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!