Ideas to Support a Green Recovery in the Wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic

  • May 04, 2020
  • David McRobert

Comment: This is something I prepared for the Ontario Bar Association to celebrate Earth Day 2018. It was a different time... but we have seen that these ideas are valid and can be implemented. If we are honest with ourselves, much of business travel - both domestic and international - is "an away game" and a perk. For decades pricey biz travel has been a chance to accumulate Air Miles, enjoy fine meals and fancy hotels, get drunk with your boss partly so she or he can figure you out better or test your loyalty, get away from your family and the grind of child care and elder care, play golf on exotic courses, etc. We certainly have a need to connect in person with colleagues, mentors, complete those essential transactions, etc. But I would argue we don't need to travel for work anywhere near the degree that has become prevalent in the past 30 years. Civil servant travel is paid for taxpayers and private sector travel deducted as a biz expense. The travel industry has benefitted but CO2 has increased by a staggering amount. Let's hope that video conferencing replaces a significant portion of this travel in the post Covid-19 Green Recovery. hashtag#covid19