change. Halsall received the Team award in the building, design and development sector (large business) for its sustainability program which is called “The IRIS Project.”
The IRIS Project is a structured, comprehensive, target-based program which groups the company’s environmental and community initiatives into six categories, measured by 13 sustainability indicators. “IRIS” stands for Integrated Rating Indicator for Sustainability, a dynamic online sustainability reporting tool developed by Halsall’s sister company Loop Initiatives.
“It’s an honour to be recognized for doing something we believe in passionately and which has been core to our business for over a decade,” said Peter Halsall, chairman of Parsons Brinckerhoff Halsall Inc.
“Back in the 1990s, we decided to create a company where we would be happy to have our kids work. To attract the best of the next generation, we knew we had to get serious about reducing our corporate environmental footprint and commit to making the communities where we work, live and play more sustainable,” said Halsall. “Today, green is not just another company program – it’s fully integrated into our corporate DNA.”
The IRIS Project is responsible for driving social and environmental change in internal operations and client service delivery. It has led to thousands of dollars in savings from reductions in building and travel emissions, waste diversion and green procurement. The company’s IT energy-saving initiatives alone have reduced energy consumption by approximately 245,000 kWh per year, resulting in a 40-tonne reduction in carbon emissions and annual savings of $20,000.
The project also led to the establishment and growth of Halsall’s green planning and design services, and it has played a significant role in the company being named one of Canada’s Best Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute for six consecutive years.