Category Archives: News & Updates

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Green grass

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 Delicate Balance

Green grass

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.” […]

Coming Home

Green grass

It was August 2010 when I left the Events Manager staff position at Sustainable Waterloo Region. Having volunteered and worked here since the organization’s start, it was truly heartbreaking to leave, but I had my mind set on entering the world of teaching. For that reason, September saw me start at the WLU Faculty of […]

Ontario’s Energy Future and the Kitchener-Waterloo By-Election

Green grass

This past spring, Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Witmer resigned to embark on a new opportunity as chair of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. As such, residents of the riding of Kitchener-Waterloo will head to the polls in a by-election scheduled for Thursday, September 6th to elect her replacement. This by-election is unique. While they are […]

A Glimmer of Hope in Rio

Green grass

Watching the Rio+20 proceedings on Sustainable Development this past June, I couldn’t help but feel a little disillusioned with the stagnation and harmful rhetoric thatcame from the halls of Brazil. It’s the same disillusionment I felt when I decided to pursue a Masters in International Environmental Policy after my undergraduate degree in Business seemingly produced […]

When 300 Resumes Aren’t Enough

Green grass

I finished my undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo a few months ago and ever since, my colleagues and I have been on the prowl for jobs. Thanks to our mandatory co-op placements, we all have at least two years of work experience and have mastered the cover letter and resume. But, at least […]

Same Building, New Office

Green grass

As some may recall, this past September, the Sustainable Waterloo Region team made some fairly significant changes to our shared identity, including a move from our first office on King St. in Uptown Waterloo to our collaborative current space in the Tannery here in downtown Kitchener. We made this original move in response to a […]

Creating a Transparent Revenue Model for Policy Engagement

Green grass

At its inception in 2008, Sustainable Waterloo Region intentionally steered clear of commenting on issues of public policy. We made a strategic decision to focus on our core service offering (the Regional Carbon Initiative) and develop valuable stakeholder relationships across all sectors and partisan lines. This approach worked well for the organization but was questioned […]