Like so many other events in 2020, the Ride for Heart had a new “spin” this year. Individuals and teams participated virtually to raise much needed funds for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. This day of awareness began in 1970, as a unified response to environmental protection. It is a day to honor our planet and reflect on ways we can contribute to a promising future for the next generations.

World citizens share a universal goal - we want to be healthy. We want to live on a healthy planet, with thriving ecosystems, clean air to breathe, and clean water to drink. We need to be prepared for extreme weather, social and economic events and build resilient communities.

As an engineering services firm, we provide critical infrastructure to our communities. We have the ability to directly enhance the well-being of society and do so by leveraging sustainable principles into our designs, and finding opportunities to have a lasting positive impact on our people, the environment and society as a whole.

We are celebrating Earth Day 2020 during a global pandemic. The COVID-19 crisis requires rapid, unified action on the part of individuals, businesses, communities and world leaders to protect the health and well-being of people and places. Morrison Hershfield is adapting its approach to project delivery while prioritizing the health and safety of its employees and clients.

Our commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability continues to strengthen. We are involved in industry-leading projects with ambitious goals for reducing energy and water usage, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We also completed a carbon footprint of our own operations and employee commuting for 2019. When compared to our 2009 results, we were pleased to learn that though our workforce increased and the number of operating offices doubled over the last ten years, we reduced our carbon footprint per employee by 43%.

Corporate Social Responsibility is important to Morrison Hershfield, our clients and partners, and our communities. We will continue to demonstrate this in our corporate practices with regard to our people, culture, projects and governance. There is proof that the actions we take now can make a difference. As people around the world are changing their behaviors, skies are clearing. Our firm’s global carbon footprint is decreasing, and we are getting a glimpse of what could happen if we continue to take deliberate steps to positively impact the earth’s climate.

We have proven ourselves to be agile and resilient. As we face the challenging path ahead, we will work collaboratively with our clients and partners to support forward-thinking, sustainable designs that perform optimally and at a reasonable cost, while promoting efficient, safe and socially responsible habits both in and out of the workplace.

Throughout the year, staff in our offices support various charities by donating time and funds, and by raising awareness. Recently the Markham office held a series of fundraising events and raffle draws in support of Autism Ontario.

Morrison Hershfield is an active supporter of the early introduction of STEM education. One of our colleagues recently helped the grade 7 & 8 robotics club at Alvin Curling Public School (ACPS) in Toronto, ON prepare for the FIRST^® LEGO^® League CITY SHAPER^SM Challenge.

In an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence, one of our colleagues recently spearheaded the collection of donations for the Sandgate Women’s Shelter of York Region in Sutton West, Ontario.

Morrison Hershfield’s Toronto office recently hosted a “Take our Kids to Work Day” that provided an opportunity for high schoolers to learn more about engineering, and based on the feedback from participants, we think the day went pretty well! 

Our St. John’s office has once again made a difference for local families this holiday season.

Canstruction Houston’s 23^rd annual design/build competition captured the attention of our Houston Office this year. Staff participated in this unique opportunity to showcase their creativity by building a unique “canstructure” using only canned food and other non-perishable food items. 

Morrison Hershfield’s Robert Welsford recently competed at the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. It is considered to be one of the world’s most difficult one-day sporting events. Athletes have proven that #AnythingIsPossible by crossing the finish lines of these challenging endurance races taking place all over the globe.

AFCOM GTA presented a $5,000 Gender Diversity Bursary cheque to McMaster University's Faculty of Engineering. This $5,000 scholarship will help support a female student in her pursuit to advance the Data Center Industry. The gift was presented during AFCOM GTA’s annual Nine and Dine golf tournament dinner.

Kickball: it’s not just for kids anymore! Our Seattle office recently competed in the A/E/C Charity Kickball Tournament with all proceeds from the event benefitting Construction for Change. The event raised over $16,000.

What better way to build supportive relationships, practice communication and collaborate for success than a little Dragon Boat competition? Over 65 staff representing every department in our Vancouver office took part in this spirited team building activity held at Dragon Zone Paddling Club. And, thanks to the expertise of trained dragon boat instructors, everyone remained dry … for the most part! 

For the second year in a row, Morrison Hershfield teamed up with Page Southerland Page, Inc. and Linbeck Group, LLC to participate in the 33^rd annual AIA Sandcastle Competition. The contest is a fundraising event for AIA Houston and ArCH Foundation, as well as one of the top five revenue generating events for the City of Galveston. Overall, AIA Houston has raised $155,000 for the organization this year.

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