OUTREACH AWARD & AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Dillon’s Environment and Community Investment Fund

Dillon is committed to sustainability both in the services the company provides as consulting engineers and in its own internal business procedures. Its vision is to be recognized by the company’s owners, employees, and clients as a leader in corporate sustainability.

In an effort to “walk the talk,” Dillon established the Environment and Community Investment Fund (ECIF) in 2009.

The fund operates as a part of Dillon’s overall corporate sustainability strategy. Along with a charitable donation fund, it amounts to over 1% of Dillon’s pre-tax profits.

The fund also encourages employees to develop and participate in community and environmental initiatives of their choosing. The money serves as a catalyst to encourage a culture of volunteerism, community engagement and environmental sustainability.

Critical to the program are the employees who volunteer their time, energy, and skills to better the communities and environment in which they live and work.

Employees choose causes they are passionate about

Staff are encouraged to choose initiatives they are passionate about, that cater to their area of expertise or have touched their lives personally. The program generates the biggest spin-off benefits when Dillon can provide in-kind support for non-profit events, causes, initiatives, or organizations. It is these types of investments that tend to foster a culture of participation and volunteerism.

The fund is allocated to each of Dillon’s 17 Canadian offices and is administered by passionate leaders from Dillon’s Corporate Sustainability Strategy team. Employees, generally in conjunction with their office Community and Environment Committee, are free to propose initiatives that they feel meet the program’s criteria.

The funds go to initiatives that meet either environmental or social criteria. Environmental initiatives must result in a reduction in waste, water consumption or carbon emissions, and they must produce ongoing improvements year after year.

Social initiatives must benefit outside parties or encourage learning, engagement and relationship-building for Dillon employees. The programs can also act as a catalyst for activities that contribute to local and global communities.

Everything from trees

to breakfasts

The range of causes and institutions that the fund supports across the country is diverse. In Yellowknife, the staff supported a community garden in conjunction with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Vancouver provided supplies and support to build a waterless toilet for an avian research centre. In Ottawa, a team helped create rehabilitation tanks for a local turtle sanctuary, while donating supplies, time and their professional expertise. In Oakville, staff members helped plant 550 trees at a local park for National Tree Day. In London, staff provided breakfast for local school children twice a month, including purchasing food, planning the menu, cooking, and serving. In Fredericton, Dillon assisted over 30 First Nation families over the holiday season through contributions of food, toys and volunteering. And in Saint John, a new fridge was provided for the breakfast program they support. When Calgary was devastated by the 2013 floods, employees rallied to volunteer their time to clean up nearby areas and help homeowners.

In addition, Dillon has partnered with numerous charitable organizations and causes, including the United Way, Food Banks Canada, the Boys and Girls Club, the MS Bike Ride, Movember Canada, Habitat for Humanity, Earth Day, the YMCA, and the Canadian Diabetes Association, to name a few.

All told, Dillon supported over 120 initiatives company-wide in 2013, with participation from every office.

Dillon is a carbon neutral company that strives to offset its impact on the climate through the services it offers, through its staff programs, and by purchasing carbon credits that put climate protection first. In 2013 the company purchased carbon credits from the City of London.

Over the years, the fund has become a program the firm is proud of for helping communities enjoy a happier and healthier quality of life. cce

Project name:

Dillon’s Environment and Community Investment Fund

Award winning firm:

Dillon Consulting (Ann Joyner, Andrew Wilson, Owen Wilson, Brendan Salakoh, Clement Lam, Justine Giancola , Amanda Howard).