Ontario entrepreneur combatting climate change one Green Economy Hub at a time

EY to honour Mike Morrice of Green Economy Canada with social entrepreneurship award

TORONTO, Sept. 12, 2018 /CNW/ - EY is proud to recognize Mike Morrice of Green Economy Canada as an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario Social Entrepreneur award recipient. This award honours inspiring entrepreneurs who seek to address a complex social challenge by going beyond simple service provisions to tackle systemic issues head on.

"Many businesses know that leading with purpose is essential to growing the bottom line, but only recently have we seen a shift to putting purpose over profit to drive social change," says Elena Doucette, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario Co-Director. "Organizations like Green Economy Canada are rolling up their sleeves and diving into global issues with creative and collaborative business models to mobilize change in our communities." 

Green Economy Canada (formerly Sustainability CoLab) was founded in 2014 with the understanding that humanity's detrimental impact on climate change means big social and economic adjustments need to be made if we want to live sustainably. Through collaboration, the organization's mission is simple: to launch, grow and promote a network of local hubs engaging businesses to drive the sustainable economy.

"Over the 10 years since we launched the first Green Economy Hub in Waterloo Region, I've been inspired time and again by how people and businesses have come together in their community ? from Sudbury to Hamilton to Ottawa ? bound by a shared interest," says Mike Morrice, Founder and Executive Director, Green Economy Canada. "Not only have businesses increased their profitability by reducing their environmental impact, but we've seen how community expectations shift when businesses of all sizes and sectors set public targets to lower their carbon, water and waste impact."

With six Green Economy Hubs across Canada, the organization supports networks of local businesses to set and achieve sustainability targets. To date, Green Economy Hubs have supported more than 250 businesses to collectively reduce 59,105 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions ? which is equivalent to taking approximately 12,600 cars off the road for one year.

"A focus on sustainability starts to become the expectation, rather than the exception," adds Morrice. "From insurance companies and breweries, to manufacturers and everything in between: businesses in Green Economy Hubs are demonstrating that a more sustainable economy is possible."

"It's inspiring to see Mike's perseverance to engage local communities as a way to create meaningful change," says Paula Smith, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ontario Program Co-Director. "He's proven a remarkable ability to get businesses to voluntarily set carbon reduction goals and proactively take action against climate change. Mike is extremely well deserving of this award and recognition."

What's next?

Mike will be honoured at the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Ontario awards gala in Toronto on 25 October 2018. For more information, please contact: [email protected].

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year®

EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. ey.com/eoy

The 2018 social entrepreneurship independent judging panel consists of Suzanne Siemens, CEO, Lunapads; Anne Darche, President, Pertinence Inc.; Gavin Armstrong, President & CEO, Lucky Iron Fish; and Jeff Shnurr, CEO, Jaza Energy.

This year's program national sponsors are ICI RDI, The TMX Group, The Globe and Mail Inc., Merrill Corporation, Kira Talent, Air Canada, Media One Creative and The Printing House Limited. Ontario regional sponsors are TEC Canada, Steam Whistle Brewing, BNN, Captivate and PearTree Securities.

About EY

EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

For more information, please visit ey.com/ca. Follow us on Twitter @EYCanada.

EY refers to the global organization and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

SOURCE EY (Ernst & Young)