Greenstorming to develop new ideas for sustainability at CIBC Mellon: (from left) Robert Chiuch, co-head, global securities lending, Rob Ferguson, co-head, global securities lending, and Mike Plantinga, assistant vice president, enterprise architecture and security. (CNW Group/CIBC Mellon)
CIBC Mellon employees joined together with members of the company’s executive team and non-profit organization, Evergreen, to generate ideas for future environmental sustainability programs that will help CIBC Mellon create positive change in its communities. During the event, CIBC Mellon also announced a three-year, $30,000 pledge to Evergreen to support sustainability programs across Canada. Evergreen is a national non-profit organization dedicated to making cities more liveable.
“We continually work to build a more environmentally sustainable business by tapping into one of our most valuable resources: our people,” said Tom Monahan, president and chief executive officer, CIBC Mellon. “Our employees are passionate about sustainability. They bring innovative ‘green’ ideas forward that benefit our company, our clients and our environment. CIBC Mellon’s partnership with Evergreen began as a direct result of research from a team of employee volunteers who were empowered by our corporate social responsibility committee.”
“We are extremely appreciative of CIBC Mellon’s support and are very happy to be partnering with such a dynamic, forward looking corporation. We are always inspired when community centric organizations like CIBC Mellon keep striving and looking for new ways to lessen their environmental impact,” said Lois Lindsay, assistant program director of Evergreen’s Common Grounds program, who attended the event. “We look forward to continuing to work with CIBC Mellon in the years ahead.”
At the event, more than 30 employees from across the company worked in small groups to brainstorm new ways to further reduce the environmental impacts of CIBC Mellon’s operations. Participants were asked to both think big and think pragmatically, focusing on opportunities to keep one another and the company accountable for continued environmental progress. They generated a range of new ideas on topics including energy conservation, reducing material use, employee and community education, and process enhancements. These new ideas will contribute to the development and enhancement of green practices, policies and projects managed by the environmental sustainability arm of CIBC Mellon’s corporate social responsibility committee.
The ideas raised during CIBC Mellon’s “greenstorming” event build on the company’s 2010 sustainability successes, including:
- Further reducing paper usage versus 2009 levels; CIBC Mellon’s paper usage has dropped by 35 percent from its 2007 measurement baseline;
- Installing greener technology, including new servers that consume 16 percent less power.
- Diverting more than 85 percent of the waste generated by CIBC Mellon’s Toronto head office from landfills.
About Evergreen
Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable. By deepening the connection between people and nature, and empowering Canadians to take a hands-on approach to their urban environments, Evergreen is improving the health of our cities—now and for the future. Since 1991 Evergreen volunteers have dedicated some 500,000 hours at more than 2,500 stewardship and planting events in communities across Canada.
About CIBC Mellon
CIBC Mellon recently placed No.1 in Canadian sub-custody in Global Finance magazine’s Agent Banks in Major Markets Survey. The company also placed No.1 in four categories in Global Investor / isf magazine’s 2010 Equity Lending Survey and was named the best sub-custodian in Canada for the fourth consecutive year in the 2010 Global Finance magazine’s World’s Best Sub-Custodians Survey. In addition, CIBC Mellon was ranked as Canada’s No.1 provider of global custody services in the 2010 R&M Consultants Global Custody Survey.
CIBC Mellon is 50-50 jointly owned by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and BNY Mellon. CIBC Mellon Global Securities Services Company is a leading provider of financial services for institutions and corporations, providing superior asset servicing, multicurrency accounting, information delivery, unitholder recordkeeping, securities lending and foreign exchange services in Canada.
For further information:
David Bauer, corporate affairs, CIBC Mellon – [email protected], 416-643-5142
Anthony Westenberg, manager, public relations, Evergreen – [email protected], 416-596-1495 x332
