The winner of the 2015 TAC Educational Achievement Award is Metrolinx in recognition of its Journey to Achieving Energy Awareness initiative.
The Transportation Association of Canada (TAC)’s Educational Achievement Award was created to recognize outstanding contributions in training relating to an in-house or external program or provide the foundation for future and better business practices.
Metrolinx , an agency of the Government of Ontario under the Metrolinx Act, 2006, was created to improve the coordination and integration of all modes of transportation in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
According to Esroy Gulecoglu, Manager, Sustainability at Metrolinx, the agency has the unique educational challenge of reaching out to and communicating with a large and diverse audience – over 3,200 employees in several divisions, situated at more than 125 locations.
“While developing our energy conservation and awareness program, we had to consider the individual issues within each operating division and tailor our messaging and communication strategy accordingly,” explains Esroy. “For example, GO Transit bus drivers spend the majority of their time off-site, with limited access to email. As such, communication techniques proven successful in other divisions such as informational posters and e-blasts were not as effective with this subset.”
Innovative Campaign Elements
Four innovative components contributed to the Metrolinx Journey to Achieving Energy Awareness initiative:
The SmartDRIVER training program offered bus drivers specific training opportunities to reduce energy consumption such as efficient driving techniques and reducing idling times. Their progress was tracked for six months and drivers were given performance reviews to encourage accountability and continued learning.
Divisional Energy Teams continue to meet on a monthly basis and have been working with another consultancy team to provide more defined action plans and metrics, allowing continued opportunity for staff to develop best practices and improve their skills. Energy management is now integrated into employee performance planning and the way Metrolinx operates.
“With the help of an expert consultant, we provided tools, training and facilitation to Energy Teams and staff so that they could self-realize the gap between their current state and best practices,” says Esroy. “Energy Teams were empowered with critical skills and knowledge to identify and develop divisional-specific action plans within GO Transit, which consumes over 90% of the energy used by Metrolinx.”
A staff online platform called Ideas@Work was developed and promoted energy management as a conversation topic for one month. The platform engaged employees by breaking down silos, developing innovative ideas, deepening the conversation, and encouraging knowledge transfer throughout all levels of the organization.
A voluntary group called the Green Team was also established and ran an energy-conservation campaign with targeted informational materials based on energy consumption pain points identified by staff in each division.
The Green Team executed a three-month Energy Challenge campaign to educate and raise awareness about energy conservation to support the Energy Management Program. The campaign utilized an innovative mix of passive and active approaches to engage staff and cultivate education and awareness of energy conservation at work and home.
“After the success of the Green Team’s Energy Challenge campaign, the voluntary team has continued to grow, almost doubling in size and is on target to reach 300 by fall 2015. A second campaign was launched in 2015 focusing on building awareness on waste management. The Ideas@Work platform has continued to expand and have increased in participation and has been recognized as a power tool to break down silos and promote cross-divisional communication.”
Two other submissions, reviewed by a selection committee appointed by TAC’s Education and Human Resources Development Council, were also received: Peel Goods Movement Strategic Plan Outreach and Education (Regional Municipality of Peel) and Stantec’s Project Management Boot Camps (Stantec Consulting Ltd.).
The award will be conferred during the Monday Lunch at the 2015 TAC Conference in Charlottetown on September 28.
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