In Good Company: Chilly Champions of Change at HP Canada

This blog series highlights outstanding companies who have gone above and beyond their support and fundraising efforts for WWF through the Living Planet @ Work’s Spring Things campaign. Funds raised through the Spring Things campaign go towards WWF’s conservation work.
Ever told your boss to go jump in a lake? Employees at HP Canada did. And the best part? Their bosses listened.
Shivering on the shores of Lake Ontario—during the coldest February in recent memory—Lloyd Bryant, Managing Director of HP Canada, and Frances Edmonds, Director of Environmental Programs, prepared to take the plunge in support of WWF’s Polar Bear Week. Apparently Lloyd was raring to go, because before the countdown even ended, he was off and running, leading the other 18 dippers from HP Canada, RSA Canada, the Ontario Power Authority and WWF into the frigid waters.

Lloyd and Frances pose for a shot before the dip. © WWF-CANADA
Lloyd and Frances pose for a shot before the dip. © WWF-CANADA

HP Canada knows all about leading the way. The Mississauga-based IT company is the founding champion of our award winning Living Planet @ Work program. Their parent company, HP, is a longstanding member of WWF’s Climate Saver initiative, which has cut CO2 emissions by over 100 million tonnes since 1999. And being a leader in sustainability is written in their corporate DNA.
So it didn’t take long for employees to raise the $10,000 required to get Lloyd and Frances into their swimsuits. The week was a flurry of bake sales, raffles and other events at head office, while colleagues from across the country got in on the action with an online auction and Arctic trivia contest. Departments and managers sweetened the pot, offering up laptops, Blue Jays tickets, underground parking privileges and a slew of other incentives.
And while Lloyd and Frances traded hypothermic high-fives, staff back at headquarters were working up a sweat to protect the habitat that polar bears depend on. Putting their quadriceps and conservation on display, employees hopped onto exercise bikes in the atrium for a high-profile fundraising spin-a-thon.
Officially polar dipped! © WWF-CANADA
Officially polar dipped! © WWF-CANADA

All told, the HP Canada Spring Things campaign raised $24,000. And campaign champion Simone Hacikyan believes 2015 will be even better. “We plan to build on this year’s success by expanding our communications efforts and encouraging more employees to participate—creating an amazing experience for them and positive results for WWF.”

Hewlett-Packard Canada Snapshot

Location(s):  Mississauga, Ontario
Corporate culture in a nutshell: Innovative, collaborative, high achieving
Number of years involved with Living Planet @ Work: Founding champions!
Motivation to support WWF: It’s a core part of HP’s corporate social responsibility strategy and we’re a business that believes in partnering as a way to do business.
Number campaign participants: over 500
Total amount raised: $24,000
Advice for workplace fundraisers: THINK BIG and just do it. All the tools are in the LP@W website and you’ll have fun.
Lasting impressions:“As the champion of the LP@W program, HP was proud to help kick off the Spring Things campaign—our polar bear dip was the icing on the cake as our employees literally iced cupcakes, did spin-a-thons and many other activities to raise awareness and funds as well as having a great time.” — Lloyd Bryant, Managing Director
Learn more about how your company can get involved with the Living Planet @ Work program and the many ways you can bring sustainability to your business and support WWF’s critical conservation work.