From helping to engineer multi-million dollar remediation projects, to rallying teams to collect litter in local parks, Hamilton Port Authority (HPA) brings a green perspective to everything it does.
Environmental Award Winner: Yellowline Asphalt Products Ltd.
HPA recently announced Yellowline Asphalt Products as the winner of its annual Environmental Excellence Award. The annual award recognizes a port partner’s contribution to respecting and protecting the natural environment.
Yellowline was selected for the award because it has demonstrated commitment and continuous improvement in environmental protection. “At Yellowline, we consider our environmental program a key component of our business along with safety, quality and efficient production methods,” said Suresh Daljeet, Operations Manager.
“We encourage a high level of environmental performance on the part of our tenants,” said HPA Environmental Manager Marilyn Baxter. “We embed rigorous environmental standards right into our contracts, and then work together to foster a proactive approach to protecting air, land and water.”
Green Marine
In addition to its recognition as HPA’s environmental award winner this year, Yellowline is one of several port tenants to become members in the Green Marine environmental program. HPA itself was pleased to achieve Level Three in all categories in the Green Marine program this past year. The annual evaluation measured greenhouse gas emissions, environmental leadership, spill prevention and community impacts. HPA is particularly pleased to welcome more of its tenants into the program, with Yellowline Asphalt Products and grain handler Richardson International signing up recently.
Randle Reef
Construction began this spring on a critical environmental initiative at the Port of Hamilton. The Randle Reef sediment remediation project is one of the most ambitious and important environmental remediation projects in Hamilton’s history. HPA is one of seven partners involved in funding and implementing the $138.9 million project. In containing and capping an area of historical contamination, the project will contribute to the delisting of Hamilton Harbour as one of the Great Lakes’ last remaining contamination hot spots.
Energy Saving Innovations
At an operational level, HPA strives to continuously improve, bringing new ideas, technologies and partnerships to the task of improving the port’s environmental footprint. HPA’s maintenance team works closely with local utility, Horizon Utilities, to implement a range of energy-conservation techniques. In one of the port’s recently-renovated buildings, innovative retrofits have attracted $22,000 in conservation incentives and resulted in energy savings of more than 65,000 kw/h annually. The port building, which houses a construction company, a sugar refinery and a craft brewery, features energy-saving lighting inside and out, gravity-fed floor drainage, and a high-efficiency HVAC system.
Port Partners Team Up to Clean Up
Fifteen port-located companies teamed up mark Earth Day with a clean-up of port lands and surrounding properties. This year, 78 volunteers worked together to collect 164 bags of garbage and recycling, leaving the neighbourhood cleaner and greener. Participating Port Partners included: Richardson International, McAsphalt, City Kidz, Lafarge, REfficient, Yellowline Asphalt Products, Canadian Asphalt, McKeil Marine, Lakeshore Sand, Westway Terminals, Webtan Mechanicals, Joseph Haulage, and Chapel Steel.
We’re Bike Friendly
HPA supports efficient transportation in all its forms, and that includes active personal transportation. The port was an early supporter of Hamilton’s SoBi bike share program, providing storage space for bicycles and equipment. HPA also hosts a SoBi bike share station close to its administrative headquarters, where visitors to the neighbourhood can consult a signpost with directions to the Arts & Science brewery, local parks and attractions. As part of its commitment to a healthy workplace, the port encourages active transportation among staff by providing access to SoBi passes, as well as on-site bike parking at its office. In 2015, HPA was named a bike friendly business by the Share the Road coalition.
Public Gardens and Greenhouses
Throughout the community, HPA extends its support for environmental initiatives as part of its corporate giving program. The port has allocated $92,000 to the development of public gardens and greenhouses, including a leading donation of $60,000 to the Royal Botanical Gardens’ redevelopment of its world-famous Rock Garden. HPA has also supported the beautification of local parkettes, and the establishment of a new learning greenhouse at the North Hamilton Community Health Centre, where local youth and community groups can grow healthy local food, and undertake educational programs.
Stewardship Every Day
Stewardship of the land and water around Hamilton’s port lands is a fundamental aspect of the port’s strategy and operations. HPA works with its tenants to implement best practices on spill reporting and dust control. Tenants with specialized operations work directly with regulatory agencies to obtain Environmental Compliance Approvals. The port’s full-time Environmental Manager monitors port lands, liaising with the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to resolve any issues quickly and responsibly. This hands-on approach to environmental management helps to ensure Hamilton’s port lands are among the most proactively and responsibly managed properties in the city.