The CUPE National Environment Committee takes its environmental responsibility seriously. The Committee broke new ground two years ago by holding paperless meetings. Now the Committee is further reducing the environmental impact of its meetings by using public transit to get to and from meetings and around town while in Ottawa.
The national office is well-serviced by OC Transpo buses that stop at a major transit station about 400 metres away, a factor that contributes to the national office’s Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation.
Committee members braved their relative unfamiliarity with the system to hop on the bus and thereby cut greenhouse gas emissions. The bus ride also gave members a chance to bond with each other, debrief on their meeting, and link with the community at large.
By taking the bus over taxis, the Committee cut approximately 0.07 tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Meanwhile, Denis Petitclerc, the new Quebec member to the Committee, used another sustainable form of transportation by bringing his bicycle to Ottawa. He spared the air and climate by making the sixteen kilometre round trip to the office and back by bike each day of the meeting.