Responsible, Caring, and Sustainable
As we launch our new initiatives for 2022, I am pleased to share this recently published Spruce Meadows Sustainability Report entitled “Responsible, Caring, and Sustainable.”
Many of the initiatives outlined in this report are not new to Spruce Meadows and indeed have been foundational to our decision-making and operations for over four decades.
Over the course of the Pandemic shut-down, we took the opportunity to make several long term
sustainability improvements at Spruce Meadows. We also set our strategic priorities for the next four years, as we look forward to our 50th Anniversary in 2025.
In setting our strategies, it brought into clear focus the need to communicate and expand on our
Environmental, Social, and Governance achievements and goals.
Being responsible for our environment has always been important to Spruce Meadows - from planting over 3500 trees and installing LED lightbulbs, to reducing our energy use and recycling more than 150,000 bottles and cans per year.
In addition to our “green and clean” initiatives at Spruce Meadows, we are committed to ensuring our social and governance practices are well aligned and exceed expectations associated with being a world class sporting venue. Some of our notable achievements and initiatives in this category include:
- Diversity and inclusion in our hiring and volunteer programs
- Support for community and Indigenous programs through our Spruce Meadows Leg Up Foundation
- Ongoing support for our First Responders and Military
- Establishment of best practice procurement guidelines
- Our Board of Directors providing us with independent scrutiny and advice
As always, we are guided by our principles of “Excellence” and remain committed to being Responsible, Caring, and Sustainable. As my father R.D. Southern used to say, “Going far beyond the call of duty. Doing more than others expect. This is what excellence is all about. It comes from striving for and maintaining the highest standards, looking after the smallest detail and going the extra mile. Excellence means caring. It means making a special effort to do more.”
I look forward to sharing updates with you as we reach new milestones along our pathway of building an even stronger and more vibrant Spruce Meadows for today, tomorrow, and generations to come.
