By Goodwill Industries of Alberta President and CEO, Dale Monaghan
At the Recycling Council of Alberta’s annual Rolling out the Recycling Red Carpetconference Thursday, September 20, Goodwill Industries of Alberta was awarded an Rs of Excellence Award for innovation and excellence in the operation of Canada’s first Impact Centre.
“Just over a year ago Goodwill Industries of Alberta opened the first Impact Centre in Canada, taking the best practices of Goodwills from across North America and emerging such an innovative facility in northwest Edmonton. Under one roof spanning 100,000 sq. feet, Goodwill is emerging exciting new frontiers in recycling and repurposing on our drive to zero waste accreditation,” indicated Jodi Tomchyshyn London, a recent addition to Goodwill Industries of Alberta’s Board and a thought leader and business consultant in sustainability based in Calgary.
The Impact Centre is dedicated to recycling, sustainability and environmental stewardship. The centre allows us to consolidate many of our Edmonton area operations, centralizing recycling efforts and reducing waste, providing extra value to our shoppers and donors in our first outlet store in Alberta, and always furthering our efforts to connect Albertans with disabilities to meaningful employment.
“Goodwill’s incredible Impact Centre won the Not for Profit Award based on their accomplishments of reducing and diverting waste”, said Christina Seidel, Executive Director Recycling Council of Alberta. The Recycling Council of Alberta’s mission is to promote and facilitate waste reduction, recycling, and resource conservation in the Province of Alberta.
“Goodwill is so proud to be awarded this very prestigious award for environmental stewardship and excellence in sustainability,” said Kevin MacDonald, chair, Goodwill Industries of Alberta Board of Directors and a business consultant from Sherwood Park. “For over 50 years, Goodwill has been an innovative leader in creating jobs for Albertans with disabilities through our social enterprise of thrift stores and our award winning career development and job creation program Pathways to Employment,” explained MacDonald.
This award and many innovations Goodwill Industries of Alberta have been able to accomplish throughout 2018 would not have been possible without the support of the Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB).
We partnered with ATB a year ago to advance our social enterprise to all new heights of success and contribution to the community as Goodwill changes lives for the better, strengthens families and communities through the power of work and the dignity of a job.
ATB supported the launch of Goodwill Industries of Alberta’s Sustainability Action Plan and today Goodwill team members across Alberta feel such a sense of achievement as we are not only recognized a leader in job creation for Albertans with disabilities, we are now recognized for our tremendous success in recycling and sustainability!
We are so proud to win this prestigious award, and we are so proud and appreciative of ATB’s belief in Goodwill.
