Sustainability: business, life, environment

So often sustainability is communicated to others in terms of the quality of the earth and our natural resources that we leave for our children.  Business sustainability programs are intended to address this on a corporate level and companies on the leading edge of sustainability are implementing ‘green’ decision process into all areas of their business, including their procurement and supply chain functions.
 
But as individuals, how does this participation show up in our daily lives?  What about the events in which we choose to participate?   Just this week, Taiga Company was represented in the TransRockies (TR3) mountain bike race.  Not only was this a dream come true, but more importantly, the values of the event parralled those of our company values. 
 
As noted in the TransRockies newsletter,”For years, the TransRockies has prided itself on leaving no trace on the trails we ride and in the places we stay. Because we ride through parkland and use public campgrounds, we have developed a very strict set of internal guidelines that ensure that we leave no garbage behind.
 
Some of the initiatives we take include trucking out every drop of grey water from our showers, leaving a crew behind to walk our campgrounds and pick up all refuse, tasking our sweep riders to take down all marking tape and pick up all wrappers as they clear the course . . . and penalizing riders for dropping garbage.
 
This year we're taking it a step further with the help of mygreenbin, who specialize in reducing landfill waste generated. With support from mygreenbin staff, we've been using multiple bins with separate paper, plastic and metal recycling to divert as much waste as possible making sure that it doesn't end up in landfills. It's a small step but one which will help to reduce the TransRockies carbon footprint."
 
As a sustainability consultant, the reward of riding my bike through breathtaking views in an event committed to similar values of waste reduction, environmental stewardship, and respect of natural resources was immensely fulfilling.  Thank you TransRockies!