Sustainability

Commitment to the environment and the health of the natural environment has been a long-standing priority of Enova’s predecessor utilities.

Enova’s Country Squire and Victoria Street offices are equipped with solar arrays, which returned more than 579,000 kWh to the grid in 2022. That is enough electricity to power more than 64 average residential homes for a year. The Country Squire office has a Silver LEED certification, and as a member of Sustainable Waterloo Region, the utility has pledged to decrease its Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2025. The Victoria Street office is also an observing organization with Sustainable Waterloo Region.   Our offices have comprehensive recycling programs to divert waste from landfills. Recycling programs include construction materials, batteries, electronics, paper, cardboard and more. The Country Squire office’s recycling programs and waste management efforts earned distinction as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers in 2022. Last fall, Enova hosted Sustainable Waterloo’s UN Sustainable Development Goals workshop.

Employees also drive environmental awareness internally through the annual Eco-Challenge. Held in July, the Green Team-run program helps bring environmental issues to the forefront for employees and their families with events that include a 20-minute neighbourhood waste clean-up, a commuter challenge, a free bike tune-up, and a used clothing drive. The 2022 event saw a six-percent increase in employee participation over the previous year’s challenge.

Preserving and improving the natural environment in our service territory is important to Enova and our employees. The Country Squire office has a number of eco-friendly features to ensure there is no ecological impact to the surrounding waterways and landscape. In 2022, our Victoria Street office donated and installed four cedar hydro poles at the Mike Schout Wetlands Preserve in the Township of Wilmot to provide habitat and nesting for ospreys, eagles and herons. We provided $100,000 in reforestation grants to the City of Kitchener and the Township of Wilmot.

2022 also saw the introduction of a beehive project at the Country Squire location. Working with Alveole, an urban beekeeping organization, Enova has two hives installed outside the building in Waterloo. The project’s first year was successful as the environment was ideal for pollinators. The bees helped local plant and flower life and produced a large quantity of honey for employees to enjoy at home.