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 […]
Category Archives: News & Updates
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Dec
Dec
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
“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 […]
As I try to imagine what community consultation might have looked like a few decades ago, tools that come to mind include: telephone trees, posted letters, print advertising, type-written statements, and town-hall meetings to inform and engage community members. Many of these same tools are still in use today, but they are quickly being offset […]
This month, Sustainable Waterloo Region reached a milestone, announcing its 60th member of the Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI). When we launched the RCI in June 2009, 60 members seemed well out of reach with only 3 members in what was still very much just an idea. However, these ambitious and visionary first members – VeriForm […]
Last December, I vividly remember walking into the SWR office (unit 430C in the Tannery building at the time) the morning after some sneaky ‘elves’ had decorated for the holidays. I remember I was getting in early on a Monday morning, in a now-familiar effort to get ahead of the week. I remember it was […]
A few weeks ago I was on the phone with an SWR team member, and we were just ending a somewhat emotional conversation. Before we hung up, this team member reminded me, provocatively and with exasperation: “Mike, you need to let me and my team make mistakes, so that we can learn from them ourselves.” […]