Category Archives: News & Updates

Sustainability CoLab Launches!

We finally did it. Three years in the making, we launched Sustainability CoLab at Artscape Wychwood Barns, announcing everything from: The funding: $385,000 of $500,000 required for a three year mandate, coming from a mix of public sector (the Ontario Trillium Foundation),  private family foundation (Metcalf Foundation), and Corporate Partners (TD Bank Group and Sun Life Financial) […]

Introducing Tova Davidson, Our Incoming Executive Director

Back in June, we announced Sustainable Waterloo Region was launching the search for our next Executive Director – someone to build on the organization’s exponential growth over the past five years, and propel it into its next chapter. Today, we have exciting news to share. On behalf of the community representatives that guide the direction […]

When 3 Months Turns to 3 Years: My Journey with ClimateActionWR

Have you ever started something and vastly underestimated how much impact it would eventually have?  Maybe it’s a casual first date that becomes a life partner, a lecture that grows to be a sweeping passion, or a few wistful lines that transform into an autobiography. For me, it has been the journey over the past […]

Exciting News! What are you Doing January 16?

I was driving home from the Niagara Sustainability Initiative (NSI)’s launch event, in January 2011, when I first fully came to grips with an important realization: while the past year of coaching NSI had been rewarding and exciting, it couldn’t continue on in such an ad-hoc way. At the time, I blogged about it here. This then […]

After a year of planning, clarity: we convert sustainability interest into action

Green grass

At the most recent SWR Board meeting we supported a motion for full partnership with the Region of Waterloo’s TravelWise program, as it moves beyond its two year pilot and expands on its mandate. TravelWise will continue to provide incentives to employers to support their efforts to reduce the number of people driving alone to […]

365 days and counting

Green grass

How much can happen in a year? Relationships can build and fall apart. New skills can take shape, old ones can be perfected, and houses can be bought or sold. You move jobs, you make new connections, and you visit new places. You learn how to embrace self-reflection, you find a new mentor, and you […]

Where to Next? SWR Embarks on Strategic Planning

Green grass

“We’re undertaking a strategic planning process.” 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 […]