As you may find, performing your best at work becomes much easier when your personal health is at its optimum state (let’s face it, nobody enjoys attending meetings when battling the flu).  While maintaining good health includes a combination of proper sleep, healthy diet and exercise, upkeep and motivation can slip away in the chilly and dull winter season. I am writing this blog to briefly share my experiences in incorporating green practices with good health, to share ideas about winter health in Waterloo, and in hopes of motivating others to take similar green health challenges during any season.

While local farmers’ markets like St. Jacobs Farmers Market  and Kitchener Market may not experience their thriving season in the winter, residents can still opt to select foods that are grown within a local or near-local radius and that are minimally processed. Selecting foods such as these usually carry the combined benefits of putting less pressure on the environment through limited manufacture processes and shorter delivery distance to your grocery store, and provide health benefits through their natural vitamins and minerals. In terms of selection, make choices similar to selecting apples rather than oranges for your go-to fruit; apples can be grown locally and they contain a variety of healthy vitamins.

Waterloo Region is beautiful in the snowy season! Taking a walk or bike ride around the city will provide you with a different experience than found here in the summer. Finding pleasure in the sights and sounds of winter can motivate you to spend time with nature more often, just make sure to bundle up! Some fun, active and impact-free things to do outside in Waterloo at this time of year are jogging, ice skating and tobogganing. Being active outdoors can provide a more sustainable option than using workout machines to work up a sweat, can enable you to relieve stress faster and allows you to easily change your surroundings.

Q.     What will the LRT system look like in 2017?
A.       

• The LRT system will be street-level rail technology, generally on either existing roads or rail corridors. Two-way traffic will remain on roads that have LRT.
• Examples of what LRT could look like can be found at: http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/videos-visuals.html
• Route maps can be found at: http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/maps.html

Q.     LRT is to be connected with a multi-modal transit hub at King St. and Victoria St. What is a “multi-modal transit hub”, and how will it impact riders and commuters?
A.       

• The development of a new transit hub will bring together the various forms of transportation in the region.
• The new transit hub is being planned to include:
  • Train platforms to serve inter-city GO train and VIA Rail services;
  • Bus bays to support Grand River Transit (GRT) and inter-city bus services such as GO bus and other private sector carriers;
  • Connections to and from the Region’s rapid transit system;
  • Facilities to integrate other forms of transportation such as taxis, car share, cycling and pedestrians; and
  • New development, such as commercial and office space, that would be served by a large multi-level underground commercial parking structure.

Q.     How will construction impact organizations and commuters? What can businesses do to mitigate the impact of this construction?
A.      Construction will be completed in stages, to limit the impacts of construction on any one area to a short period of time.  Every effort will be made to maintain the flow of traffic and access to businesses in construction areas.  A communication plan will be put in place to work with and inform the public, business owners, and property owners regarding timing for construction in each area, access options, alternate routes, etc.

Q.     Why was a public-private-partnership (P3), specifically a Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) procurement model, recommended? What are the potential strengths and weaknesses of a P3?
A.      A DBFOM procurement and delivery option would provide better accountability where performance may be related to either maintenance or operation because the same company is responsible for both. DBFOM would also transfer lifecycle risks such as major vehicle and track maintenance to the private sector. The Region would be responsible for those risks that it is best able to manage, such as fare setting and ridership risk. DBFOM would provide the following benefits:

• Cost: LRT design and construction can proceed at the same time, with significant time savings, better coordination and more efficient construction. The private company would have to deal with competitive pressure and answer to their lenders, so they would be inclined to provide a better value and a lower total project cost ensuring that the project is on time and on budget.
• Experience and qualifications: The private sector has more experience and qualifications than the Region with designing and constructing an LRT system. They also have more experience with operating and maintaining an LRT system at start-up, and with providing trained and certified staff to operate the light rail vehicles.
• Incentives: With DBFOM, payments and penalties based on performance would provide incentive for the private sector to complete the project on time and on budget. The payments and penalties would also apply to performance standards for operating and maintaining a high-quality LRT system over the long term. If the private sector does not perform to the standards set in the contract, it does not get paid.
• Risks: With DBFOM, the Region limits its risk by placing responsibility on the private sector.  The Region monitors the service and holds back payments if the private sector does not meet the contract performance standards.

Q.     Are there case studies that show where a P3 worked really well?
A.       

• Project:Canada Line (British Columbia)
  • Procurement Method: DBFOM
  • Description: The system was completed and put into service in late 2009, three months ahead of the due date. It has been acclaimed as a resounding success.
• Project:Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit Line (New Jersey)
  • Procurement Method: DBOM
  • Description: Construction for this project was completed on schedule. The system has been in service for approximately 15 years, meeting or exceeding contractual performance targets each year.
• Project:Nottingham Light Rail, Phase 1 and Phase 2 (United Kingdom)
  • Procurement Method: DBFOM
  • Description: Phase 1 opened for service in March 2004 and carries approximately 10 million passenger trips a year. Construction for Phase 2 will take place between 2012 and 2014.

Furthermore, the Evergreen Line in British Columbia (DBF) and the Ottawa Light Rail Transit project (DBFM) are both currently in procurement with three internationally-qualified bidders.

Q.     Will the use of DBFOM have any impact on a future Cambridge expansion?
A.      With the proposed DBFOM procurement option, the Region owns the infrastructure, the Region collects the LRT fares and the Region sets the LRT service levels and schedules. It would be up to the Region to plan the timing of Stage 2 LRT to Cambridge. The contractor would be paid by the Region to provide the service specified by the Region

Q.     Sustainable Waterloo Region’s Regional Carbon Initiative facilitates voluntary target-setting and reductions of carbon emissions in organizations across Waterloo Region. How will LRT support RCI members in reduc their emissions?
A.      Greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions are reduced by shifting travel from cars to rapid transit. LRT is projected to result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 22,260 tonnes per year by 2031.

Q.   What big decisions still have to be made?
A.

• Vehicle procurement
• Station design
• The name, branding, and logo for the system
• Issue a request for proposals (RFP) and select a preferred bidder consortium to design and construct the system

Q.     How can readers get involved in the process of designing and implementing LRT in Waterloo Region?
A.      Public consultation will continue throughout the project.  For example, the Region’s rapid transit team is hosting three public consultation centres as part of the Ontario Regulation 231/08 Transit Project Assessment Process. Information will be available at the centres regarding potential impacts that the rapid transit project may have on the environment.

Tuesday January 24, 2012, 3 to 8 p.m.

• First United Church, 16 William Street West, Waterloo

Wednesday January 25, 2012, 3 to 8 p.m.

• The Region of Waterloo, 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener

Thursday January 26, 2012, 3 to 8 p.m.

• The United Kingdom Club, 35 International Village Drive, Cambridge

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 let’s face it – you wouldn’t have made this decision if it wasn’t going to be good for business too, and we don’t blame you. There are a lot of benefits to “going green” that will boost your bottom line. If your organization is a Regional Carbon Initiative member, you already understand that companies with sound environmental management strategies and CSR policies outperform companies without. This is because environmental management systems result in cost-savings, attract top-notch talent, and through our experience, can benefit your brand through positive media coverage and reputation.

We at Sustainable Waterloo Region understand this too. That’s why we’re pleased to announce a brand new resource for Regional Carbon Initiative members designed to help them capitalize on these benefits. The Member Communication Package will help organization’s communicate their participation in the RCI and includes such tools as a sample press release to announce their membership, a welcome poster to display in their office and newly improved membership logos to further recognize their environmental commitment.

The goal of this package is to go beyond greenwashing to help RCI members communicate their real commitment to sustainability both internally to their team and externally to clients and the community at large. Regional Carbon Initiative members can find the package on MemberLink or contact Deb Bald, Sustainable Waterloo Region’s Communications Specialist to obtain a copy.

Happy communicating!

-Jenn

This year’s photo contest also has prizes! The winning photographs selected from the 3 main submission categories will each receive a $50 gift certificate for Borealis Grillhouse and Pub. We will also be providing a prize for our two new categories: best overall photo captured by a youth under the age of 18 and under the age of 12. These two categories were created to recognize the many great submissions we receive from youth in the Waterloo Region, they are an important part of our community and we are thrilled to include and honour them in this way.

The winning entries from all 5 categories will be featured in our Year-End Report and a number of other Sustainable Waterloo Region marketing materials throughout the year. Below are the winners from last year’s photo contest:

Taylor Jackson, A Backyard Beauty (Natural Environment)

Graham Day, Shared Discovery (Sustainable Behaviour)

Brian St. Denis, Bike in Alley (Community Action)

Click here for a copy of Sustainable Waterloo Region’s 2010 Report to see how the winning photographs were featured.

If you have a story that you would like to share with your community then we encourage you to enter our 3rd Annual Photo Contest! We are currently accepting entries via email (photocontest@sustainablewr.ca) and more information can be found on our website here. We’ve already received a few entries and the deadline is fast approaching, so don’t miss out! Get your submissions in before January 19^th 2012!

-Danielle

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 felt road-worthy beside other gas-guzzling vehicles!

On a single charge, the i-MiEV has a total driving range of 155 kilometres – enough to almost get to Mississauga and back, for a total cost of approximately $2.00 (http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs/environment-etv-techimiev-eng-126.htm).  In terms of cost, this is a relief from paying high prices at the gas pumps – although the i-MiEV retails for approximately $35,000.  However, does this technology really solve our transportation and mobility issues?

In the short term, maybe.  In the long term, no.  Although this is a next step in reducing our dependency on oil – it doesn’t help shift our behaviour as consumers and users of energy.  The i-MiEV helps us to feel better about reducing our emissions and our own bottom-lines.  This kind of technology and innovation is a band-aid approach to mitigating the effects of our energy-consuming habits.  Not to mention a shift in infrastructure to support charging these vehicles outside of your home.

I test drove the i-MiEV with a fleet sales representative from Mitsubishi and we had a good chat about the vehicle. But his mentality, like most in the retail, sales, and business arena, wasn’t connecting the pieces to the larger global picture.  How do we create more sustainable places to live by developing integrated transportation networks?  In what ways can this technology be used in other forms of transit, to reduce the number of vehicles with only one occupant?

The i-MiEV and other electric vehicle technology is certainly a positive step forward, and is a great option for vehicle fleets operated by municipalities, car shares, and other businesses (particularly for many of our RCI members).  However, we need to build a well connected infrastructure that supports multi-modal forms of transit and, ultimately, reduces our dependency on oil and hydro forms of energy.

CAT 2.0 is the second iteration of the carbon accounting software RCI members have been using for the past two and a half years to quantify GHG emissions, identify trends and reduction areas, and ultimately track reductions. Since the launch of the original Carbon Accounting Tool in June of 2009, we’ve been collecting comments and recommendations on how to improve it.  As you browse through CAT 2.0, we’re confident you’ll see how your feedback contributed to its enhanced features.

Logging in, you’ll notice right off the bat increased use of graphics and improved navigation. After a tour, you’ll notice our new reporting features and updated calculations functions.

Here are some of the key features in more detail:

New Reports: We hear more and more from members about how important the excel reports are for understanding their data. This year, we’re happy to announce three new reports to improve the legibility of GHG emissions data. First, members are quickly able to evaluate their progress towards their GHG targets by running the multi-year report which breaks down detailed GHG data by facility over a 10 year period.  Second, members are able to compare performances of their facilities with a single click by running the multi-facility report. This report breaks down the inventories of up to 50 individual facilities and compares them back-to-back-to-back. Finally, Members are able to evaluate the successes of their projects against the overall performance of their facilities by running the project report. This report draws from projects added to the new CAT 2.0 project page and contrasts the duration of the projects with overall GHG emissions so you can see the impact of projects on your inventory. More information on these reports, in addition to the older GHG and quality checking reports, can be found win the upcoming weeks in a Report and QA document to be released at our Technical Workshop on December 13.

Graphic Intensity: The new dashboard has more integrated graphic representations of your facilities’ energy data and costs. It allows for a quick overview of the past two years’ of data illustrating comparisons.

Navigation: A menu-driven navigation system has been implemented into CAT 2.0. Instead of old the navigation tree, the new menu makes it easier and quicker to find the pages you’re looking for. It also takes up less space on the screen so you can see more of your information.

RCI Integration: As the services in the Regional Carbon Initiative continue to grow, so does the integration with the CAT. One example is the project page. The page will tie in with our online Directory of Sustainable Initiatives which helps share best practices between members.  CAT 2.0 also has automatic e-mail reminders for key tasks (such as energy data uploading).  There is also a place to store collective documents which can be shared with RCI members as well. The CAT 2.0 also has one click links to both MemberLink and Sustainable Waterloo Region’s homepage.

Behind the Scenes Information: There are other important but less obvious improvements to the CAT 2.0 including: increased internet browser support, expanded emissions factor library, increased details on individual assets, update GHG calculation methodology.

For an individual tour of the CAT 2.0 please contact me at matthew.day@sustainablewr.ca or come to our next event on Tuesday, December 13 where we’ll be discussing best practices in GHG Reporting.

The Carbon Accounting Tool, known as the e3CAT, is e3 Solutions’ flagship greenhouse gas calculation and tracking software. It is currently being used by 50 organizations across North America. 39 of these users are RCI members.

-Matthew

As Research Manager of this Community Partnerships project, I have had the incredibly exciting opportunity to work with a wide-range of different individuals and organizations who either have an expertise or experience in scaling social enterprise or have a direct interest in the successful implementation of a provincial-wide strategy. Organizations like Social Innovation Generation (SiG), the Center for Social Innovation, MaRS Discovery District, and Capacity Waterloo Region have been instrumental in informing the strategic direction of my research, as well as the direct input from already established community organizations. Here among other things, I have learned an important lesson in what it means to scale up as opposed to scale out: “scaling out” is replication of programs, products, ideas, and innovative approaches; whereas “scaling up” implies directing efforts towards larger scale variables and thus impacting the system that created the social problem in the first place.[1]

Sustainable Waterloo Region is in no way trying to replicate our programs and initiatives across the province, but we are certainly looking to enable systemic change in the provincial culture towards organizational sustainability. Based on our experience, we understand that true change comes from the ground up, necessitates community involvement, and involves measured, tangible action. Likewise, we recognize that each community has its own economic circumstances necessitating a homegrown solution to their regions’ organizational sustainability challenges. Just as Sustainable Waterloo Region empowered an External Working Group (EWG) consisting of members of our community to inform the Regional Carbon Initiative framework, we hope our experience in community building can help inform communities across Ontario to do the same.

Similarly, as we begin to define our strategy to scale up provincially, we are convening a working group of key stakeholders in our provincial network to help inform us what exactly it is the provincial community wants, what is missing at the provincial level, and collectively where we need to go to achieve social change. This working group will gather at the end of November at the Center for Social Innovation in Toronto, with the support of the Sustainability Network, to allow for an open and constructive discussion of shared interests and goals. Just as the EWG led to community engagement in the Regional Carbon Initiative, we hope this working group will lead to a shared sense of ownership and empowerment among stakeholders across our provincial network.

While the research is still young, and many questions remain, there is certainly a sense that if Sustainable Waterloo Region can continue to engage the right leaders in this field, partner with similarly aligned organizations, and build capacity to enable communities in need, there is hope we can catalyze greater systemic change in organizational sustainability across the province.

-Miles

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 opportunity to reflect on their time at the institution. So the timing feels right, not to mention that one of our own team members, Miles DePaul, is there to receive his Masters degree from the newly formed Balsillie School of International Affairs.

Looking back just six months, I’m amazed by how many areas of the organization have changed.

Most exciting for me is the number of new programs we’ve launched:

• The Climate Collaborative: In August we formally announced this new partnership between Sustainable Waterloo Region, REEP and the Region of Waterloo, where we will be developing a community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and reduction action plan for all of Waterloo Region. Three years in the making, I’m thrilled with the extent to which area municipalities and our local utilities have participated in the work to-date, and I can’t wait to share more about the vision. This is a unique opportunity to unify our region on working together towards sustainability, to include everyone in the process and to rally support from every area of our community.
• Community Partnerships: We are currently researching the opportunity to move beyond informal coaching of other communities (like Niagara and Hamilton) towards a scalable program that assists other regions adopting similar models. This program would help regions across Ontario advance their community-driven and action-oriented efforts towards organizations working towards sustainability targets.
• Policy Engagement: Recognizing the importance of addressing sustainability at a policy level, we developed a Board-approved, non-partisan approach to policy engagement that also provides additional benefits to our current service offerings. I’m excited with our two efforts completed to-date. First, we supported Region-wide light rail transit, which was approved by Regional Council in mid-June. Second, we partnered with the David Suzuki Foundation to release an expert review of Ontario energy policy to a crowd of 150+ at our first educational forum of our 2011/12 Regional Carbon Initiative (RCI) event season.

At the same time the RCI has continued to see success with new efforts. We’ve brought on seven new members, while adding new resources, including a toolkit to assist members in creating a GHG action plan.

Internally, of course we also just completed a complete rebrand, renamed to Sustainable Waterloo Region, and have moved into our new home at the Tannery District in downtown Kitchener.

And how have we added the capacity to do all this? The staff team has grown from 3 FTE + 1 person on short term bridge funding, to 6 + 1 person on a short term contract (4 of which have degrees at the Masters level or higher – yours truly not being one of them!). And this doubling of staff has in turn enabled us to create, fill and support 12 new volunteer positions.

I’m so proud of our team for the impact we’re having, but more so: I’m excited for the conversations, the action, and the progress that organizations of all shapes and sizes across Waterloo Region are making – and the leadership this community is showing for others across the province.

With this excitement comes unique and interesting challenges. As we continue to grow the RCI, how do we continue to improve service without adding additional staff? Beyond the RCI, what does it look like for a start-up, grassroots eNGO to move beyond just one flagship initiative?

And what does this change look like:

• How do you maintain a common culture when you add 15 new people to a team of 30 in less than six months?
• How do you maintain adequate communication across the organization, while still encouraging people to work “where and when they’re at their best” and while a majority of team members have other full-time commitments?
• What effect – if any – does this all have on an organization’s governance model?
• What about me – as Executive Director, how does this shift where I spend my time: what meetings should I participate in, and how can I aim to more strongly empower the staff team?
• And what of the big challenges – what effect does all this change have on them? Of note, we are still hoping to see more RCI members making GHG commitments (we hope to have an announcement about this soon!), we still are yet to break-even on earned-revenue and our staff still isn’t fairly compensated (though we’re on the right trajectory).

While I was hoping to get at some of this here, instead I’ll use some of these questions as a launching point for my next post.

In the meantime, we’re definitely not sitting on our laurels. Our next educational forum will bring a high profile CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) to share with our community her lessons and learnings on approaching sustainability in a truly cross-functional way. RCI members will be transitioning to a “version 2.0″ of e3 Solutions’ carbon accounting software on Dec 1, just in time to make reporting easier in advance of our 2011 Report (to be released Apr 2012). And of course all the new programs identified above – namely policy engagement and community partnerships – will need to find ongoing program models. And all the while, the Board continues to investigate other potential initiatives that would support local organizations to integrate sustainability into what they do, beyond anything related to GHGs.

My good friend Mary Jane Patterson – Executive Director at REEP – often signs off emails with a fitting mantra: “Onwards and upwards”.

-Mike

Day 1 – Wednesday, September 28

I’m pleased to bring you the Day 1 recap of The Moving Diaries.  A super team of five got a great start on the painting.   David – one of our co-op students this semester tackled the heights, Amanda – our Administrative Coordinator taped like a pro, her partner Pieter’s tall reach was very helpful, Matthew – our RCI Program Manager and our Executive Director, Mike did some of the fastest, most creatively-patterned paint rolling I’ve ever seen. (oh, and I stood around giving directions and taking photos ).  Lindsay – our Marketing Resources Coordinator and Levi – our IT Systems and Account Coordinator stopped by too to drop off some loaner supplies.  Thanks everyone.

Our new space is going green – literally! The feature green wall is pictured below – the other three walls will be a bright white.  We’re using “Lifemaster” VOC-free paint from Dulux – it’s a premium paint, but on sale 2-for-1 right now (thus both economically and environmentally sustainable!).

Mike had the great idea of awarding an MVP for each work shift.  I’m pleased to announce that the Day 1 MVP is…. drum roll please…  David Valade!!!   Dave (pictured atop the ladder) receives this MVP for his aptitude and bravery for painting from the tops of a very tall ladder (others were not as brave – who shall remain nameless), and astute brush cleaning skills!   An Honourable Mention goes to Pieter, who helped out despite not being a SWR team member himself, but he is connected to a great one in Amanda.

The painting train will continues with the Thursday team of Isabel, Alex, Lisa, Pam & Dave H – see you then!

Sarah

Day 2 – Thursday, September 29

A Day 2 update from the paint-a-polooza party…

Suite 430c is really starting to look like “our space”!   Some magical painting happened tonight. Wielding brushes and rollers, the team of Alex – another of our co-op students, Isabel – our data analysis expert, Lisa – our Member Support Manager, Pam – our HR Manager & Dave – our Web Manager (who sacrificed a date night to join us   painted every inch of the room!

MVP for the night goes to…. Isabel!   The first to arrive, Isabel (pictured) steadily worked away in her happy, soft-spoken manner…. She painted edges, spotted ladders and supplied us with tunes (surprisingly revealing that she’s a metalhead!).   Thanks to Isabel and EVERYONE from the Thursday night team for making outstanding progress.

Tomorrow is when things get crazy… one crew will be starting at The Tannery on the last round of significant painting.   Another crew will begin the day at 22 King, packing, and loading, then unloading and unpacking.   A variety of staff and volunteers will be lending a hand throughout the day.

We look forward to seeing you all – even if it’s just to stop by and say hi!

-Sarah

Day 3 – Friday September 30

WHAT A DAY!

Today was a busy one.  There were movers.  There were shakers.  There were room-magic-makers.

Day 3 started with half painted walls and ended with three gleaming walls of white and one of show-stopping green.  At dawn, the worldly belongings of SWR could be found at 22 King Street, Waterloo, and by dusk all things SWR had found a new home at 121 Charles Street, Kitchener.  (who’s that guy in the pick-up truck?? Doesn’t he usually ride a bike around town??).

None of this could have happened without the efforts of Janet – our Financial Operations Coordinator, Thomas – our Research Coordinator, Jenn – our PR Coordinator & Social Media Manager (and her partner, Bryan), Rebecca – our Finance Manager, Alex, Cam – our Development Manager, Helena – our Events Manager, Mike – our Executive Director, Miles – our Community Partnerships Manager, Danielle – one of our co-op students, David V, Amber – our PR Generalist, Victoria, and Rodney – our Web Content Coordinator (on his birthday!!).

It was tough to pick an MVP today… so many people produced so much awesomeness, but there had to be a winner and today it was …. A TIE between Bryan Abel and Rodney Martin! (like it or not, some games have to end in ties).   As if we aren’t lucky enough already to have Jenn, she often can be found with the likeable Mr. Abel, who today toiled away from 9am until 7pm helping the moving crew and even lending the services of the Abel family van.  Despite not being an official volunteer, this guy does a heck of a lot for our organization.  Also very worthy of the honour is Rodney – the birthday boy!  Before moving on to his birthday celebration, Rodney stuck around for hours getting our internet connection figured out, hooking up the printer, and otherwise lending a hand.  Thank you to Rodney, Bryan and EVERYONE for your incredible teamwork today!

-Sarah

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an update on our new space! We look forward to hosting you at an Open House on November 1st! Details to come.

Camping on Lake Huron

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

Tonight, I think I have a sense. First – maybe most importantly of all – it’s that I’m genuinely excited about returning to work. It’s a wonderful feeling: I can’t wait to hear how various members of the team have been empowered in my absence, the leadership different people have taken, and the progress the team has made while I’ve been away. I’m looking forward to guiding the direction of some key projects, and kickstarting some new ones. Most of all though, I’m excited to listen to the team and other key people I interact with day to day – to learn from them about what we can collectively learn from this experience. In my travels, often I would hear of people dreading their return to work following time away, and so to have enjoyed my vacation as much as I did, while also genuinely looking forward to returning – this I’m very thankful for.

Second, I think being refreshed has something to do with my ability to focus. I’d call this my ‘sharpness’. I feel like I’m both speaking & thinking more clearly these days. I’m ready for new challenges, new problems to solve, and to support others in theirs. In a sense, while my mind has been working at the day to day challenges presented by this adventure from the past 30 days, now I feel like I might be ready to tackle bigger picture issues again.

Adventure: In Search of a Place to Sleep

So what was this adventure? Well, let me first say that it didn’t all go according to plan.

Various changes meant that I only biked for half as long as I expected to. It contributed to the fact that on fully six mornings during the trip, I didn’t know where I was to sleep that night. But I certainly got around quite a bit: I moved from the shores of Lake Huron, to the wineries of Prince Edward County, to the backpacking trails of Algonquin Park and the urban beaches of Vancouver, BC. Perhaps not surprisingly, I re-learned what a beautiful & breathtaking province & country we live in.

My Brother Rob and I in Prince Edward County

During the trip I stayed with 4 different homes or cottages of either Sustainable Waterloo alumni or our current team members, couch surfed, stayed at a friend’s place, or found a place more by happenstance. While of course relying on others to provide accommodation considerably reduced my expenses during the trip, more importantly for me this was about connecting with people I knew, as well as those I didn’t. Maybe not surprisingly, most of my highlights from trip were as a direct result of the people I stayed with. I re-learned how much deeply I value a sense of community – both as a theme during the trip, and as something I missed about Waterloo towards the end of it.

Hiking in Algonquin Park

I’ll end with one particular challenge from the trip that connected me with Sustainable Waterloo: starting a fire my first night in the wilderness of Algonquin Park, where my brothers and I had backpacked 13km to get to our campsite on beautiful Maggie Lake. While we’d all been to some level of scouts in our younger days, years later our fire starting skills were now certainly lacking. Equipped with a small lighter, damp wood, and limited newspaper supplies, we each tried to get it started on our own, to no avail. With each failed attempt, I continued to internalize how critical this fire was to each of our immediate well-being – not only would it be the entertainment for the evening, it would boil non-potable water from the lake, and maybe most importantly, it would keep us warm on what felt like an unusually cold August evening. And as we continued to fail getting the fire going, increasingly the most important aspect – for me at least – was to show us that we could do this together. And so that’s exactly what we did. The three of us co-created the plan to get it going. With a plan that I’ve since learned is similar to the ‘log cabin’ approach, my older brother found the driest wood around. When one of us would worry about it never starting, another would instill confidence that we would. I think my greatest contribution was in my own determination to see the fire start, and secondly in my aptitude for blowing air in the limited flames we had in the early going! As we began running out of paper to help start the fire, my younger brother even sacrificed the last few pages of his beloved crosswords. And with that, eventually we had 2, then 3, then 4 small pieces of wood lit – eventually leading into the whole fire; at which point of course we celebrated like our favourite hockey team had won the Stanley Cup.

While I’m proud of our collective ability, I couldn’t help but internally draw the comparison to the challenge of starting Sustainable Waterloo over the past few years. Certainly we’ve got a fire going here, the plan to get to this point was absolutely co-created, and it’s taken all of our team’s collective abilities to get successive pieces of wood lit.

Tonight, I have a fire burning inside of me to amplify that of the Sustainable Waterloo team.

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Having now been back at the office for the past 2 weeks, I can say it’s been a lot of fun. I have done a ton of listening, and I’ve been so amazed by the degree to which so many of our volunteers & staff were empowered in my absence. While there is no shortage of work to catch-up on, I’m proud to say that it’s good to be back. My hope is to continue to be diligent in managing my work/life balance – as well as supporting that of our team members – so that this sense of ‘renewal’ sticks around. At the end of the day, this work is too much fun to allow myself to become worn down by too much of it.

-Mike