Sustainability – Policy

Co-op members care about the environment and that’s often reflected in actions taken by housing co-operatives. Having a framework to help keep a focus on sustainability can really help, and we’ve created a template policy and discussion document to provide a starting point for co-ops looking to create a framework that fits their needs.

This policy is high-level, setting out major goals and creating space for co-op decision-making to include the environment as a concern. It includes both information gathering (through audits and benchmarking) as well as direct actions in a broad sense. Co-op concerns may impact co-op partners and suppliers, and we take note of that as well.

Please take a look at the discussion guide to provide addition context and explanations concerning the template policy.

Other resources of potential interest include:

• Sustainability at Home Toolkit
• CHF Canada’s Model Sustainability Policy
  (which was an inspiration to CHF BC’s policy template)

Note: You will likely need to log-in to CHF Canada’s website to access their resources.

As a follow-up, you might be interested in some actions taken by other housing co-ops to improve their sustainability in large and small ways..