Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR) is pleased to announce that the Greenway-Chaplin Community Centre has joined the Regional Sustainability Initiative! This program supports organizations across the region in setting ambitious and realistic sustainability targets. Greenway-Chaplin joins the initiative as an Observing Organization.
“It is so exciting to have a community centre as part of the Regional Sustainability Initiative, and Greenway-Chaplin has already demonstrated their commitment to sustainability and their eagerness to make environmental concerns a part of their mandate,” said Tova Davidson, Executive Director of Sustainable Waterloo Region. “We are honoured to be able to support them on their journey and look forward to seeing the amazing things that they will be doing!”
Located in Cambridge, Greenway-Chaplin Community Centre connects residents and offers neighbours and friends the opportunity to thrive by providing recreational, educational, supportive programs and volunteer opportunities. Established in 1985, the Centre works to empower a strong community and sees adopting sustainable practices as part of that vision.
“Greenway-Chaplin’s staff has had time to pause, reflect and refocus during this pandemic. We are passionate about neighbourhood development that is resident-led and is sustainable both financially and environmentally, and the pandemic gave us an opportunity to think about next steps and what we can do differently. We have been reflecting on the UN Sustainable Development Goals as it impacts recreation program delivery. Youth participants and our volunteers are interested in doing more for the planet. A membership with Sustainable Waterloo Region was the next logical step to learn more and partner with likeminded agencies and professionals in our community.” Emily Jaarsma, GCCC Executive Director
As new members, staff from Greenway-Chaplin have committed to initial goals that will evolve over the course of their membership. They plan to leverage Regional Sustainability Initiative’s resources and extensive member network to learn best practices with a focus on creating a culture of sustainability to engage employees as advocates.They also intend to increase their capacity to reduce their organization’s environmental impact, by incorporating sustainability considerations into existing policies and procedures. As a Centre dedicated to serving their community, they intend to pass on these lessons learned by incorporating sustainability concepts into programming and services offered to residents, with support from SWR along the way!
We are thrilled to have such a vital community organization join the other 69 members who are contributing to making Waterloo Region a sustainability hub.