Although individual initiative has traditionally been the driving force of change when it comes to the environment, a growing number of companies are developing new programs to support their employees who wish to volunteer for green causes.

Often, that means allowing time off to pursue green activities with the company’s blessing. Last spring, Vanessa Gonzalez, an insurance claims representative with the Co-operators Group Ltd. in Mississauga, Ont., spent three weeks in the barren altiplano region of Bolivia helping a youth organization to develop leadership skills and to find ways to clean up their local environment.

She lived alone in a local house in the remote village of Oruro, quickly adapting to shopping in local markets, cooking her own food and walking around the unlit village at night. Gonzalez, whose family is originally from El Salvador, is fluent in Spanish, so she was able to connect easily with the villagers. During her stay, she worked closely with the youth group and the mayor’s office to compose a manual on activities to raise environmental awareness and inspire others to become involved in local projects.

“It was a huge growing experience,” she says. “The people there taught me as much as I taught them. Often, we don’t appreciate what we have in Canada, but I also realized you don’t need much to be happy.”

Gonzalez’s adventure was part of a program called Leave for Change, which was developed by Uniterra, a Canadian international volunteer program funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and implemented jointly by the World University Service Canada and the Centre For International Studies and Co-operation.

The program enables employees of participating corporations to donate their skills and time to international development projects in a variety of countries, including Vietnam, Nepal, Bolivia and Burkina Faso. Gonzalez was given one week of paid leave by Co-operators to go to Bolivia, which she combined with two weeks of vacation time. She was one of five Co-operators employees chosen to participate in the project last year; another five employees will be selected by March to participate in similar experiences. This will be the second year of the Uniterra program at Co-operators.

“The program is part of our corporate journey in sustainability,” says Leonard Sharman, a spokesman with Guelph, Ont.-based Co-operators. “All five participants in last year’s program called it a ‘life-changing’ experience.”

Co-operators covers part of the cost of the trips by providing Uniterra with $5,000 per volunteer. Uniterra, for its part, provides pre-departure training and covers the costs of vaccinations, insurance, airfare, lodging and a daily allowance.

Participants provide their services without monetary compensation and communicate their experience with co-workers through blogs, presentations and newsletter articles. Gonzalez says her experience has made her aware of the rewards of volunteering, and she is considering doing similar projects on her own time in the future.

“It’s amazing how the simplest things can help,” she says. “It was an intense experience. The people really captured me, and I can’t forget about them.”

Co-operators’ Uniterra program is an example of a new climate in some corporate boardrooms: the realization that there is value for companies in supporting employee participation in various social and environmental projects. Employers are making an investment in the development of their human resources, deepening the knowledge and enhancing the skills of their employees, and thereby increasing the competitiveness of their workforce. Such initiatives also heighten employee loyalty and morale.

Research from the 2010 Best Employers in Canada study, conducted by Toronto-based Hewitt Associates, indicates that Canadian employers believe there is a high return on investment in socially and environmentally responsible practices. The top three benefits: a positive reputation for the organization; a higher level of employee engagement; and the elimination or reduction of environmental waste through recycling or reduced usage.

Another organization in the forefront of encouraging employee involvement in social and environmental causes is HSBC Bank Canada. In 2007, the bank launched a program called HSBC Climate Champions as part of a five-year, US$100-million program sponsored globally by the Britain-based parent, HSBC Group.

Twice a year, groups of 12 to 20 employees from HSBC’s U.S. and Canadian operations travel to the Maryland-based North America Regional Climate Center to conduct 12 days of field research on how forests are affected by climate change, working alongside their colleagues and professional scientists. The program was developed by HSBC in partnership with the Earthwatch Institute and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

@page_break@About 170 North American HSBC employees have completed the program. On a global basis, HSBC employees, along with Earthwatch scientists and local community members, have conducted 3,000 days of scientific research at four regional climate centres in the U.S., Brazil, India and Britain.

A total of 380 employees from 50 countries have completed the program. Upon completion, these “climate champions” are encouraged to establish conservation projects in their own communities and share their knowledge through presentations at local schools and community organizations, as well as within the company. Participants frequently become part of corporate “green teams” to identify and pursue environmental projects with the support of senior management; they then recruit and train other volunteers from within the company.

“We are continuing to grow our commitment to the environment,” says Sharon Walck, HSBC’s senior vice president of corporate sustainability for Canada and the U.S. in Buffalo, N.Y. “And we believe that climate change is a challenge for us, our customers and suppliers, and for society as a whole.”

During participants’ stay at the NARCC, they go out in the forest every day, gathering data on the diameter of tree trunks, the size of the tree canopy, the types of forest debris and the impact of animals. In the evenings, participants attend workshops and seminars to learn about forestry issues and climate change. The time is granted by the company, at full pay. “The employees learn to identify trees and conditions,” says Walck, “which is a long way from the things they learn about at financial institutions.”

The goal is for the forestry experience to have a lasting impact on the values and goals of participants, and for environmental awareness to become embedded in the corporate culture. Success has become apparent in some of the followup projects initiated by climate champions.

For example, one HSBC employee from the Las Vegas branch was responsible for the Night Watchman project, which developed a software program to shut off desktop computers automatically at night. The program was responsible for six million computer shutdowns at HSBC offices globally in the year ended September 2009.

Canadian banks are also promoting green initiatives, and although these may involve employees donating their time and expertise, they don’t entail travel.

Toronto-Dominion Bank’s Friends of the Environment Foun-dation, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and is one of Canada’s longest-serving environment and wildlife charities, provided more than $4.1 million in funding last year to almost 900 grassroots projects across Canada. These projects included wildlife rehabilitation, education programs for children, environmental cleanups, tree-planting campaigns, conservation and recycling initiatives, and urban renewal. Many projects have led to additional volunteer activities by employees who become interested in doing further work with the charities on their own time.

The TD charity has 93 advisory boards across Canada, composed of volunteers among bank employees and customers. These boards make recommendations on the allocation of funds to charities and non-profit organizations.

Grants typically range from $2,000 to $20,000. Advisory board members serve a term of three years; currently, there are about 800 volunteers. Each board consists of eight to 12 members, and meetings are held monthly or quarterly, depending on the activity level of the group. Money is always reinvested in the same community in which it was raised.

TD donates $1 million annually to the program and covers the administration costs, enabling 100% of contributions to be directed to eligible projects. The charity has donated $50 million to environmental projects.

“It’s a point of employee pride that the bank supports this charity,” says Mary Desjardins, the program’s executive director. “There are always enough employee volunteers, and we have a waiting list. Many of them want to give back to the community. And by volunteering for this project, they can contribute in a hands-on way.” IE