So, you’ve already made the decision to commit your organization to improving its operational sustainability. (And if you haven’t, well, why not?) You probably made this decision for the most altruistic of reasons – “It’s the right thing to do!”, or “Preserving the planet so future generations can enjoy the things that we do.” But [...]
Sustainable Waterloo Region’s 3rd Annual Photo Contest
December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Sustainable Waterloo Region is pleased to announce the launch of its 3rd Annual Photo Contest! To date, our Photo Contests have been a great way to integrate the community into our Year-End Report and we are excited to do so again this year. This marks the third year where, instead of using generic stock photos [...]
Getting ‘WISE’ on Electric Vehicles
December 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Last week I, along with colleagues Sarah and David, test drove a new Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) through WISE (Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy) at the University of Waterloo. I was surprised by the general power, feel, responsiveness, and handling of the vehicle itself. Even at 110 km/h on the highway, the i-MiEV [...]
Scaling Up: Researching Province-Wide Collaboration
November 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Sustainable Waterloo Region, with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, has recently launched research into the possibility of scaling up the work of SWR to regions and communities across Ontario. In the past we have informally coached communities in Niagara (the Niagara Sustainability Initiative) and Hamilton (Sustainable Hamilton), however we have yet to establish [...]
Onwards and Upwards
October 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
While I often spend time in conversations related to planning and strategizing the future direction of this organization, I find reflecting on our work is equally important. And as I sit to write this post, my alma mater (Wilfrid Laurier), is in the midst of their Fall commencement ceremony – where they give students [...]
The Moving Diaries
October 20, 2011 By 2 Comments
In September 2011, Sustainable Waterloo Region’s office moved from its cherished Uptown Waterloo location. While sad to say goodbye to the office that saw the first two and half very formative years of the organization, the team is excited to make the move to the vibrant, creative and collaborative space that is the Tannery District. [...]
Keeping the Fire Going
September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In my last post, I framed my upcoming vacation as a mix of adventure & renewal. Following this theme, the night before being back in the office I wrote this update. — Renewal: In Search of Work Life Balance When I had set off on an extended time away from the office about a month ago, [...]
Organizational Culture – on a Budget!
August 18, 2011 By 1 Comment
Earlier this summer, some friends of Sustainable Waterloo Region nominated us for the prestigious Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures award, presented by Waterstone Human Capital. It was a challenge for us to decide whether or not to go ahead with this application, particularly because, although we pride ourselves on our organizational culture, as a [...]
Adventure and Renewal – On Hiatus July 22 – Aug 22
July 15, 2011 By 2 Comments
I’m writing this on a Friday afternoon. Like most days my head is full of ideas & excitement, my heart feels fulfilled, but I am absolutely exhausted. One telling sign was earlier this week – I found myself growing increasingly frustrated when having a hard time understanding a colleague, a routine discussion where in the [...]
The Most Important Decision at any Start-Up & A Welcome to Cam Scott!
July 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Of all decisions we make at Sustainable Waterloo Region, hiring full-time staff is – without a doubt – the most important one. This probably wouldn’t even conjure up much debate amongst local entrepreneurs, and the reason is a no-brainer: organizations are the people that contribute to them. When you do a good job hiring superstars, [...]
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