Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Julia Muggeridge, Vice President of Communications and Sustainability at Electricity Canada, who shares the dynamic changes this organisation is committed to continue making, in pushing the Canadian sustainability agenda forward.

Electricity Canada has undergone a major transformation in its sustainability efforts over the past 18 months. When Julia took over the sustainability portfolio, she set out to streamline and refocus the organization’s approach. 

So much more than a name change

Starting with a rebrand. Julia starts off the conversation with us, by sharing the reasons behind this change. Being so much more than a name change, it signalled their shift towards innovation and their commitment to attracting the best talent in the industry.

“When you last spoke to someone at our organization, we would have been the Canadian Electricity Association. I’m delighted that we’re now Electricity Canada. It’s simpler for everyone. We’re still a trade association, but I think we’re now seen as a more innovative and energetic place to work.”

The new vibrant pink logo is a deliberate departure from the typical blue and green hues of other clean energy associations. “It was important that we rethink how electricity is perceived to outside stakeholders,” explains Julia. “Committing to sustainability while embracing a new and unique identity was an important part of our rebrand.”

Access to an in-depth toolkit that rewards members

Electricity Canada’s core membership is 42 organisations, representing every province and territory, from independent power producers to vertically integrated utilities. All of the major Canadian electricity companies are involved, and the organization is still actively looking to grow, as new players enter the market.

Empowering members with its sustainability program

Electricity Canada has implemented a comprehensive sustainability program to support and empower its diverse membership. At the heart of this initiative, is the organization’s Sustainable Electricity Program for members. 

This includes: Leader designation (A certification program that 13 members have currently achieved.) Mandatory reporting and an awards program recognizing it’s members’ sustainability achievements. There are also many best practice opportunities through their knowledge hub. 

The power of story telling

Clearly a project close to her heart, Julia lit up, when animatedly explaining what their printed booklet of stories is. . 

“Every year, we ask members to submit a story that goes beyond the quantitative metrics we track. These can be anything from the process of preserving a heritage building, protecting a bee colony, or investing in education. 

We have taken these important initiatives presented in more narrative format, as a way to tell the Electricity story to energy stakeholders in Canada.

I also enjoyed the process of interviewing members and hearing what they’re doing from less of a statistical standpoint. It’s those real personal stories that matter.”

Electricity Canada also hosts an annual event every November, called Powering Partnerships. Here they invite members of the environmental departments of the government, Environment Canada and Natural Resources Canada where they ensure that some of the policy discussions had, are focused on the sustainability work of their members.

Streamlining the data

Muggeridge goes onto explain, how streamlining the data was also another priority for Electricity Canada.

“When I took on the program, I knew it needed to be updated. We had 200 indicators that we were collecting, and those indicators were going into a database and not being utilized. So, the first thing I did, was go through them with a team of sustainability experts, and we said, ‘What is the story here?’ I wanted every single number to tell a story. If there wasn’t a story, we didn’t need the data. As a national association, we have to be more focused on what information can be disseminated publically and why people should care.” 

“In doing so, we’ve tried to reduce the burden on our member companies, but at the same time, we are doing a better job amplifying the stories behind our work, areas of improvement and areas of leadership.” 

She gave the example of measuring spills – highlighting the minute detail they went into and how the questioning of this data, has lead to powerful information that informs their future strategies and goals.

“At one point I said, ‘why are we collecting spill data? I don’t want to know how many spills our members are having across their company, across the country,’ but a member was right to say to me, ‘we need that data if we want to continuously improve as a sector. We need to know how many spills are happening and then we need to talk to our colleagues at other companies to find out how they’re reducing their spills.’ 

Ultimately, we took both the good and the bad numbers and we created this concise list of 40, with each one of those telling a story about the good work we are doing as a sector, or  highlight the areas of improvement. 

It now comes down to – how can we work together to change those numbers, to hopefully see continuous improvement on a year-by-year basis. Ideally, it means that we all get better together, growing as sustainability experts across the country.”