Every year on April 22, the world observes Earth Day, a time for environmental awareness and action. It is a day to consider how we affect the environment and to take steps to safeguard it for coming generations. Because it serves as a reminder that we are all accountable for preserving the environment and its resources, Earth Day is significant.

It was not until 1970 that Earth Day was first observed in the United States. The event was started by Senator Gaylord Nelson as a strategy to spread awareness of environmental problems and to promote environmental protection. Since then, Earth Day has expanded to become a worldwide event observed in more than 190 nations.

As a B-corporation, SES places a high importance on protecting the environment. In 2012, SES created EarthWork Day with our partner Recollective Consulting, to take steps to lessen the impact of our actions on the environment. We have celebrated this activity every year for the past 12 years by supporting our staff to volunteer on environmental projects and actions that make things a little bit better in our community.

For EarthWork Day 2023, volunteers from SES Consulting, Recollective Consulting and AME Consulting Group partnered with BC Housing and Quest Food Exchange to get together and support the environment.

Quest Food Exchange provides us with the opportunity to take part in their effort to lessen food waste and boost community food security. Our tasks included breaking down large food contributions into manageable serving sizes that could be sold in local grocery stores and made available to those in need.

The procedure was easy but effective. We started by going through various donated food items after putting on gloves and hairnets. We weighed and packaged products like cereal and dried fruits as a team, meticulously labelling each package to ensure accurate identification.

The BC Housing Garden Party has been an EarthWork Day activity for six years! The purpose of the event was to inspire residents to grow their own food and to promote sustainable living.

The team constructed 10 prefabricated garden beds and filled them with composted mulch for planting. We hosted a Plant Party to distribute plants and seeds to the residents, which will then be planted in their allocated garden bed.

Our volunteers were able to support sustainable living and community food security by partnering in this event.

Finally, Earth Day serves as a crucial reminder of our common need to protect the planet and its resources. SES is dedicated to protecting the environment and minimising its influence on Our Planet. It is a great reminder of why we do this work to reduce emissions and energy use in buildings, happy Earth Day everyone!