Canada is an amazingly beautiful country and a place which most Canadians feels extremely lucky to live. We have a relatively strong economy, a stable democracy, many natural resources, clean water, an abundance of energy, a national health care policy and education for everyone. Like every country it has its challenges; a few communities known for crime, indigenous communities which are lacking in essentials such as clean water, suitable housing and local schools. We have people who have somehow fallen out of the social welfare system and into the streets and others who use food-banks and hostiles just to survive. What’s not so evident is that we have a long way to go to become sustainable in our practices. We use far too much of the world’s non-renewable energy, we contribute far too much to climate change on a per capita basis through our carbon emissions and we contribute more to the worlds pollution than we should. Still, when compared to other places in the world, Canada is a wonderful place to live.

Each locality in Canada has its’ own charms and characteristics along with its’ benefits and challenges. I am extremely fortunate to live in Caledon, Ontario, a town of relatively small population on a large north west corner of Toronto. Caledon is a beautiful area. As I look out my office window, I look upon a forested green belt between my home and the sub-division up the hill from me. The air in Caledon is as clean as one can expect for any location in North America close to a major city except perhaps in our very small downtown core along the main highway which suffers from some traffic congestion during rush hour. It’s also quiet in my office except for the odd passing transport truck, aircraft or train. And there are farms, horse ranches, rivers and parks nearby, all within a few miles from my home. Living near a forested area is something I’ve become accustom to, but I always try not to take it for granted. » Continue reading “Town of Caledon “Ontario’s Greenest Town” still?”

One of my recent initiatives involves interviewing CEO’s, executives and sustainability officers about sustainability strategies that have worked for their organizations and the challenges they face in making cultural changes.

My goal is to use this blog (http://SustainabilityCulture.com) and my leadership development practice to share information with business, organizational and municipal leaders who are concerned with the creating a more sustainable world and more sustainable organizations but who don’t know how to start, or those who are already walking the path but need some guidance and encouragment, (i.e. someone to ”walk with them”) as they begin to make changes and apply innovative new ideas.

Sustainability is about more than just being friendly to our planet. We can be more friendly to our environment just by not driving our cars but we cannot keep our stomachs full and our economy rolling by not driving cars. Sustainability is about taking a pragmatic approach to creating a world that is productive and ever-advancing. In involves creating a world which provides for the needs of all earthly inhabitants now while ensuring that the future is also secure.

My hope is to attract business leaders who are looking for better ways to work which will lead to greater stability and better use of human and material resources while improving their ROI. By working together and sharing ideas, we can improve our businesses, improve our leadership practices, think more creatively about solving challenges, and create progressive business environments which effectively utilize and respect the world’s people and resources.

As I conduct the the interviews with leaders who have developed sustainability strategies my goal is to share both their challenges and successes. After interviews are completed, I will write articles to share this learning and experience with readers and I will invite positive feedback and helpful comments and suggestions.

If you are an Executives, business owner or municipal leader who has taken noteworthy initiatives or if you know someone who has taken actions to benefit the community or the world, please contact us. I hope to speak with as many of you as possible.

For more information on this initiative, please contact me (Garth Schmalenberg) at 416-919-6598.