May 2007

• Expanding from the Living Wage criteria to more Vibrant Workplace issues
• The City of Calgary's SEEPP - Sustainable, Environmental & Ethical Procurement Policy
• Earth Day came and passed... so what now?
• Links of the Month

Expanding from the Living Wage criteria to more Vibrant Workplace issues

What makes a good employer? The Social Purchasing Portal is committed to finding out. We are looking to list businesses who are actively doing things to recruit, hire and retain employees who are unemployed or underemployed. We will consider businesses that are going above and beyond in terms of ensuring their employees are living healthy, balanced and sustained lives. Stay tuned as more details and the official criteria set gets posted in the coming weeks.

The City of Calgary's SEEPP - Sustainable, Environmental & Ethical Procurement Policy

SEEPP is intended to ensure items purchased by The City are manufactured or produced in accordance with established international environmental standards and guidelines, environmental labeling and applicable codes of conduct regarding wages, working conditions, safety, forced labour and freedom of association, such as those embodied in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and International Labour Organization Conventions. The first phase of SEEPP will focus on four product categories (apparel, food, chemicals and caretaking contracts). The Social Purchasing Portal is one of the stakeholders in this policy development.

Earth Day came and passed... so what now?

This past month saw Earth Day (April 22) come and go. Aside from celebrating our precious Mother Earth, what can all of us do now that we have retreated back to our consumer-ways? Here are a few tips from www.earthday.ca:
• Park It - Leave your car at home for a day (or a week or a month) and try walking or biking. If works is too far away to walk, take public transit or carpool.
• Shut Down - Turn off the lights, the computer and the TV when the are not in use.
• Where's The Beef? - Try eating meat-free at least one day a week.
• Eat It - Choose foods produced organically, locally and in season.
• Let It Rot - Put a composter in your backyard or use your green bin to reduce household waste.
• Don't Be Idle - Turn off your car's engine if stopped for more than 10 seconds.
• Keep Your Eye On The Temp - Set your thermostat above room temperature in the summer and below room temperature in the winter.
• Bright Ideas - Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs).
• Don't Dump It - Recycle It! - The simple act of recycling has more impact on the environment than the average Canadian thinks.
• Tell Someone - This is a great opportunity to brag.

Links of the Month

• Canadian Business for Social Responsibility (www.cbsr.ca) is a business-led, non-profit CSR consultancy and peer-to-peer learning organization that provides its members with candid counsel and customized advisory services as they formulate powerful business decisions that improve performance and contribute to a better world.
• Good for Business (www.makeitgood.org) is a collective of Calgarians who believe that business people and entrepreneurs have a role to play through their work life in making our community a better one.

If you have good links to share, pass them along!

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