E011 Tova Davidson Sustainable Waterloo Region
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 11
Date: April 12, 2022
Participants: John Webster, Sammy Damaren, Cameron Earnshaw and Sheila Webster
Guest: Tova Davidson
Start times and Segment Segments:
[0:00:19] What’s On Your Mind: Sammy and John start what they hope will be an ongoing discussion about environmental wellness and living in harmony with our planet.
Link to Pachamama Alliance - a global community that offers people the chance to learn, connect, engage, travel and cherish life for the purpose of creating a sustainable future that works for all: https://www.pachamama.org
[0:08:48] Expanding Minds Interview: [Environmental Wellness] We’re joined by Tova Davidson of Sustainable Waterloo Region. We learn about measuring an organization’s carbon footprint, then finding ways to become more efficient, with many co-benefits. What’s an emission factor, or a carbon offset? We find out.
[0:25:38] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Many examples of teamwork making the dream work.
[0:30:15] Move That Body: Sheila and Sammy talk about gardening as a great way to be active and enjoy nature.
[0:35:00] Running Popup: The pendulum swings. It’s not always on the side you’re hoping for.
[0:39:06] Flipside of the Coin: We talk about an article connecting viewing art and mental wellness.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
Sammy – [about her volunteer work with the Pachamama Alliance and hearing spiritual leader Manari Ushigua of the Sápara Nation speak. He’s from the Ecuadorian Amazon and works to preserve the rain forest]: Technically, the indigenous people of the Americas don’t need the non-Indigenous people to survive, and vice versa, but we need each other in order to save the Earth. Neither one is going to do it on their own, but our teamwork will move us forward. We know different things.
Tova – Mitigation is where you are trying to reduce your impact on the environment to stop the effects of climate change in the future. Adaptation is what you do to make sure you can survive what is coming due to climate change.
Tova – Organizations measure what matters to them, and then they manage what they have measurement on. If you don’t have measurement, you don’t know what’s there and you don’t manage it.
Tova - When we talk to organizations about the impacts of their operations and to create measurements. The first thing we talk about is how to create your baseline. That baseline could be in your energy use, which converts to greenhouse gasses. We gather information about how much electricity an organization uses; how much gas in its fleet; how much natural gas for its space heating; for some organizations if it’s manufacturing, it might be how much fuel oil, or propane or high heat intensity processes. We can use those emission factors to figure out the footprint of the organization now and to figure out where their opportunities are to reduce it.
Tova – when we talk about carbon or greenhouse gasses, it really is energy. If you think about all the energy an organization uses, how much does that energy generate greenhouse gasses? Every source of energy has a different emission factor.
Tova – the beautiful thing is that when organizations start to reduce their carbon footprint, it means they’re becoming more efficient and it therefore starts to save them money or do all kinds of other great co-benefits.
Tova – there are a number of ways for a business to become more profitable. The five most common are: (1) reduced operating costs; (2) reducing your risk exposure from climate change; (3) it’s green branding; (4) it’s strong for employee attraction and retention; and (5); when you want to operate in a sustainable way, you cannot operate status quo, and therefore you must be more innovative. That innovation doesn’t stay in the area of sustainability. It permeates everything you do, so your business becomes more innovative as a whole because of your sustainability action.
Tova – the emission factor of a kilojoule of gasoline is ten times the emissions from a kilojoule of energy from electricity in Ontario. If you’re thinking about where to get the biggest reduction from my work, it’s natural gas and gasoline. They’re ten times the emissions.
Tova – a carbon offset is when you pay someone else to do something to remove a certain amount of carbon, say a ton of carbon, on your behalf. You create an emission, but you’re asking someone to offset – to get rid of it on your behalf. Examples include putting up solar panels, planting trees and wind farms.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Sheila: You do have to cut back all the dead.
Guest Information: Tova leads Sustainable Waterloo Region by developing its strategic direction, supporting team members and building key relationships throughout Waterloo region. She brings her experience in public relations and communications to creatively approach sustainability opportunities. Paired with her business background she collaborates with organizations in Waterloo Region to drive change locally and provincially to help our environment. Tova was selected by The Guelph Mercury for Top 40 Under 40, and was the recipient of the Mayor’s Award of Excellence. She leads by example while inspiring others to do the same.
Tova’s Twitter @tova_sustygal
Sustainable Waterloo Region Website: https://www.sustainablewaterlooregion.ca
Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Be.Well.Together
Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila and Julie