SUSTAINABILITY

Working together towards a better future.

At Vision Integrity, we strongly value our community and environment. Supporting the communities in which we live and work is important to us, that’s why our initiatives focus on helping these communities thrive by contributing to non-profit organizations through donations and fundraisers. We continuously work to develop and improve our practices to be sustainable for the environment, and we are always looking for new ways to contribute to our community.

Our Office

Vision Integrity is committed to reducing the ecological footprint of our office through several sustainability initiatives. Our office is located in a repurposed historic building in downtown Calgary, and we operate with a 100% digital, paperless document management system—using less than 500 sheets of paper in a six-month period. Most of our administrative workforce is fully remote, helping to reduce emissions and energy consumption from commuting. The office itself is designed for efficiency, with a limited number of drop-in desks, ensuring we only use the space we need, avoiding the heating and cooling of a large, empty office.

Within the office, all paper used is made of 100% recycled material, and all pens, post-its, pencils, and other supplies are recyclable wherever possible. Every desk is equipped with a recycling bin to make recycling a convenient habit, and we compost in our kitchen whenever possible. The coffee pods we use are either compostable or recyclable, reinforcing our commitment to waste reduction.

Additionally, all laptops provided to employees are Energy Star certified, and any PCs in use must meet a minimum 80+ GOLD certification to ensure energy efficiency. As most of our work is computer-based, reducing energy consumption through efficient technology is a critical part of our sustainability initiatives. If it can be recycled, it will be.

Medicine Hat Shop Operations

Radiographic (RT) requires us to produce images by developing film using specialized chemicals with a high silver content. These chemicals, if disposed of improperly, may harm the environment and leave a lasting mark on our planet. Vision Integrity recognizes the impact we risk by using these chemicals; however, RT is an essential service, so we know it is vital to have mitigation processes in place that significantly reduce the risk of contaminating the environment. Our standard disposal process for all darkroom chemicals is now to pressure pump the chemicals out of the tanks mounted on trucks and into a barrel in our shop. We then extract the silver and properly recycle the chemicals following specifications set by city standards. As the metals can be toxic, we work with a specialized company that helps us dispose of them safely.

Field Operations

Many of our services involve being on-site in the field to support our clients’ operations. When conducting fieldwork, one of our goals is striving to reduce our emissions. Our first step toward reducing our emissions was beginning the process of switching our RT (Radiographic Testing) darkroom fleet over to a gas generated lab, powered by its own generator. Because RT darkrooms traditionally draw power from the trucks they are mounted on, powering the darkroom requires the truck to be idling for several hours, constantly pumping emissions into the air. With the instalment of Freedom Labs into our fleet as the new RT darkroom, Vision Integrity can now shut off our engines while on the job. These darkrooms have improved the quality of service we can provide to our customers while simultaneously advancing our sustainability efforts.

In addition to our darkrooms, Vision Integrity has begun updating our truck fleet to Ford F-150s with EcoBoost technology. The EcoBoost engine ensures VIE employees still have the power required to get to worksites on rugged terrain while reducing environmental impact. By maintaining and caring for these trucks, we ensure that these trucks continue to function as expected, allowing us to maintain lowered emissions. By having one of the cleanest work-truck fleets in Alberta, we hope to inspire other companies to take action in developing sustainable practices.

Who We Work With

We feel it is important to choose vendors that share the same views and high standards for sustainability as Vision Integrity. Therefore, when choosing a vendor for any service, we do our due diligence by inquiring about their own sustainability initiatives. We want to support like-minded companies that recognize the importance of supporting their community and their planet.

Community Support

Above all, we believe in the power of community. We work and live in several amazing communities that span across Canada, from Manitoba to BC. Giving back to the community is invaluable — that’s why we make it our mission to support organizations across Western Canada that work to promote positive change. We make monthly donations to local charities, non-profit organizations, and even local sports teams. We do our best to help make the world a better place in any way we can, and we are proud that our employees share this initiative. Many Vision Integrity employees make individual contributions to their community. Promoting positive change and a healthy community isn’t just a “business” initiative to us; it’s a core value of our company.

Past Donations