Corporate Sustainability Responsibility
At Laserglow Technologies we strive to be a socially responsible corporate citizen. We value our place in our local community, strive to protect the environment for current and future generations, and honor our ties to the global village. Laserglow’s Team is involved at all levels with programs to minimize our impact on the environment and to maximize the potential of communities both near and far.
Laserglow has currently supported the following organizations:
Founded to save lives and speak out, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is a Nobel Prize-winning emergency humanitarian medical organization that has helped tens of millions of people since its founding in 1971. MSF now has more than 40,000 staff members on the front lines of humanitarian crises in close to 70 countries.
Kiva’s mission is to connect people, through lending, for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.
Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) was established in 2000 (originally as RealTime Cancer) by Geoff Eaton after his first cancer challenge. Geoff’s vision focused on educating and supporting young adults. At the core of that vision was the belief that cancer–like all of life’s challenges–brings with it valuable lessons and experiences.
Indspire is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. Our vision is to enrich Canada through Indigenous education and by inspiring achievement. In partnership with Indigenous, private and public sector stakeholders, Indspire educates, connects and invests in Indigenous people so they will achieve their highest potential.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and one of the world’s leading research centres in its field. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.
The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) supports community-based organizations that are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa. They provide care to women who are ill and struggling to survive; assist orphans and other AIDS affected children; reach heroic grandmothers who almost single-handedly care for their orphan grandchildren; and sustain associations of people living with HIV and AIDS. Since 2003, SLF has supported hundreds of community-level initiatives in 15 countries. Stephen Lewis’ work with the United Nations has spanned more than two decades. He was the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa from June 2001 until the end of 2006. From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Lewis was Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF at the organization’s global headquarters in New York. From 1984 through 1988, Stephen Lewis was Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations. Laserglow Technologies has been contributing to the Stephen Lewis Foundation since 2007.
The Canadian Red Cross mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, in its international and national capacity, to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the human being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, co-operation and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
Laserglow has an employee donation matching program through which we support:
Arpana Canada was formed in 2015 to promote accessible health care services and products to marginalized people in Delhi and rural areas in India. To advancing education, by enabling children from disadvantaged families in Delhi slums and rural areas in India to obtain a formal education, and to break the cycle of poverty, and reducing poverty of disadvantaged women and subsistence farmers through community self-help groups and local entrepreneur training.
Crohn’s and Colitis Canada is the only national, volunteer-based charity focused on finding the cures for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the lives of children and adults affected by these diseases. We are one of the top two health charity funders of Crohn’s and colitis research in the world, investing $122 million in research since 1974, leading to important breakthroughs in genetics, gut microbes, inflammation and cell repair as well as laying the groundwork for new and better treatments. We are transforming the lives of people affected by Crohn’s and colitis (the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease) through research, patient programs, advocacy, and awareness.
Oxfam Canada is an affiliate of the international Oxfam Confederation networked in over 90 countries as part of a global movement for change. Our mission is to build lasting solutions to poverty and injustice with a focus on improving the lives and promoting the rights of women and girls. We work directly with communities, partners and women’s rights organizations to challenge the systems that perpetuate inequality and keep people poor. Together we seek to influence those in power to ensure that women trapped in poverty have a say in the critical decisions that affect them, their families and entire communities. That’s why we believe that ending global poverty begins with women’s rights.
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. By utilizing the ocean currents to our advantage, our passive drifting systems are estimated to clean up half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years’ time.
Environmental Initiatives
At Laserglow Technologies we strive to protect the environment for current and future generations. We consider the three R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle) as key factors in every decision we make regarding our operations. Just some of our environmental initiatives include the following:
REDUCE
Reduction in shipping packaging and the use of reusable cases: when possible, our lasers are shipped in reusable cases that are matched in size to our packaging. This best protects the items during delivery, allows our customers to store their Laserglow products safely, and minimizes the amount of packaging necessary in shipping.
Fair-trade and organic office products: in order to minimize our impact on the environment and to support fair-trade practices such as equitable wages and working conditions, we purchase office products, including coffee, milk, sugar and catered items, that are fair-trade and organic certified.
Natural cleaning products: our offices are cleaned using natural products only, from such companies as Nature Clean. All Nature Clean products are non-toxic and biodegradable and are created from naturally derived ingredients. As Nature Clean products are manufactured and packaged locally in Canada, less fuel is consumed in their transport to our offices.
Upgradable electronic office equipment: IT personnel at Laserglow Technologies ensure that staff have access to top of the line computing and electronic equipment, while minimizing waste, by stocking workstations with computers and devices that are easily upgradable.
Lighting and heating: the main areas of our offices are lit using energy efficient compact fluorescent lighting. All thermostats are programmable, heating spaces only when needed.
REUSE
Cardboard recycling program: from a great suggestion from one of our team members, the community cardboard recycling program was born. Instead of disposing of all of the cardboard that we receive in incoming shipments, large boxes in reusable condition are offered to the public. Individuals, such as those needing boxes for moving day, are able to pick them up from our shipping department. It’s a great way to give cardboard boxes another use.
Shipping material: whenever possible, shipping material received in incoming shipments is shuttled back and reused in outgoing packaging. This reduces the need to purchase new materials.
RECYCLE
Recycling and use of recycled paper products: all of our office desks have a recycling blue bin as do our kitchen areas. We use only 100% recycled fiber copy paper, bathroom tissue and paper towel.
Shipping material: whenever possible, shipping material received in incoming shipments is shuttled back and reused in outgoing packaging. This reduces the need to purchase new materials.
