Co-operatives wishing to be leaders and champions of environmental sustainability in their communities and beyond can use their spheres of influence to catalyze broader sustainability. The following are some suggestions for additional roles and leverage points that co-ops might consider.
Section 2, Strategy Development, in this Guide provides a definition and list of potential stakeholders, and suggests ways that stakeholders can be involved in the design of the environmental strategy or plan. However, leading co-ops can pursue other ways to engage stakeholders in improving environmental conditions, such as through awareness-raising efforts, the co-op's role, and what they can do to reduce their environmental footprint. Commonly, organizations focus on their staff, customers, members (in the case of co-ops), and the community or general public in awareness and action efforts. Typically this is achieved through web or e-communication vehicles, such as e-newsletters, dedicated websites, and intranet sites. Frequent topics include energy efficiency and conservation, recycling, water use, sustainable transportation, responsible consumption, and healthy lifestyles both at the office and at home.
Behaviour change is usually the goal, with calls to action often accompanied by incentives such as product discounts, pledges, competitions and challenges, recognition articles, and awards. There is a range of tools that can be deployed in these programs, including tips, guides, videos, newsletters, event calendars, footprint calculators, online training, online discussions, in-branch or in-store events, ask an expert columns, etc. Often, members and the broader community and general public, lack basic information to know how to reduce their environmental footprint. Member and community-serving co-ops can help bridge this gap with tools, tips, and links to resources and government incentive programs. Some co-ops focus their engagement efforts on staff, member, and community projects such as shred-it days, stream or community clean-ups, or commuter challenges and bike to work weeks. The goal of these efforts is always raising awareness and motivating behavioural change at work, at home, or in the community in order to reduce our collective environmental impact.
The Co-operative Housing Federation has developed education and engagement programs for its members and individual members of housing co-ops. Vancity Credit Union hosts a Change Everything website to encourage member and public engagement, and has implemented a number of employee environmental engagement programs over the years.
Some co-operatives have community involvement programs, including donations, sponsorships, and employee volunteering. Those that do may wish to consider the opportunity of integrating their environmental commitment into their community initiatives. This may simply be a matter of including the environment as a theme in your community program, or it may involve identifying specific environmental priorities, such as sustainable communities, climate change, environmental protection and conservation, environmental leadership and capacity building, environmental solutions, sustainable co-op development and support for sustainable business, etc.
Mountain Equipment Co-op's Volunteerism Program provides paid days off to staff members so they may volunteer with non-profit organizations that support outdoor activity and conservation issues. Vancity supports community groups taking action on climate change.
Sometimes co-ops provide a charitable contribution add-on as a marketing incentive for their product or service. For example, a donation is made to an environmental group for each product or service sold. For co-ops seeking to advance sustainable economy solutions, opportunities exist to fund university research, programs, and scholarships in this area. Other measures to advance sustainability could include funding tools, or sponsoring conferences or programs that help members, suppliers, business customers, and households reduce their environmental footprints. For example, Sustainability Solutions Group has developed a carbon reduction educational tool for public use, which is available on its website. Perhaps your co-op could sponsor an environmental award along with your local chamber of commerce or board of trade as a way to bring attention to an environmental issue and good practice organizations.
Leading organizations often find that effectively tackling environmental issues requires working with partners on common issues, and sometimes advocating with governments and others on public policy measures and system, or forming sector-wide responses. For example, at the community level, getting a transit system in place might require working with other businesses and employers, the local government and provincial and federal funding partners to find a workable solution. To get your products and services environmentally certified might require working with your industry association and environmental organizations on environmental standards and minimum criteria. To find cost-effective measures for implementing a product take-back program might require collaborations with competitors and regional or provincial governments. To secure an international agreement on reducing carbon emissions might require co-operatives joining with other organizations to communicate their desire for government action.
Depending on the priority of your co-op, collaborations and partnerships can focus on knowledge development and information sharing, product innovation, environmental standards development, supplier engagement, and advocacy.
If your co-op is interested in undertaking advocacy measures to promote public policy on environmental issues, you may wish to adopt an advocacy policy or implement an advocacy checklist for your organization. Your checklist could include the following questions.
Is the issue a key priority for your co-op?
Does the issue support your environmental commitment and is it aligned with your overall mission, vision, and values?
Does the issue relate to your core business?
Will the issue help your members? Your co-op? Your community?
Is this a non-partisan issue?
Can you collaborate with others on this initiative?
For those wishing to set up a proactive advocacy program, the following approaches may be worthwhile:
Commission and publish high profile research reports;
Sign petitions;
Hold meetings and engage in letter writing with government representatives;
Release position statements;
Hold media events;
Launch or join coalitions and roundtables; and/or
Sponsor summits or environmental campaigns.
Check to see if there are any pre-existing co-operative, industry, or business groups already engaged in the issue, or join and work with environmental organizations that represent views similar to those of your co-op.
The Co-operators has adopted a Sustainability Advocacy Policy and is implementing an advocacy program. Vancity advocates for the development and advancement of public policy solutions to climate change. Mountain Equipment Co-op participates in three collaborations with other organizations to advance its environmental objectives. The Co-operative Auto Network works with a number of partners to advance car sharing.
This Guide provides a roadmap for co-operatives seeking to formalize their environmental commitment and to make a concerted effort to effectively manage their environmental performance, much as they do their financial performance. Four steps, or areas of activity, are recommended for those just starting out or those ready to move to the next level of environmental leadership. Co-operatives that spend time defining and then implementing their environmental approach and priorities stand to generate business, community, and member benefits-a home run and a triple win.
Section 2, 
