On April 18, 400 people gathered at the Waterloo Inn to discuss sustainability and learn from leaders in the community and each other about what this looks like in practice. It was an opportunity to share, learn, and communicate the importance of sustainability right at home in Waterloo Region where we can tangibly see the difference. In this respect, Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR)’s event was a rousing success because it showed that the “network of potential”, as our Executive Director Mike Morrice called it, has the ability to create real change in our community.

This “network of potential” really stuck with me in the days after the event as it is not only an uplifting way to look at SWR’s influence in the community, but also because it fit in so well with the growth of the community. SWR’s Regional Carbon Initiative added 20 members in the past year and has seen commitments across 16 member organizations to reduce 45,000 tonnes of GHG emissions over the next ten years. This is partly because of the network our community has created, a network which was the theme of 2012’s Year End Report. So why do networks, and Mike’s idea of Waterloo Region’s sustainability community as a “network of potential”, fit in so well with the impact we are having in this community?

First, the network is important because it enables us to learn from each other, being “a taker from everyone” as David Bois from Home Hardware said during the evening’s Observing Organization panel. Not only can David report back to management at Home Hardware the successes that other companies have had in the Region, but he can also be a valuable resource for others as Home Hardware, in turn, starts their own initiatives unique to their business model. This idea of collective progress, combined with the business and financial benefits that companies such as Waterloo North Hydro specifically mentioned has been a major impact on their business, are why this network keeps growing. If we keep working together, all of us will individually benefit.

Second, the potential of this network derives from our collective passion and the support we give each other, no matter the type of organization or size, to succeed in individual goals. Whether it’s the Commuter Olympics that Enermodal Engineering has created for their employees, or working with local University of Waterloo students to conduct a study on Crawford & Company’s travel patterns, our community is combining leadership with measureable progress.

Mike mentioned in his closing statement that we are on the cusp of something big. At the Regional Carbon Initiative’s 2009 launch event, Derek Satnik, the Chief Innovation Officer for Mindscape Innovations Group, shared with the audience that people across Canada are watching Waterloo for ideas on how to advance sustainability. This is where the true ripple effect can occur; as this affects us and we show others the benefits of incorporating sustainability into our working lives, the web gets larger and strengthens. We are all strong, resilient strands of silk in this metaphorical web. So if we continue to engage each other on our important goal –to advance the environmental sustainability of organizations across Waterloo Region through collaboration – there is no limit to the impact this ripple can have.This is where I personally get the most motivation; the people involved in this movement, this network of young and old that has a shared drive to create a “sustainable Waterloo Region”, are very inspirational to me. I have been volunteering with SWR since October and it has personally energized me to continue to pursue sustainability in my career. As I spread this message to my friends, family and neighbours, this network will only become larger.

- Conor

How many of you just groaned or rolled your eyes?

Have you ever been involved in a “strategic planning” process that was lacking in real purpose, or seemed to be about chasing funding, or about nothing more than saying it’s done? If you’ve ever had anything to do with Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR), you can predict these scenarios are the opposite of what would happen here.

As both a board member and a Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) member, I’ve experienced many sides of what makes SWR unique. And it’s that uniqueness that we wanted to capture as we entered the strategic planning process.

Let’s take stock: It’s been five years since the launch of SWR. The Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) comprises 60 member organizations. Beyond the RCI, SWR is a partner in TravelWise and ClimateActionWR—and it’s spawning Sustainability CoLab, to expand the RCI model to other communities. Quite a journey since the SWR mission, vision and values were written as part of Mike Morrice’s undergrad project, back when SWR existed as little more than a concept in a business competition.

So yes, we embarked on a strategic planning process.

Our purpose? In a nutshell, to clearly articulate what has made—and will continue to make—SWR so successful. We set out to undertake a process to develop a strategic plan that will position the organization to scale its impact over the next three to five years; leverage the strengths of individual programs; ensure everyone has a clear, shared understanding of where the organization is going. Importantly, we weren’t trying to fix something that was broken; we were trying to capture precisely why it was working so well. We also weren’t going to pretend we had a crystal ball that would give us all the answers about what specifically to do next. Rather, we wanted a strategic plan that would provide enough direction to empower, and not restrict, SWR teams in developing their operational plans. So, more about how we continue to be relevant and have an impact than about what, specifically, we’re going to do next. It’s not a typical strategic planning approach. But it feels like the right one for this organization.

We started in the fall, with support from the Sustainability Network’s Good to Great program. We’re looking forward to reuniting with our peers at the next Learning Network in May. There we’ll be working towards finalizing our plan for presentation to the Board in June.

I think I am still objective enough to say without bias: when SWR decides to do something, they do it all-the-way. No cutting corners. No half-hearted efforts. It was important our planning process be no different. So over the last few months, we’ve had lots of engagement with staff, volunteers, board members, and external stakeholders, and we have lots of material to work with. We’ve had some pivotal conversations. We’ve gone back to the drawing board with our mission…more than once. We’re starting to write the plan. And we’re thinking about how to communicate it… effectively. Creatively.

What would you expect to see in our plan? What makes a strategic plan useful? What’s the best strategic plan you’ve come across? What’s the biggest flaw you’ve seen—the thing that makes a plan sit on the shelf, collecting dust, rather than serving as a compass the organization uses to ensure it’s headed in the intended direction? Have you been involved in a strategic planning process from which you could share some “lessons learned”?

We would love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to comment on this post, or e-mail me your thoughts.

-Susan

Susan Jantzi is the Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at SunLife Financial. She is also a member of Sustainable Waterloo Region’s Board of Directors and chair of our strategic planning subcommittee.

Popular terms captured from Regional Carbon Initiative member organization 2012 reporting

At our 4^th AnnualEvening of Recognition, on April 18^th, we will be officially         releasing our 2012 Report, which will highlight how this local sustainability network is unfolding. Including programs such as the Regional Carbon Initiative, TravelWise and ClimateActionWR, professionals such as renewable energy outfitters, energy auditors, and forward-thinking politicians, along with young people demanding higher sustainability practices of local employers, this network is moving our community towards a more sustainable future.

Those that join us for this celebration at the Waterloo Inn will hear the 2012 stories of sustainability leaders throughout Waterloo Region. Why is Crawford and Company prioritizing sustainability? What does being an RCI Observing Organization mean to Community Support Connections? How is Ontario Teacher’s Insurance Plan engaging its employees in sustainability? What does management support for sustainability look like at Waterloo North Hydro? Why has Farm Mutual Resinsurance Plan made a greenhouse gas reduction commitment as part of the RCI? What part does Wilfrid Laurier University play in the broader sustainability network? How are the local municipalities collaborating to take sustainability to the next level?

To learn more, and receive your copy of the 2012 Report, join us from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. for this evening of networking, sustainability stories, and looking toward our collective next steps: www.sustainablewaterlooregion.ca/register

I look forward to celebrating with you!

Sustainable Waterloo Region’s 2011 Report

This recently designed pay-for-service program is geared to closely support members of the Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) in progressing through milestones towards setting a GHG reduction target. This great opportunity allows for organizations to gain the value of hands-on guidance in managing activities, measuring results, saving time, and increasing accuracy when undertaking GHG accounting or the management of Green Teams.

The meeting began with a presentation of Crawford’s GHG inventory findings and an overview of opportunities, eventually ascending to an exciting conclusion: after one year of being an Observing Organization of the RCI, Crawford decided they were ready to make a carbon reduction commitment. By utilizing resources available for RCI Members, such as the Energy Audit incentive and Premium Services, Crawford was able to make an informed decision on their reduction opportunities and commitments.

The energy in the room was electric as Chief Information Officer Dale Avis signed the Pledging Partner letter (see photo), making Crawford and Company a Bronze Pledging Partner committing to a 20% absolute reduction target – a 105 tonne commitment!

The successes of this story wouldn’t have been possible without the passion of Crawford’s GreenShift team, including Dale Avis, Jackie Roy, and Anita Whiteley. Their hard work and excitement truly impacted this process, and will maintain Crawford’s commitment as they work towards their carbon reductions. We look forward to the great progress to come!

Community engagement and other forms of public consultation are a key best-practice element in many areas of decision making, meant to inform and include the input of those who stand to be affected by the processes and results of decisions made. Through the ClimateActionWR partnership, Sustainable Waterloo Region, REEP Green Solutions, the Region of Waterloo, and area municipalities are working to develop a community Climate Action Plan for Waterloo Region. A core value of this process is meaningful community engagement, which is being achieved through:

• task forces including 50 community stakeholders with specialized interests
• an interactive web-presence, (including social media, and discussion board)
• hosting a Community Forum series of events, and
• running a youth art contest

These activities serve to inform and elicit the input of community members as we collectively plan how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Waterloo Region, in light of climate concerns. A number of these community engagement activities are conducted with the aid of online tools, from the task forces’ private wiki community, to the use of Eventbrite for registration for the Community Forum, to upcoming online voting on art contest submissions, and our ongoing Twitter and Facebook presence and online discussion board.

Online tools offer great opportunities: to potentially reach more, different people, in different ways; to use time and resources more efficiently; to allow for flexibility in when, where, and how people may choose to be involved; to provide a container for collected wisdom and good information; and to furnish recognition. There are also potential pitfalls and uncertainties. What if we miss key segments of the population that are not online? How do we capture people’s attention in an increasingly busy online environment? Will interacting online lose sense of place that is so important in communities? How will we know what our potential participants need from the engagement process? What if we build it and no one comes?

So, how do we best use the tools available to us in an ever evolving online environment to meaningfully engage community members? As Online Engagement Coordinator for ClimateActionWR, I’ve encountered successes as well as challenges in using online tools for community engagement. On the positive side, recent weeks have seen tweets from the @ClimateActionWR account re-tweeted by local municipal accounts, major players in the local sustainability community, and passionate residents. This sort of transmission gives our messages a different visibility and audience than they would have had through traditional print or more formal communications. On the other hand, we are still exploring how to best use the online discussion board to elicit input on draft elements of the Action Plan. Despite a few ardent contributors to date, participation has been slow-coming.

Online tools will no-doubt continue to evolve, bringing potential new approaches and opportunities for broad, diverse, meaningful community engagement. I believe the challenges of online engagement can be offset through persistent reflection, adaptability, and a focus on the human relationships at the core of engagement. One hopes that online engagement only enriches opportunities for community participation and positive change. I look forward to seeing how this process unfolds as ClimateActionWR moves through the steps of developing and implementing a Climate Action Plan for our community.

This initial group helped prove that setting greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, and achieving them can, in fact, have incredible benefits to a business’ bottom line and perhaps, more importantly, to an organization’s culture.  These same seeds are now starting to reach beyond Waterloo Region and into cities across Ontario where similar not-for-profits are interested in supporting businesses to make commitments to sustainability in a financially self-sufficient way.

So what does 60 RCI members mean to Waterloo Region? It means that:

1) GHG commitments are becoming normalized in our business community. Now seven prominent insurance companies, including Sun Life Financial, Manulife Financial, and Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan, have already or are on-track to setting long-term GHG reduction targets. Two major academic institutions have prioritized sustainability in their strategies, with Wilfrid Laurier University announcing a 25% reduction target over 10 years, and the University of Waterloo announcing membership in the RCI last fall with intention to set a target;

2) The RCI is now a self-sustaining program, whereby revenues from membership, and event sponsorship support all programming costs – drastically reducing the demand on local and provincial grant funding;

3) We’re generating national envy, in both the business community where national offices in Toronto and elsewhere are engaging their local chapters in the RCI, as well in neighbouring regions where local leaders are starting to design programs in their community using SWR and the Regional Carbon Initiative as a pilot to build upon.

Some think that unique conditions in Waterloo Region have led to the RCI’s success. People have pointed to the particularly cohesive and collaborative Waterloo Region business community, or the “barnraising culture” in our region as a unique success factor. Likewise some point to our unique leadership, from not only our founder and executive director, but from leaders in local government and business. However, when I speak to leaders in communities like Niagara, Sarnia, Hamilton, and Peterborough, they don’t feel that a lack of a “barnraising culture”, or a lack of leadership will hold them back. Instead, given the right kind of support, they can build this culture of collaboration and this leadership to create change in their own communities. It’s an objective, not a hindrance. That is what Sustainability CoLab, our new program focused on supporting similar programs across Canada, can enable and what we are seeing 60 members in the RCI inspire.