Every year as Earth Day approaches, the issues of sustainable development and protecting the environment consume the media. But, at Toromont Cat, we take environmental questions to heart 365 days a year.
Environmental Specialist Michelle Blake’s job is to support the entire Toromont Cat staff in fulfilling their environmental management responsibilities and reaching targeted objectives in sustainable development. “My role requires knowledge in many different areas of environmental management such as air emissions, waste, water, pollution and sustainability,” she says. In addition to working towards compliance with government regulations as well as Toromont’s own internal requirements as a part of its environmental management program, Blake also contributes to developing initiatives in sustainability.
For each three-year campaign, the Corporate Facilities and Environment team develops new and enhanced sustainability objectives.
“We closely align our objectives with Caterpillar sustainability principles and these targets set the basis for key performance indicators of sustainability. Our efforts not only help us manage our environmental footprint, but demonstrate our commitment for the utmost care and respect for the environment,” she explains.
During its Highway 2020 program, for example, Toromont achieved targets for conserving water, reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfills and decreased its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Its 22+U campaign expands on sustainable developments that were made over the years and includes the introduction of exciting new sustainability objectives in Toromont’s Reman product space and in green procurement.
Blake sits on Toromont’s Corporate Sustainability Committee comprised of service leaders across the business that help carry out its sustainability objectives . “Every staff member has a role to play to minimize environmental impacts, make efficient use of resources and reduce waste.” Blake and her team encourage innovation when it comes to environmental sustainability among staff by inviting them to take part in internal programs. “Some programs that we have in place include Zero Waste with central waste stations, energy and water conservation audits, driver behaviour scorecards, spill response awareness, absorbent pad recycling and chemical-use management.” To measure the impact of their efforts, the environment team has a number of tools to track metrics for energy consumption, carbon footprint, and water usage and waste. What’s more, every Toromont branch undergoes an environmental audit every year.
Conserving resources is also a big part of the Toromont approach. “We’ve used waste water treatment and recycling systems for cleaning equipment in a number of Toromont and Battlefield locations since 2015,” according to Blake. “I quickly learned we’ve had water recyclers and a number of treatment systems in our wash bays since the 80s and 90s, so that’s not a new thing for our operations. What is new are various technologies that improve the quantity and quality of water treatment.” While bio-reactors, the use of ozone, chemicals and machine controls are technologically advanced, they are still very much high maintenance systems that require constant attention to mud loads, pre-filtration and bacterial controls to keep the recycled water safe and the system reliable. “Another necessary control is managing our trenches, oil/water separators and sanitary sewer connection,” Blake says. As the company’s champion for its values and processes she adds, “Nothing will ever replace good old fashion cleanouts, inspections and preventive maintenance.”
Among the measures implemented for reducing Toromont’s environmental footprint: “We maintain anti-idling and minimum fuel efficiency guidelines for company vehicles, use high-efficiency air compressors in our service shops, light our facilities with energy-efficient bulbs, and avidly recycle!” Blake says. The environmental specialist ensures that staff actively maintain these practices and is always evaluating operations for opportunities to make further environmental improvements where possible, including upgrades to plumbing appliances for water savings and other building upgrades.