AGF has a long tradition and well-established history of supporting community causes and helping to protect the environment. In celebrating the firm's 50th anniversary in 2007, AGF made a $500,000 donation to WWF-Canada, which also celebrated an important milestone - its 40th anniversary. We are committed to partnering with organizations that promote environmental sustainability. In addition, we believe it is important for corporations to actively participate in conservation efforts where possible.
AGF Chairman and CEO Blake Goldring and AGF co-founder Warren Goldring marked AGF's 50th anniversary with WWF-Canada President Emeritus Monte Hummel at The Carlu on April 18, 2007.
To support Canada's Living Planet Achievements Fund Blake Goldring presented WWF-Canada with a $500,000 charitable donation.
To learn more about World Wildlife Fund Canada, visit: www.wwf.ca.
AGF first began partnering with WWF-Canada in the early 1980s to raise awareness about the Sumatran tiger - our corporate symbol. Over the years, we have worked with WWF-Canada to save the highly endangered Sumatran tiger and to educate the public about the WWF-Canada's efforts to protect all endangered species. AGF has been actively involved in various projects, including:
With a history of helping to protect the environment, AGF is pleased to renew and build on Acuity's pre-existing partnership with Earth Day Canada.
Earth Day Canada is a national environmental communications organization mandated to improve the state of the environment by empowering Canadians to achieve local solutions. Building on Acuity's multi-year relationship with Earth Day Canada, in 2011 AGF sponsored the 8th Annual Earth Day Canada Gala.
Going forward, we will also work with Earth Day Canada to provide employees with volunteer opportunities and interactive sessions that promote environmental sustainability in the office and at home.
To learn more about Earth Day Canada, visit: www.earthday.ca.
Since 1994, AGF has supported the Toronto Zoo in its efforts to bring further awareness to the highly endangered Sumatran tigers and preserve their population in the wild. With AGF's support, the Zoo's Species Survival Plan used genetic pairing and research to match female tiger Brytne with male tiger Rengat. In 2003 they became parents to Kougra, Chelsea and their brother Skylar - the first cubs born in Canada and in 2006 they welcomed twin girls Kali and Indah. AGF has sponsored the Toronto Zoo through a number of projects, including:
To learn more about the Toronto Zoo, visit: www.torontozoo.com.
AGF rents thousands of square feet of office space across Canada related to the management and operation of its business. As such, we are committed to operating our office space in a sustainable manner by managing and maintaining it in line with evolving conservation practices. Here are some initiatives that are currently in place.
Since 2007, we have used paper and envelopes that have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC is an international organization that certifies properly managed forestry resources and ensures the creation of sustainable paper sources.
All paper, cardboard, glass and plastic items are recycled and organic food waste is diverted to special bins. AGF also has a long history of recycling printer and photocopier cartridges, which are sent back to the manufacturer for proper disposal and recycling.
AGF has discontinued its use of plastic water bottles and has incorporated eco-friendly coffee machines. Employees are now encouraged to use filtered tap water and free-trade coffee blends in support of the environmentally-friendly, low cost and health conscious initiative.
AGF recycles and reuses its old office furniture such as its environmentally friendly office chairs that are 96 per cent recyclable. If renovating, AGF takes extra care to ensure discarded or leftover materials from construction are separated and then disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner.
AGF is committed to choosing the most environmentally-sound solution for cleaning office furniture, workstations, carpeting and flooring. For example, carpets are cleaned using biochemicals, and employees' keyboards, phones and desks are decontaminated by a professional firm using environmentally-friendly and non-allergenic cleaning solvents.
In 2010, AGF introduced an energy-reduction initiative that encouraged employees to turn off workstation lights and computers each day. AGF was a major supporter of Earth Week, contributing to TD Centre's achievement of saving a total of 10,357,000 kWh, which is equivalent to 2,441 acres of trees.
This year, employees are encouraged to turn off workstation lights and computers for an additional 20 to 30 minutes to assist in the 2011 goal of saving 3,000, 000 kWh. Also, new temperature valves and aligned thermostats were installed to aid in saving the amount of air conditioning used by tenants within the summer months.
AGF also supports the building's initiative to refresh the external paint and install new blinds as well as double-paned glass windows to assist with glare reduction. This goes a long way in conserving our overall energy usage as well as helping to protect migratory night birds each spring.
In an effort to further conserve paper and energy consumption, documents are printed and photocopied double-sided.
AGF is proud to be a tenant in office buildings that have received their Go Green Plus certification from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). This award recognizes the implementation of environmental best practices in all aspects of building management and operation including resource consumption, waste reduction, recycling, building materials, interior environment and tenant awareness.
AGF continues to play a leadership role in promoting eco-efficiency within the investment management industry. For example, AGF supports The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) and its web initiative to provide a wide array of resources to help the investment fund industry stay informed about eco-efficient investing and other environmentally-friendly initiatives.
To learn more about IFIC's Eco-Efficiency program, visit: www.ific.ca.
AGF also served on the Steering Committee which developed the first Green Company Award for Environmental Leadership which is now presented annually at the Canadian Investment Awards.
To learn more about the Green Company for Environmental Leadership Award, visit: www.investmentawards.com.
In 2007, AGF's independent investment counsel firm Highstreet Asset Management Inc. formed a Green Team to research, develop and implement opportunities within their day-to-day operations to help conserve and protect the environment. They were challenged to find ways to do their part for the environment. They researched potential corporate initiatives as well as commitments that individual staff members could make in three categories: paper, energy and general office. Highstreet is proud of the progress accomplished in all key areas.
To learn more about Highstreet's green initiatives, visit: www.highstreet.ca.
