Re-imagining our Neighbourhoods: A vision for the future of Alberta

Ottawa and Calgary, November 30, 2011—Neighbourhoods are the building blocks of society. They are the places we call home, where we live, work, and play. But what are the characteristics of a livable, vibrant, sustainable neighbourhood? A free new report released today by The Natural Step Canada and the Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF), Re-imagining our Neighbourhoods: A vision for the future of Alberta, begins to answer exactly that question.

A contribution to AREF’s 20th Anniversary Thought Leadership series, the report builds on The Natural Step Canada’s experience working with dozens of communities across the country to accelerate change toward sustainability over more than a decade.

Over the past few months, The Natural Step Canada engaged people in a dialogue about what sustainability means at the neighbourhood level. The new report provides a summary of ideas gathered from Albertans through a survey and an online forum, as well as from experts from across Canada through interviews.

RBC Business Insights recently featured the founder of The Natural Step Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert in a series of videos around sustainable business including defining sustainability and sustainability is a lifetime opportunity.

On the 11th and 12th of November, 17 professionals from consumer products and service businesses, NGO’s, universities and sustainability consultancies from 3 different regions of Spain came together in Barcelona for the first Spanish language Level 1 training. This course represents a milestone for the Asociación The Natural Step, the local group working to establish an activity hub for TNS in Spain, and the realisation of a shared dream to create the conditions for the emergence of a dynamic community of practice in Spain.

Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government

London, Ottawa, and Vancouver, November 15, 2011—A growing number of municipal governments across the country are aiming to become beacons of sustainability in their communities, but many are struggling to lead by example. A free new report released today, Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government, promises to help municipal change agents advance sustainability in their organizations and become role models for others in the community.

Developed as a collaboration between the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS), The Natural Step Canada, and Dr. Stephanie Bertels from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, the report is the result of a comprehensive review of municipal sustainability practices from across Canada. Based on leading research, the guide provides practical guidance for municipal practitioners and organizations to support a culture of sustainability in municipal governments.

Available for download and distribution for free, municipal change agents are encouraged to study this new resource, share it widely with their colleagues, and incorporate it into their municipal sustainability planning. Embedding Sustainability into the Culture of Municipal Government is available at www.thenaturalstep.org/canada/toolkits#municipalgovernment.

Long time partner of The Natural Step Sweden's Max Hamburger Restaurants chain continues to inspire the world with evidence that sustainable business pays off. The fastest growing restaurant chain's sustainability efforts were once again featured in the news, this time in an article by RealLeaders.

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“Max Restaurants cannot thrive in a society that fails.” This is the opinion of Richard Bergfors (YPO Sweden), president of Max Hamburger Restaurants, the fastest growing restaurant chain in Sweden. He has a vision for how restaurants should be run and it’s less about efficient preparation techniques and more about  how to create a better and more sustainable world that fills employees with meaning, purpose, and a positive culture. His vision for Max is to be a sustainable company in a sustainable world.

The Making of a Sustainability Champion: Passionate youth gain training, inspire each other, and lead sustainability projects in their community… Are you the next Champion?

“Oh! So you mean I'm a leader even though I’m not up on the front podium?” exclaimed Danielle, a soft spoken and bright participant in The Natural Step Canada’s recent Sustainability Champions Training in Ottawa (next session coming up in Edmonton). The other 15 young champions smiled, realizing this was a great moment in their new friend’s life. On a sunny fall afternoon in the park, discussing what we value about leaders in our lives, Danielle just realized she is a leader. That is what this work is all about and I am so proud to be a part of it.

Guelph and Ottawa, ON, November 8, 2011—Canadians across the country are making efforts to be more environmentally friendly in their day-to-day lives. Now they have access to a new information resource in Sustainability at Home: Decision making help for your everyday choices, a toolkit released today by The Co-operators in partnership with The Natural Step Canada.

Sustainability at Home helps Canadians identify opportunities to “green” their homes in a way that works within the capacity of nature to sustain us over the long term. It presents practical tips and ideas on a room-by-room basis. The toolkit is designed as a guide for every kind of household, large and small, and includes sustainability advice on everything from grocery shopping to landscaping to disposing of medication.

“By using the new Sustainability at Home toolkit, Canadian homeowners and tenants can make strategic decisions to advance sustainability in their homes, save money, and create a healthier living space for their families,” said Kelly Hawke Baxter, Executive Director of The Natural Step Canada.

As we prepare for an important leadership change at the end of the year, this is the last letter I will be writing as Executive Director. For me, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on the accomplishments made and opportunities ahead.

I am extremely proud of the work we’ve done over the past decade at The Natural Step Canada. It has been encouraging to witness progress being made and the huge increase in awareness of the need for more sustainable ways of living and working. And it has been equally encouraging to be part of the birth and development of a dynamic new non-profit organization in Canada.

But despite the fact that The Natural Step Canada has now worked with over 200 organizations across the country—which has led to thousands of sustainable actions—sustainability remains an even more urgent challenge today. We face critical and growing sustainability crises on many fronts and there is a mounting feeling that time is running out. As a society, it is clear that we still have a great deal of work to do to transform our financial and social systems, and to shift sectors of Canadian society to be aligned with principles of sustainability. The sustainability movement in Canada needs to redouble its efforts.

Since February 2011, The Natural Step in The Netherlands (The Flexible Platform) has worked with Philips and the City of Eindhoven to apply the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) as a mechanism for integration of innovation, governance and sustainability towards a sustainable society. Below you find a review of the process, published in Philips’ Research Intranet by Editor and Publications Manager at Philips, Peter van den Hurk.