Organization Overview

Founded in July 2008 in response to imminent carbon emission policy, and with excitement for the opportunity presented to Waterloo Region’s business community to be part of local solutions to global climate change, Sustainable Waterloo is a not-for-profit that guides organizations in Waterloo Region towards a more environmentally sustainable future. To do so, Sustainable Waterloo facilitates collaboration between industry, local government, academia and NGOs.

The current work of Sustainable Waterloo is focused on the Regional Carbon Initiative, which supports voluntary target-setting and reductions of carbon emissions by organizations across Waterloo Region.

Among others, the business model used by Sustainable Waterloo has been successful in Silicon Valley and Toronto. Founded in 2001, an organization called Sustainable Silicon Valley has partnered with 95 organizations to reduce their CO2 emissions by over 850,000 tonnes since 1990. In Toronto, The Toronto City Summit Alliance has partnered with over 125 organizations to meet five key goals, including reducing CO2 emissions and air pollution.

Inspired by the success of these local initiatives and through the support of its four staff, over 20 volunteers, business partners, advocates, and the community at large, Sustainable Waterloo continues to engage industry-leaders, academics, local municipalities, and NGOs to discover ways to work together towards an environmentally sustainable and economically vibrant Waterloo Region.