Transportation and Energy Use

We use energy in almost everything we do—from turning on the lights and running the machines in our shops to relying on the distribution methods we need to move our products and people; we need energy to operate. However, we’re always looking for better ways to be more efficient with our energy use as well as extract, transport, manufacture, distribute and dispose of the items we consume on a daily basis.

A decrease in demand for energy could result in:

• Reduced greenhouse gas production. Global warming is caused by an increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. These gases effectively insulate the earth and raise temperatures. Electricity production generates the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions, and over 70% of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, which are mostly coal and natural gas.

• Reduced air pollution. Fossil fuel combustion produces sulfur and nitrogen oxides which form smog and acid rain, which are contributors to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, as well as environmental degradation.

• Reduced mercury in the environment. Coal-fired power plants release mercury that enters our food chain.

• Reduced environmental disturbance. The extraction and transportation of fossil fuels are a source of significant environmental damage.

What are we doing about it?

To reduce our carbon footprint, we try to incorporate energy efficient strategies across every part of our business from our head office to our shops. Reducing our energy consumption is a key tool in the fight against climate change.

• We actively encourage our staff to carpool, cycle, walk, run or take public transit to work each day

• We are continually striving to transition to lower impact modes of transit, such as rail and ocean

• We offer energy training and a friendly competition for all staff to help find ways for best practices

• We’re looking at improving our processes in an effort to reduce our energy consumption at our manufacturing facilities and retail shops

• We’re currently working towards refitting all of our shops with LED (light emitting diodes) lighting, which consume a fraction of the energy consumed by incandescent bulbs, and also have the double benefit of lasting for a very long time and containing no mercury—by doing nothing except installing LEDs, it’s possible to reduce one’s carbon footprint by a whopping 6 tons per year.