Stepping into the role of Editor at BizEnergy

It’s never easy to follow in the footsteps of something great, but I’m sure going to try; thankfully the giant feet will help. My name is Arden and I am thrilled to announce that I will be taking over from Sara Chappel as Editor of BizEnergy.

Sipping on a celebratory glass of refreshing white wine as I get caught up with what’s trending throughout the world of sustainable energy, I’m amazed at the changes taking place within the food services industry, and beyond. Every aspect of the industry is changing in order to benefit from the advantages of sustainable efforts: from sourcing local produce, to creating wines like this delicious 2010 Sauvignon Blanc produced by Château des Charmes in facilities designed to ensure proper energy management practices; Canada is on the move towards a sustainable future and it’s looking mighty bright.

Sustaining green efforts in Canada: More than just a phase

As I swirl the wine in circles around the edge of my glass, I’m taken back to the days where both consumer and business interests in sustainable practices were believed to be “just a trend”, a passing phase that would eventually fizzle out (you know, like the internet and DVDs). Today, supported by various non-profit organizations and encouraged by a growing customer demand to eat both locally and responsibly, there is a solid business case for restaurant owners and businesses within the industry to make sustainable changes while enjoy tempting rebates and seeing an increase in profits; a win-win if you ask me.

While it has taken some members of the community, like wineries, a little while longer to recognize the benefits of sustainable practices, even those businesses are starting to turn over a new, greener, leaf. In 2005, for example, Stratus became Canada’s first LEED certified winery, incorporating geoexchange technology designed for heating and cooling, and incorporating recycled building materials and native landscaping into production, setting the bar for other vineyards throughout the Niagara region.Two years later, in 2007, Sustainable Winemaking Ontario (SWO) was spearheaded by the Wine Council of Ontario in order to encourage winemakers to make sustainable changes in all aspects of production.  SWO now acts as a set of best-practice guidelines that encourages grape growers and winemakers to explore practices like gravity-fed operations, biodynamic farming and organic certification.

These changes may be taking place locally, but they’re slowly being recognized on global platforms. At an international conference held in Chile last fall celebrating the sustainable efforts of winemakers around the world, Paul Bosc, Chairman of the Canadian Vintners Association expressed his joy at, “the positive efforts that the wine sector is taking to provide global leadership on wine sustainability.” Canada is making great strides in leading the way in sustainable efforts, one sip at a time; and wine is just the beginning.

Ready to Role: Join me, won’t you?

Within the foodservice industry alone, restaurants, farmers, and equipment suppliers are gearing up to bring sustainable options to tables throughout the country, a trend that is slowly working its way out of the kitchen and into other industries like retail where big changes are just waiting to be made. With all of this change taking place, it is an exciting time to be part of the move towards sustainable practices and as Editor of BizEnergy, I look forward to engaging with what has become an active community of driven and innovative business owners, committed to making changes in support of sustainable energy.

As I prepare to sign off, I want to take the opportunity to open the floor to you: foodies, restaurant goers, food suppliers, producers and other members of the food service industry. BizEnergy was designed as a resource for all things sustainable within your community and we want to write about things that matter to you. So, if you’re feeling courageous, leave a comment below and let us know what topics you want to see covered over the next few months; we’ll do our best to post quality content that meets your needs.

With that being said, let’s raise a glass (a now empty glass as luck would have it) and toast to the future of BizEnergy and of sustainable efforts throughout Ontario, Canada, and beyond.

Cheers!

Image credit: oc_layos