Siemens Canada named one of Canada's Greenest Employers for third consecutive year

Employees celebrate Earth Day by planting 1,500 trees across Canada

OAKVILLE, ON, April 22, 2014 /CNW/ - Mediacorp has named Siemens Canada one of Canada's Greenest Employers – for the third consecutive year. Listed alongside only 54 other companies, the announcement was in the Globe and Mail's special national report today. The firm was also recognized as one of Canada's Top Employers earlier this year.

The award highlights Siemens' key success factors for preserving the environment, including the implementation of a Sustainability Council led by CEO Robert Hardt. Employee engagement, research and development into green technologies and focus on sustainability are the primary reasons Siemens was awarded Canada's Greenest Employers distinction. The company has adapted an in-house recycling program, ensuring that all food services use only recyclable materials such as plates and utensils and offers waste separation receptacles for organic, paper and recyclable refuse. Additionally, the Siemens "Ways of Working" telecommuter program encourages many employees to work from home for up to two days each week to reduce their carbon emissions.

To celebrate this honour, Siemens employees will take two hours out of their work day to participate in Earth Day activities, which in addition to tree planting, also includes local clean ups of parks and green spaces. Siemens presented a $48,000 sponsorship to Tree Canada, and today, 300 Siemens employees from 15 Canadian cities will plant 1,500 trees. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton will be on-hand to join the tree planting activities with Siemens' head office. This is the third year of Siemens Canada's partnership with Tree Canada, a non-profit organization whose mission is to engage communities and corporations in the pursuit of a greener and healthier living environment for Canadians.

The total number of trees planted by Siemens employees will grow to 4,000 since 2012. The benefits are many, as one tree can absorb as much as 9.16 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year. Trees planted by Siemens employees will collectively reduce the carbon footprint by more than 31 tonnes in three years. This is equivalent to removing all carbon dioxide produced by nine cars being regularly driven throughout this period.

The award, given by Canada's largest job-hunting guide publisher Mediacorp Canada Inc., recognizes the employers that lead the nation in creating a culture of environmental awareness in their organizations. Companies are evaluated on how they develop and cultivate exceptional environmental awareness, attracting people to their organizations based on this environmental stewardship. 

Siemens' annual Sustainability Report will also be released this week, summarizing the firm's key accomplishments in 2013.

QUOTES:

•  "It is an honour to be recognized once again as one of Canada's Greenest Employers. Creating a sustainable work environment and encouraging employees to participate in Earth Day activities showcases our internal values and commitment to the environment. We share this achievement with our employees and will continue to host and encourage internal sustainability programs across the company and country."
    – Robert Hardt, President and CEO, Siemens Canada Limited
  
  
•  "I congratulate Siemens for continuing to be recognized as one of Canada's Greenest Employers. The widespread employee participation in a national tree planting activity is inspiring and confirms Siemens' shared vision with the Town of Oakville to protect greenspace and create an even cleaner, greener way of life.  I wish Siemens continued success and look forward to working together on many more initiatives that benefit our environment."
  – Rob Burton, Mayor of Oakville

About Siemens Canada
For more than 100 years the innovative ideas from Siemens have helped make Canada a better place. From the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, more than 4,500 employees in Canada work together to provide answers that last in the fields of industry, energy, healthcare and infrastructure solutions for cities. Since it was federally chartered in 1912, Siemens has stood for technical achievements, innovation, quality and reliability. Sales for Siemens in Canada in fiscal 2013 (ended September 30), were $2.0 billion CAD. The company has 46 offices and 18 manufacturing/assembly facilities across Canada. Further information is available at www.siemens.ca.

SOURCE: Siemens Canada Limited

Press Contact: Ann Adair, Vice President, Communications and Strategy, Siemens Canada Limited, Phone: [phone], E-mail: [email protected], Follow us: www.twitter.com/siemensincanada