Five Vaughan businesses commit to a sustainable future
Better Your Business program supports organizations making a positive social impact
Through the City of Vaughan’s Better Your Business program, five local organizations have committed to making their processes, practices and policies more socially and environmentally sustainable.
To celebrate their journey of making positive changes and creating a more sustainable city, Mayor Steven Del Duca, Members of Council and York University professor Dr. Mark Terry recognized the following organizations during a ceremonial presentation at the May 14 Committee of the Whole (2) meeting:
A. Gold Star Inc.
Centro Dry Cleaning Inc.
Gordo’s Diner
Holiday Pet Care
Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Toronto
The 2023 Better Your Business program participants received one-on-one consultations with Prof. Terry, a longtime environmental adviser with the United Nations, who helped them develop new sustainable business models that incorporate the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These goals were adopted by the United Nations at the Paris climate summit in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure, by 2030, all people enjoy peace and prosperity. A certificate was provided to each participating organization demonstrating their leadership and commitment to embracing these goals and being socially and environmentally sustainable.
The Better Your Business program is designed to increase awareness of the resources available to help Vaughan’s business community improve their processes, practices and policies. The program's 2023 social and environmental sustainability edition was the second in the Better Your Business series, which was completed by five organizations in 2022.
Learn more about the program at vaughanbusiness.ca/Better-Your-Business.
QUOTES
“Vaughan is a green city, with sustainability at the heart of our city-building efforts. The City of Vaughan’s Better Your Business program reflects our commitment to building a better, brighter and greener city for generations to come. Through the program, the Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre supported five organizations in becoming more socially and environmentally sustainable. I am pleased to congratulate A. Gold Star Inc., Centro Dry Cleaning Inc., Gordo’s Diner, Holiday Pet Care and Islamic Shia Ithna-Asheri Jamaat of Toronto for completing the 2023 program. I also want to thank York University professor Dr. Mark Terry for continuing to support our efforts to build a more sustainable future, and offering his insight, guidance and expertise to organizations in Vaughan.”
- Mayor Steven Del Duca
“Congratulations to the participants of the City of Vaughan’s 2023 Better Your Business program for taking steps to make their processes, practices and policies more socially and environmentally sustainable. I also want to thank our Economic Development team who work tirelessly to offer innovative and beneficial programs to Vaughan’s businesses and entrepreneurs, and highlight the many resources and supports available to grow and advance. Lastly, thank you to Prof. Terry for working with Economic Development to facilitate a program that allows organizations to give back to the community.”
- Nick Spensieri, City Manager
“The City of Vaughan's Better Your Business Social and Environmental Sustainability Program is a unique initiative that sets Vaughan apart from other municipalities in Canada. Through this program, the City reaches out to the local business community to provide the means for participants to create a corporate mandate that adheres to all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In doing so, Vaughan has established itself as a leader in the effort to limit global warming to a limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius. As a Member of the Order of Vaughan, I am proud to be part of this innovative program – one that the United Nations notes as inspirational. Thanks to Mayor Steven Del Duca, Members of Council and Vaughan's Economic Development team for their leadership and continued support.”
- Professor Mark Terry, PhD
QUICK FACTS
Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre’s (VBEC’s) Better Your Business program guides organizations on their journey to implement and maintain practices to create a more sustainable city.
- The organizations who participated in the 2023 program received one-on-one consultations with acclaimed York University professor Mark Terry, PhD, who helped guide the development of each business’s new sustainable business model to incorporate the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
- The Better Your Business program is designed to increase awareness of the resources available to help Vaughan’s business community improve their processes, practices and policies.
LEARN MORE
City of Vaughan’s Better Your Business program webpage
- City of Vaughan’s Economic Development’s webpage
About Prof. Mark Terry, PhD, 2021 Order of Vaughan recipient
