FOUR PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY
HUMAN, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC & ENVIRONMENTAL
When we sat down to create our five-year sustainability plan, we wanted to include the four pillars of sustainability: Human, Social, Economic, and Environmental. Together we created five strategic initiatives that incorporate two or more of the sustainability pillars. Taking this approach allows us to roll up our sleeves and challenge ourselves to work as a team to grow these initiatives. We put the framework together in 2020, and as 2021 has progressed, we have seen three of our five initiatives move forward. Our team has been excited, joined in, and stepped up to lead these initiatives. Sustainability allows people to challenge themselves and incorporate their ideas into positive advancements through understanding, knowledge, and creativity. Our sustainability plan is truly Viking, and the people rolling up their sleeves and walking the talk are Vikings. Together we will make a difference.
UNDERSTANDING INDIGENOUS CANADA
The Understanding Indigenous Canada Initiative has three main focuses. First, we need to understand Indigenous People’s History. We cannot actively support change unless we seek to understand WHY that change needs to happen. Then we must seek to learn about the Indigenous Communities we work with. We must ask questions and find the truth. Once we understand, then we can form meaningful relationships that allow us to become part of the solution in moving forward together towards reconciliation. The base of this initiative is built on seeking to understand and then actively working in unity to be a positive part of the change. We will put actions to our words, and as this initiative grows, so does our understanding and relationships.
A long and winding road whose every turn means discovery.
– Indigenous Proverb.
As we journey down this road, we do so with open ears and silent tongues. We listen, we learn, we discover. We become part of the change.
We only speak when we understand the truth, and we speak to share those truths. We become part of the change.
We stand together in unity to become part of the change.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE BY VISITING THE UNDERSTAND INDIGENOUS CANADA TAB.
When we looked at the environmental sustainability pillar, we wanted to continue building multiple different ways to reduce our carbon footprint as a business. We reduced paper use by moving everything and anything we could to a paperless document format. This includes documents we use in our Safety, Fleet, Human Resource, and Quality Assurance Departments, among other Viking Projects Ltd. documents. Our Safety department successfully implemented SiteDocs allowing multiple field and fleet documentation to be recorded via a real-time app versus paper logbooks and other paper documents.
We have a good start, but what else can we do? Where could we continue to positively impact our environmental footprint? Jason was actively sourcing trees and tree planting solutions, and he was gearing up to take on a new adventure; Honey Bees!
This leads to us researching how we could plant trees and focus on the declining bee population. The bee population’s contribution to all four pillars of sustainability was something that sparked our interest. We learned that the biggest threat to the bee population is a declining availability of healthy food sources. The bee’s number one healthy food source is flowering trees and shrubs. This fits perfectly with our environmental initiative to plant trees. We will commit 10% of our tree planting efforts to flowering trees and shrubs each year. We are also committed to learning more about supporting the bee population by working with local beekeepers and honey producers.
Jason & Kristie are so dedicated to this initiative that Jason has received his first set of Honey Beehives. Kristie has been in the field, taking a hands-on approach to learning about Honey Bees and how the hive system works.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE BY VISITING THE TREES FOR BEES TAB.
Throughout history, there have been many myths and legends about Vikings. One of the stories we found was about Norse Health and the focus around wellbeing that the Vikings had. Heilsa in Old-Norse means: The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness. The Vikings had an in-depth focus on their personal and collective wellbeing including, physical, mental, and social health. For the Vikings to be at the top of their game, they paid great attention to their overall balance between physical, mental, and social health.
These superior warrior men & women, because women were equals in Viking culture, another Viking tradition we have stayed true to as a company, only went into battle if they felt balanced. We believe that teams at the top of their game are in a positive state of well-being. The individual is responsible for their wellbeing, but so is the collective. That is what makes the team successful.
Wellness and Culture have been an increasing focus by businesses. People make a business successful, and that is why we have chosen to make our Wellness plan a collective effort. Wellness and Culture have been recognized as its own department in many aspects of the corporate structure. It is a department that specifically focuses on people and how the business can positively impact their work environment by actively listening and then creating actions. Viking Projects Ltd. is fortunate enough to have our very own wellness leader as part of the team, and this initiative was built for her to execute. Successful Wellness and Culture programs created by someone who knows the business, has the respect of the field and office teams due to hard work and dedication, and knows their way around wellness through secondary schooling and certifications is an equation for success. Our wellness program will be built by Vikings for Vikings.