Burnaby Board of Trade’s Sustainability Program Receives International Award
Burnaby Board of Trade’s Sustainability Program Receives International Award
Burnaby, BC – The Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT) is proud to announce that it has been recognized by the California-based Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE) for its pioneering sustainability program, The Pledge for a Sustainable Community. The WACE Core Competency Award is presented to innovative programming by Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commerce from across Western Canada and the United States which are successful and can be replicated by other Chambers/Boards. The Pledge, originally launched by the BBOT locally in Burnaby, has now been successfully implemented in Tempe, Arizona by its Chamber as a way to engage their business community on sustainability.
The WACE award is only the latest for the BBOT – and its signature Pledge program – following recognition from the International Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the City of Burnaby. “The BBOT believes in the triple-bottom-line, something that is unusual for a business organization, so we prioritize environmental, as well as economic and social, results for our business community,” says BBOT President & CEO Paul Holden. “We’re honoured to have been recognized for the Pledge program, and for the suite of things we’re doing to make business better in Burnaby and across the Lower Mainland.”
The Pledge for a Sustainable Community is an online resource originally conceived several years ago by members of the BBOT’s Environmental Sustainability Committee as a way of supporting local economic development by engaging businesses on the continuum of sustainability. The BBOT identified years ago that environmental issues would become front-and-centre and create both challenges and opportunities for local businesses. The Pledge was created as a way of engaging businesses on this issue and helping them understand and adapt to changing environmental expectations from customers and new environmental regulations from governments.
