Carbon neutral, that is. The Vancouver-based credit union, the largest in Canada, Vancity announced last week that its carbon production and carbon reduction now cancelled each other out. It is the first financial institution in North America to do so.
Vancity says it reached its goal by:
—reducing energy use by 50 percent,
—reducing staff car commuting by 13 per cent, and
—reducing paper consumption by 30 per cent.
Many more stats and statements on the topic are available at Vancity's website.
Is this an sleight-of-hand exercise in corporate communications? It seems not. The project has the endorsement of environmental standard-bearer and "greatest Canadian" David Suzuki, who said, "This is no greenwash, this is the real thing."
"What I love about this is I can now say don't give me that argument it can't be done," Suzuki continued. "Vancity's done it. So it's great having an organization setting a standard."
Question: Would you take your account to a bank on account of its being carbon neutral?