www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 30, 2007 - 7 Logistics Oakville softens its carbon footprint to a tip toe By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF In an industry that's not exactly known for its environmentally-friendly initiatives, one Oakville logistics company has gone above and beyond the call of duty in its efforts to reduce the impact the business has on the planet. Lakeside Logistics, which provides a range of logistical services including transportation and warehouse management to primarily Fortune 500 companies in Canada and the U.S., announced yesterday the achievement of a carbon neutral footprint through its in-house Vision Green program. "This event is not only a milestone for Lakeside and our employees, but it's a milestone for our industry in Canada," said Managing Director Jeff Moore during a presentation to celebrate the accomplishment. The company, which employs 40 people in Oakville, began its road to environmentalism seven months ago when Moore attended a seminar where the impact of global warming was being discussed. At the end of the presentation the speaker, Dr. Ron Dembo of Zerofootprint, called on those present to step up as industry leaders and lead the charge towards environmental sustainability in their own industries. The presentation had a profound effect on Moore. "I immediately thought, as I was driving home that day in my car, that this is our chance to make a difference," he said. "We have thousands of business partners on whom we could have a big impact in a relatively short period of time." Before this could happen, however, Lakeside Logistics needed to get its own house in order, which it began to do by creating a Director of people thinking about what they can do at home." In another environmental initiative, Lakeside Logistics switched to Bullfrog Power, which is the leading provider of green, carbon-free renewable electricity in Ontario. Although this conversion did cost the company more money, Susan said it was worth it as having the company's Oakville office powered by Bullfrog Power has effectively eliminated Lakeside Logistics' electric footprint and shown its employees that the company is serious about the environment. See Logistics page 13 Warm Y Your Home thisChristmas LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER LOGICAL MOVE: Jeff Moore, managing director of Lakeside Logistics and Susan Moore, the company's director of sustainability were on hand to announce the company's efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Sustainability position in April. "Six months ago I was charged with formulating a green program for Lakeside that would encompass our customers, our suppliers and our staff," said Susan Moore, who now holds the Director of Sustainability title. "We put this program in place for two reasons. We see it as an opportunity to take a lead in our industry and demonstrate to our customers and suppliers that we recognize the issues in the environment and we are putting programs in place to address those issues. Secondly, we wanted to make it clear to each and every one of our employees that we will do whatever it takes to help them understand environmental issues and how to make changes in their home and work lives to decrease their footprint." Susan also noted that Lakeside Logistics was focusing on the environment because the trucking industry, of which Lakeside Logistics is a part, is responsible for around 15 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. An environmental audit, courtesy of the environmental consulting agency Zerofootprint, soon followed and allowed Lakeside Logistics to determine its own impact on the environment and how best to tackle it. "The most visible thing we could do was to eliminate bottled water. It seemed like such a small thing to do, eliminate 20,000 plastic bottles, but that seemingly small move saved us three and a half tones of carbon a year," said Susan. "We bought each employee a permanent Vision Green bottle. That type of change is far reaching because it gets "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905.337.2066 GIVE THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT FOR LIFE POWER PACKAGE WINTER SESSION JANUARY TO MARCH SPRING SESSION APRIL TO MAY Many days and times offered for all programs. Classes at River Oaks Rec Centre, Glen Abbey Rec Centre, Oakville Arena, Kinoak Arena and Joshua Creek Arenas. $ 275 ADULTS! LEARN TO SKATE WITH US. REGISTER NOW! Up to 3,000 sq. ft. Easy to install, 7 year warranty Includes 30' airhose, full cleaning set (incl. rug & floor attachments, wands and hose rack) Buy Factory Direct with Substantial Savings Proudly Made In Oakville For Over 10 Years. Allegro Allegro central vacu central vacuum systems systems 1338 SPEERS ROAD, OAKVILLE 905.825.3995 www.allegrovacuums.com