The City of Coquitlam celebrates environmental volunteers on staff and in the community.Supplied
When he received his master’s degree in clean energy engineering from the University of British Columbia in 2017, Ryan Voon knew he wanted to take all that technical knowledge and make a hands-on difference. From his first day taking the SkyTrain to work at the City of Coquitlam, he knew he’d made the right choice.
“Rolling into Coquitlam Central station, I could see the mountains out there and there were eagles flying above City Hall – it was really spectacular,” says Voon.
“I had this incredible feeling, and the vibe was so special that I knew the City was going to provide me with the opportunity to use my skill set to work with other people toward the things that are important to me.”
The City of Coquitlam is the sixth-largest municipality in British Columbia, with a culturally diverse population of 175,000. As an organization, it has environmental sustainability as a strategic goal and supports its 2,000-plus employees to deliver a comprehensive green strategy.
As climate and energy manager, Voon works with departments across the City to find ways to be conscious of its energy use and emissions, including making Coquitlam’s civic buildings and facilities more energy efficient and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives like its green fleet of vehicles and equipment.
Voon says employee buy-in is critical to the success of Coquitlam’s Environment Sustainability Plan, a guiding document on how the City will achieve its goals. It was developed in consultation with council, the public, employees and civic leadership.
“The City is really supportive and the staff is really amazing to work with,” he says.
“They have so many unique perspectives and there’s a shared willingness to facilitate the work that needs to get done to move the needle towards our goals. They’re all respectful, kind and willing to collaborate and work together.”
Jaime Boan, general manager of engineering and public works, says Coquitlam is constantly looking for ways to support its employees in not only keeping the Environment Sustainability Plan top of mind, but expanding the City’s culture to encourage sustainable behaviours.
“Employees need to feel engaged and that they’re individually and collectively making a positive impact on their community,” says Boan.
“Environmental sustainability isn’t just a catch phrase for the city and its employees – it’s integrated across strategic and operational planning.”
For example, the Staff Volunteer Committee staged more than 30 different types of behaviour change campaigns to encourage employees to turn off lights, turn down thermostats and exchange household items at swap meets to keep materials out of the landfills.
Volunteer-run programs like repair cafes, where people can bring in old electronics and other items to be fixed, engage the community and help reduce the carbon footprint. With the Salmon Come Home event and salmon enhancement programs, employees and residents work together to maintain Coquitlam’s salmon-bearing creeks. There are also tree planting and other programs.
Boan says the deep-rooted partnership across the community gives everyone a sense of higher purpose.
“To be working in an environment where we have the support of council, the community and our employees to move forward, we’re doing our part to try to make a difference, and that’s very fulfilling,” he says.
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