The next several questions will ask you about your actions related to energy, water, transportation, waste, community, and food.

Please check off any actions you have taken at your business for each topic. The first section lists priority actions – these are high impact actions that should be applicable across many business types. Completing a larger percentage of these actions will raise the tier of recognition you may qualify for.

The second section lists additional actions. The more you can complete, the better! Some may require a larger commitment or only apply to certain types of businesses.

Click Next to continue to the next section. If you want to save and come back to this questionnaire at a later date click the save and continue button.

ENERGY – Energy consumption to light and heat our buildings, cook, and power our devices makes up the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in our cities. This includes the emissions that result from generating the electricity we use and emissions from burning natural gas and oil on-site for heat or cooking. Actions in this category involve improving energy efficiency, minimizing wasted energy, and considering renewable options when possible.

WATER – While not a direct contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, water use is an important sustainability consideration. In addition, wastewater treatment does produce greenhouse gases, with more wastewater and organic matter sent to the treatment plant resulting in more emissions. Actions in this category involve conserving water while still achieving the same levels of cleanliness and comfort.

TRANSPORTATION – Emissions from transportation come from individuals often traveling in single-occupancy vehicles as well as from shipping goods between manufacturers, businesses, and customers. In addition to contributing to climate change, transportation also significantly affects air quality and resultant human health effects. Actions in this category involve ways to reduce emissions from shipping as well as from individual car trips for both employees and customers.

WASTE – Waste is an often overlooked source of emissions. Landfills emit greenhouse gases as trash breaks down anaerobically (without oxygen). Recycling can also impact emissions as it takes less energy to recycle items like aluminium and glass than it does to create them from raw materials. In addition, anywhere that waste can be avoided entirely through switching to reusable options or reducing consumption brings the maximum benefit. Actions in this category involve reducing consumption of single-use items, maximizing recycling, and increasing awareness of your waste streams.

COMMUNITY – Climate action and sustainability involve not only the actions we take individually but the conversations we have as a community about what we value and how best to ensure the vitality of our community for generations to come. Talking with others about climate action is one of the best ways we can each build momentum for reducing our emissions and living more sustainably. In addition, we can help one another prepare for and weather the inevitable impacts of climate change that we are already starting to experience. Actions in this category involve ways to increase public awareness and engagement around climate change, promote collaboration and partnership on these issues, and improve our community resilience in the face of climate-related hazards.

FOOD – For those businesses that sell food products, the types of foods they choose, where they source them, and how they handle food waste will make up a large portion of their overall environmental footprint. Even for businesses that don’t sell food, decisions about purchasing food for events, employee trainings, or other occasions are important. Plant-based foods generally produce far less emissions per calorie than animal-based food. In addition, local choices reduce much of the transportation emissions and can often support more sustainable agricultural practices. When food is wasted, the emissions required to produce it are also wasted, and it generates additional methane if sent to the landfill to decompose. Actions in this category involve promoting local and plant-based food, reducing food waste, and implementing composting if possible.