Transparency Report 2014/15

Transcription

1 Transparency Report 2014/15

2 2 3 Contents Who We Are Who We Are CEO s Message BCorp Performance Summary Our Mission Governance Ethical Suppliers Supply Chain Sustainable Procurement Empowering Communities Energy & Emissions Tracking & Transparency Greener Inspections was created by owner, Shawn Green, in 2014 after spending 7 years as a franchised home inspection company. Shawn wanted to leverage his skills in home repair and maintenance to help prospective home buyers and sellers understand any potential deficiencies in homes. As a former contractor, Shawn personally built or renovated hundreds of homes and from that experience is uniquely qualified as a home inspector. Buying a home is one of the largest and most important investments most of us ever make. When you choose Greener Inspections you are choosing someone you can trust to objectively and independently provide you with a comprehensive analysis of your home s major systems and components. Throughout Shawn s career in the inspection industry he has earned the trust of buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals, and the company has quickly grown into one of the most respected full service inspection companies in Halifax. Greener Inspections uses state of the art equipment including moisture meters, temperature sensors, and an infrared camera. Greener Inspections is fully insured, professionally trained and experienced with an extensive background in construction. Greener Inspections takes pride in providing peace of mind and education to each and every client. Greener Inspections presents inspection findings in a clear, concise, and easy-to-read fashion. So before you agree to purchase a home, get the facts and protect yourself from hidden costs and lurking problems. Call Greener Inspections today for more information or to schedule a home inspection. Why Choose Us? We are dedicated to client satisfaction and we offer flexible hours so that we can do a home inspection around your schedule. We are also on call 24/7 to ensure your safety and satisfaction.

3 4 5 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Shawn Green, CEO s Message Rising energy & material costs, resource scarcity, environmental degradation; big box store domination over local businesses; lost connection with communities, peers, suppliers and consumers; increasing consumer demand for socially & environmentally responsible products & services; and even greater demand for transparency & accountability for performance, commitments and missteps; Greener Inspections understands these pressures as opportunities for growth. This year, we figured it was time to take a look at the impact we have on the world around us. We worked with a third party measurement & advisory firm to complete a baseline assessment that looks at three key areas; governance, community and environment. (Employees were not included because we do not have any employees at this time.) The baseline assessment helped us to see opportunities, set goals and develop a strategy to communicate more transparently with our audiences. Most importantly, the assessment helped us understand the true impacts (positive & negative) of our first year in business. We definitely had some major successes, such as spending 8% of company time on pro bono work. We ve made changes to our procurement process, aligning it with our company mission in order to create more directed impact in our community. We discovered the inherently local nature of our supply chain and we learned that we emitted 13.4tcO2e through scope 1 and 2 emissions in By understanding our impact, we ve been able to target areas for improvement and develop strategies to improve our performance. Throughout this process I ve learned a lot about the business and I was surprised by how much I ve already done to build a responsible business. Going forward, I want Greener Inspections to act as a steward of environmental sustainability while we help clients lessen their impact on the environment; I want Greener Inspections to connect with our community by building sustainable relationships with the right businesses and engaging with our community in positive ways; and respectively, I want to help others connect to their communities, peers and neighborhood businesses. What I really want is to offer clients a Greener Inspection.

4 6 Greener Inspections Transparency Report We have joined the global movement of entrepreneurs that envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good. Declaration of Interdependence As BCorporations and leaders of the emerging economy, we believe: That we must be the change we seek in the world. That all businesses ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered. That, through their products, practises and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all. To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

5 13 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Performance Summary 2014/15

6 10 11 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Our Mission Our mission seeks to put Nova Scotian families into safe and efficient homes in order to strengthen our communities while protecting our environment. A well-defined mission helps us to make greater directed impact in our community by determining success differently. All of our services are 100% Registered Home Inspector (RHI) certified, guaranteeing that Greener Inspections is held to the highest standards for the industry. Greener Inspections is also B Corp certified, recognizing that our company is focused on creating collective growth for all: people, communities, businesses and the environment. We strive to consider our mission in all decision-making processes; often it is our defined mission and values that makes the hard decisions a little easier. To us, success means placing social and environmental well-being above profit.

7 12 Greener Inspections Transparency Report RESPONSIBILITIES BI-ANNUAL BOD MEETINGS (YES) REVIEW OF FINANCIALS (YES) EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND BUSINESS GOAL S (YES) REVIEW OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOAL S (YES) REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (YES) MINUTES (YES) FORMAL ELECTORAL PROCESS (NO) BOD EVALUATIONS OR REVIEW (NO) YES FEMALE REPRESENTATION YES ELECTED REPRESENTATION REPRESENTATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS NO (WE ARE CURRENTLY SEEKING NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO FILL POSITIONS) YES REPRESENTATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL & COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY INTERESTS Board of Directors Our Board of Directors strives to establish progressive goals for business and organizational performance, stimulate movement toward those goals, encourage responsible decision-making and build brand trust while balancing financial, environmental and community interests. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING TO GROW THE REPRESENTATION AND DIVERSITY OF OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS NO CUSTOMER REPRESENTATION OUR WARRANTY To us, putting Nova Scotians into safe homes is equally as important as continued client protection. We are the only home inspection company in the Halifax Regional Municipality to offer a 6-month customer guarantee on all inspections. Our 2015 report will substantiate any claims to guarantees by Greener Inspection s clients, we will explain why the warranties were claimed and what we did to resolve them. Goals moving forward YES INDEPENDENT MEMBERSHIP We will continue expanding the representation and diversity of our board as we aim to grow the board by 100% over the next two years.

8 14 15 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Ethical Suppliers We seek to support suppliers who place a similarly high priority on ethical business. We use a self-directed screen to evaluate the social merits of potential suppliers, products and services. We screen for the following negative and positive practices: We re working to identify and switch to more ethical suppliers in the year to come. (Positive) fair compensation, safe workspaces, consciousness around environmental sustainability (Negative) Child labour, forced labour, unreasonable labour, non-compliances relating to privacy, record keeping and reporting, unauthorized subcontracting, bribery and a lack of collective bargaining and freedom of association.

9 16 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Supply Chain FEMALE OWNED 17% It is important that we are ethical in building our supply chain, creating collective growth for all. In our efforts to always work with the best we aim to support local independent, female and/or under-represented suppliers whenever possible. LOCALLY OWNED 49% Goals 25% 25% 25% MINORITY OWNED 3% We will replace two major suppliers with local suppliers before We will replace two major A SNAPSHOT OF OUR 2014/2015 SUPPLIERS. suppliers with female and/or minority owned businesses by 2017.

10 18 19 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Sustainable Procurement We use a self-directed life-cycle analysis approach when purchasing company materials, equipment and furniture. Our approach seeks to: 1. Reduce strain on input resources. 2. Eliminate harmful by-products. 3. Reduce the amount of waste reaching the landfill during production, use and disposal. 4. Reduce total kilometres travelled by products and services. So far we have made the following sustainable procurement achievements: We have achieved a paperless office. Office furniture comes from a liquidation warehouse that reclaims and re-purposes furniture. Company promotional materials are printed on FSC certified paper. Company stickers are printed using non-toxic materials. Cleaning supplies are both workplace and environmentally friendly. We have identified sustainable partners and provide customer recommendations to such companies. We seek out third-party certified products and services to filter for environmental stewardship. (ex, energy star) Through the development of our baseline assessment we recognize that our company pickup truck is the most unsustainable product used on a daily basis. Where a pickup truck is key for the work we do, we are keeping our eyes peeled for electric pick-up trucks, (expected to arrive in the HRM by 2017).

11 20 21 Greener Inspections Transparency Report Empowering Communities In 2014, we gave 2.9% of profits to charity, 8% of company time was spent on pro-bono work. We are dedicated to building a company that fosters strong ties to the community and creates lasting value for society. Our pro bono work offers individuals access to important resources that promote human and environmental safety. In addition to pro-bono work, we donate to causes that are important to our organization. 30% 30% of revenues come from services that aim to protect human health: includes WETT inspections, radon testing and providing education to homeowners. By 2017 we will increase the percentage of company time spent on pro bono work by 2%. We have partnered with the Metro Non-profit Housing Association: Through this partnership we will lend inspection related services to non-profit housing developments in Halifax Regional Municipality.

12 22 Greener Inspections Transparency Report In 2014 we... While Greener Inspections often works with clients to reduce their environmental footprint, we recognize the need to assess our own. We have used the following approach to reduce our environmental footprint; measuring and tracking is the base for improvement, setting the ground work for more tangible changes. Energy and Emissions Measure and track energy consumption & emissions. Identify and implement efficiencies to lower energy & ghost energy consumption: Including: high-efficiency lighting, lighting efficiencies (occupancy sensors) and power bars. Change in-office behaviour to conserve energy, divert waste and safely dispose of hazardous waste. Replace equipment and appliances with more efficient models, including printing, heating and refrigeration. Purchase renewable energy through Bullfrog Power to offset electricity consumption going forward. Purchased: Emitted: 1.1tCO2e 12.3tCO2e (footnote: ENVIRONMENTAL REVENUE Goals 2043kWh from grid - 449kWh were produced by renewable energy litres of diesel of Scope 2 emissions (footnote: considering an emission factor of gCO2e/kWh) through Scope 1 emissions considering an emission factor of 2790gCO2e/diesel litre) 25% of revenues come from services designed specifically to protect environmental health: includes inspection of drainage, heating & cooling systems, lighting and insulation efficiencies, and thermal imaging. 100% of all electricity will be produced by renewables by We are also exploring options for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions arising from diesel fuel consumption.

13 24 25 Greener Inspections Transparency Report We will continue publishing company transparency reports that communicate our commitments, performance and goals to our clients, communities and competitors. We want to engage these stakeholders in a push to create real change. We recognize that transparency is at the vanguard of genuine corporate social responsibility and real impact. Tracking The development of a baseline assessment has helped us identify areas for improvement and set goals for future performance. Going forward, ongoing measurement & tracking will play a vital role in measuring progress toward our goals and pivoting to better achieve those goals. We will move toward our goals by tracking performance year over year.

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