Minto Group Ranks in Top 30 Canadian Green Organizations

 For Immediate Release

 

Ottawa, ON (April 29, 2011) – Aon Hewitt’s recently released “Green 30” list identifies Canadian organizations that have received high scores from their employees on their company’s environmental stewardship.  The Minto Group Inc. has earned a place in its rankings. The list, which appears in the May 2-9 issue of Maclean’s Magazine, details employers whose environmental strategies, activities and consideration of long and short-term environmental effects during their decision-making are recognized and supported by their employees.

 

Minto, an Ottawa-based real estate development group with operations also in Toronto and Florida, extends the quality and value equation to include a real commitment to sustainability. According to CEO Roger Greenberg, “Our shareholders believe that we have a corporate responsibility to the environment and that actively pursuing green initiatives is totally compatible with our growth and prosperity. And these survey results show that our staff is in step with this philosophy.” Minto’s new home communities, high-rise condominiums, residential and commercial rental properties, executive furnished suites, and luxury suite hotel have all undergone environmentally-conscious design, construction and retrofit processes with new construction targeting LEED® or ENERGY STAR® certification standards.  

 

A number of programs and initiatives acknowledged by employees led to Minto garnering attention from Aon Hewitt. Within the company, Minto has an internal Green team that is responsible for identifying opportunities to reduce energy consumption by conducting environmental assessments and creating Green plans for both new and existing properties. Similarly, Minto has a Green Champion program, which includes a body of employee volunteers who help coordinate green initiatives such as Earth Hour, the Commuter Challenge and the Green Office Certification Program, which audits employees’ consumption and output of office materials. The company’s annual Environmental Footprint Report highlights the company’s conservation achievements, including $4.7 million in energy and water savings in 2010. 

 

Aon Hewitt surveyed over 130,000 employees at more than 250 organizations, finding that within the Green 30 organizations, an average of 82 percent of employees have a positive perception of their employers’ eco-friendly efforts. In completing their surveying, Aon Hewitt found that the more environmentally friendly the organization, the more attractive the organization appeared to its employees.

 

“Our findings show that employees really see the difference when their employer is focused on developing and implementing environmentally-conscious policies and practices,” said Neil Crawford, Aon Hewitt’s leader of the Best Employers in Canada study. “Effective green programs and practices may persuade certain employees to join or stay with an organization.”

 

Minto’s vision to “create better places to inspire life” and a belief in a better way serve as a beacon to guide the actions and behaviours of their employees. Minto was the only Ottawa-based company listed in Aon Hewitt’s “Green 30” employers.

 

-30-

 

The Minto Group Inc.

200-180 Kent Street

Ottawa, ON

K1P 0B6

Media Contact: Gwen Cox • (613) 782-3128 • [email protected]