Sustainability Star Awards 2024 is finally here! Join us at Cours Bayview Yards for a night dedicated to honoring the champions of sustainability. This in-person event will bring together industry leaders, environmental advocates, and change-makers to celebrate their outstanding contributions towards a more sustainable Eastern Ontario. Get ready to be inspired, network with like-minded individuals, and witness the recognition of sustainability stars.

Guest Speakers

In addition to the awards ceremony, the event will feature special guest speakers!

• John Kirkwood, president of Ontario Renewable Energy Co-operative (OREC).

• Amanda Wilson, Community Engagement Specialist at uOttawa.

• Paul Johanis, chair of the GreenSpaces Alliance of Canada's Capital.

The first National Capital Environmental Non-Profit Networking event of 2024 took place on Friday, January 26th! Attendees heard from Nature Canada, Ecology Ottawa, Create Change Collective, and Kemptville Campus about various initiatives they are working on across the region. The event started off with a land acknowledgement and brief introduction to the afternoon’s agenda, presentations from the organizations, and ended with a discussion and question period.

Our first presenter, Rae Landriau from Create Change Collective, discussed their organizations various initiatives surrounding environmental education, community engagement, and youth led climate action. Rae also highlighted CCC’s recent launch of ‘Colouring for Conservation’, a 40-page colouring book designed to educate individuals about species at risk in Canada and inspire them to take local actions towards conservation. Next, we heard from Dan Rutabingwa, Climate Campaigner at Ecology Ottawa, about their mission to create a green, resilient, and inclusive city. This includes imagining active, renewable, living, and citizen cities for a more sustainable future. Our third speaker was Autumn Jordan, who focused on her work with Nature Canada's Bird Friendly City and Town application program, as well as the importance of protecting birds and insects in-line with this year's Conservation Theme for World Migratory Bird Day. Finally, we concluded the event with a presentation from Leela Ramachandran, Project Manager at Kemptville Campus. In addition to providing more details on current undertakings, Leela also discussed long-term goals of the facility and upcoming events. Be sure to keep an eye out for their Eco-Farm Day, reforestation projects, pollinator/native plant garden, and more!

Sustainable Eastern Ontario would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all who attended and made this session so enjoyable. As always, make sure you keep an eye out for our next session in the upcoming months!

Join us and Heart Land team Andrea & Robin for the second of our sessions on Ecological Grief. Couldn’t make the first session? No worries – they are designed to stand alone. However, it is asked that you set the time aside to be able to join fully without distractions, and on time – late arrivals will not be accepted after 10:25AM. We also ask participants to read this shared agreement document beforehand.

 https://sustainableeasternontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Shared-Agreements-Online-2022-2.pdf

Andrea Prazmowski is Ottawa’s first Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide. She earned her certification in 2017 with the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy (ANFT) and has served as a mentor and trainer with ANFT. She has a journalism degree and has worked as a freelance writer and editor as well as facilitating learning groups and community partnerships of various kinds for more than 25 years.

You’re invited to join the Sustainable Eastern Ontario staff and Board of Directors for our Annual General Meeting, and perhaps more importantly, Sustainability Star Awards Presentation, Monday, Nov 21, starting at 6:30PM.

This year we’re having a low-key, drop-in style potluck snack celebration at our newest office at 136 Billings Ave in Ottawa. Stop by between 6:30 and 7:30 PM to grab a snack, share a snack, pick up your award if you won one, take some photos at our photo booth, and help us celebrate local sustainability leaders! The official AGM will take place at 7:30 PM after the festivities.

This year’s award winners are:

• Sustainable Youth Canada

• Greening Sacred Spaces (Ottawa)

• Sustainable North Grenville

• Re4M Design & Fabrication

• The Sustainable Capacity Foundation

Help us celebrate these innovators and community leaders, learn more about their groups, and network with other environmentally-minded folks.

Join the NCENN Network and Forest Therapy Guide Andrea Prazmowski for the first of two ecological grief sessions over Zoom on Friday, October 28th, 2022.

How do we sustain ourselves and stay resilient as we face the climate emergency and other global challenges? How do we stay awake to both the suffering and the beauty and strengthen our capacity to act for the healing of the world?

Over the course of two sessions, Heart Land will lead us in the deep wisdom of the work pioneered by Joanna Macy (The Work that Reconnects) to help us stay grounded, connected and clear in our purpose in these times. The process offers a range of practices — solo and group, reflective and interactive — to deepen into our connections with each other and the web of life, and help ourselves and others transform anxiety and overwhelm into inspired action.

Not sure you can make the second session in November? No worries, they are designed to be standalone!

Andrea Prazmowski is Ottawa’s first Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide. She earned her certification in 2017 with the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy (ANFT) and has served as a mentor and trainer with ANFT. She has a journalism degree and has worked as a freelance writer and editor as well as facilitating learning groups and community partnerships of various kinds for more than 25 years.

In this month’s NCENN the Ottawa Eco-Talent Network (OETN) will be taking the lead on the discussion and providing a general update on their network. Join us as they share their successes from recent community-based environmental projects and discuss organizational goals for the future. Additionally, hear from past and practicing OETN advisors on their experience of being a part of the advisor network and the personal targets they’ve achieved through collaborative project work.

 Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKvC4e4aL3E