2
New Programs
By The Numbers 2025
20+
Events held in 2025
20+
Municipalities catchment areas
1,000+
Attendees across SWR events
19
New microforests
1,910
Trees planted
345
volunteers engaged in planting
5,183
trees and shrubs planted since 2021
Up, Out, Deep
We need to do more.
That has been the pervasive thought for the past few years. The urgency of the climate crisis, paired with the increasing possibilities of new technologies, systems, and energy sources, makes that fact even more urgent.
It is not time to sit on our hands, or to consider only one way of doing what has to be done. In fact, in 2025, SWR’s work, across the entire team, all programs, and the wider community network, has been to scale.
To do more.
Scaling up, scaling out, scaling deep.
There is not one part of our organisation that has not grown, stretched, or scaled in the past year. It is new software and tools, new programs, more plantings and trees, new events and festivals, sector scale mitigation, new partnerships and communities, and connecting our work to national movements and best practices.
Through all of this, we remain deeply committed to the communities that we serve. This work, all the scaling and stretching, all the new programming, supports, and resources, is part of our mission to create a better future.
We share these stories, the work that has been done, the vision and intention behind it, to invite you in. At a time when it can sometimes feel too hard, it is coming together of all the partners in the work that lifts spirits, enabling everyone to be a joyful part of the work.
We are going up, out, deep into the work and we are grateful you are on that journey with us.
Barry and Tova
Barry Colbert Ph.D. Board Chair
Tova DavidsonTova Davidson
"Above all we must realize that each of us makes a difference with our life. Each of us impacts the world around us every single day. We have a choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place."
— Jane Goodall
SWR Award Winners
Rookie of the Year Crozier Consulting Engineers
Partner of the year City of Guelph
Sustainability Breakthrough of the Year CSAE
Champion of the year Patrick and Crystal Dufresne (Wood Rescue)
Local Climate Action Waterloo Region Climate Collaborative
Scaling Up
Technology for Good
Continuing the development of a premium AI platform that supports and encourages deep-energy building retrofits in the region and beyond.
Industry Engagement
Working with municipalities and climate action groups to determine what supports are needed within various sectors to achieve climate goals.
Sustainable Events
Supporting the 2026 Ontario Summer Games with sustainability planning to reduce environmental impact in partnership with Explore Waterloo Region.
Scaling Out
Boosting Employee Engagement through INgage
In response to our members’ needs for increased engagement, we developed the INgage platform where members can post challenges and have their employees complete them. The platform was also a highlight of the Carbon Cleanse experience in 2025.
Municipal Scale IC&I Engagement
SWR partnered with the City of Guelph to deliver the second annual IC & I summit to highlight the value of cross sector coordination in meeting Guelph’s broader climate goals, as well as helped create momentum for organisations to adopt or strengthen sustainable practices moving forward in the coming year.
Supporting Sustainable Tourism in the Region
For the first time, SWR tracked the GHG emissions of three events that were hosted in the Region of Waterloo in 2025. This was done in partnership with Explore Waterloo Region to deliver on our joint commitment to promote sustainability within the tourism sector in the Region.
Scaling Deep
Eco Magic Sparked a Bigger Idea
Innovation rarely follows a straight line. In early 2025, SWR partnered with a local AI firm, Gambit Technologies, through the Changemaker Demo Program to explore how AI could support sustainability work in a practical manner.
The result was the Eco Magic Super Tool, an AI-powered engine designed to help organisations turn sustainability concepts into clear, defensible business cases. By combining SWR’s frameworks and case studies with Gambit’s conversational AI, the tool empowered users to move from idea to execution.
As the tool took shape, the collaboration revealed a broader high-value opportunity to apply the same approach to deep energy building retrofits.
It became the foundation for a larger initiative funded by the Government of Canada. One with the potential to change how organisations across Canada assess and advance retrofit projects: Scout.
Impact Network
2025 Stats
33,000+
Employees supported
71,680.7
Tonnes of GHG reduced to date
70+
Members
45,549.8
Tonnes of GHG committed to date
9
New members
270+
New visitors to INgage
New Members
Our network has expanded again. We welcomed nine organisations into the network in 2025. We’re excited to see what they’ll achieve in the coming year! Together, we can create a lasting impact and collaborate on innovative solutions to the challenges we face.
Thank you for joining our network—we look forward to working alongside you and supporting each other in our shared mission for a more sustainable future!
Partnership with Explore Waterloo Region
Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR) and Explore Waterloo Region (EWR) have collaborated to promote sustainability across tourism sectors including business events, sports, group tours, and leisure sectors in Waterloo Region. This partnership aims to foster a culture of sustainability, support emissions reduction through measurement and reporting, and provide resources to build capacity and expand sustainability knowledge among members.
2025: The 11th Annual Carbon Cleanse
2025 saw the eleventh annual Carbon Cleanse. As a month-long employee sustainability engagement campaign, Impact Network member organisations have the opportunity to participate in a number of activities. This year’s event ran during the month of October, with weekly themes of Energy, Transportation, Waste, and Water. Over 150 participants from a dozen organisations joined in the challenges, designed to help incorporate sustainable habits into their day-to-day lives. VCT claimed their first ever win with a whopping total of 12,850 points! Their impressive determination and collaboration were displayed through their company-wide no-cook potluck, stuff swap, and engagement with INgage, our new employee engagement tool, helping them climb to the top of the podium this year. Finishing in second place, MTE Consultants Inc. followed with outstanding results, blazing through the energy enthusiast challenge with a high number of participants. AET Group Inc. secured the third spot on the podium. Their exceptional work during transportation week highlighted their commitment to building more sustainable practices in their everyday lives.
Carbon Cleanse Winners!
Participants found the cleanse ‘’exciting, enjoyable, fun, enlightening, informative and engaging”.
Carbon Cleanse Had:
13
Member Organisations
1000+
Submissions
150+
Participants
Gallery
Carbon Cleanse Sponsors
We would like to extend a special thank you to Bruce Power, Explore Waterloo Region, Downtown Kitchener BIA, Gifted, Uptown Waterloo, and Township of Woolwich, for sponsoring this year’s Carbon Cleanse. Our sponsors helped us ensure that all participants were motivated to complete the challenges, helped with sponsoring prizes and encouraged us to continue sharing the importance of sustainability in our community. We would like to thank everyone who participated and supported us throughout our 11th year of Carbon Cleanse. Through Carbon Cleanse, we hope to foster a culture of sustainability which continues beyond the month-long challenges and implements lasting change. You have shown us time and again that working together fosters real change.
Impact Network members by industry
51%
Knowledge & Public Sectors
- Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
- Educational Services
- Information and Cultural Industries
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- Public Administration
33%
Consumer & Business-Oriented
- Accommodation and Food Services
- Retail Trade
- Finance and Insurance
- Health Care and Social Assistance
- Other Services (except Public Administration)
- Real Estate and Rental and Leasing
16%
Resource-Based
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting
- Utilities
- Construction
- Manufacturing
Members Stories
Arcadian Projects
City of Kitchener
Green Party of Ontario
Little Mushroom Catering
Municipality of North Perth
VCT Group
Wood Rescue
Township of Centre Wellington
Township of Mapleton
Member Phases
We have streamlined our process by transitioning from a 4-step milestone framework to a more efficient 3-step approach. The new process focuses on three key stages: Onboarding, Tracking, and Reporting, allowing for a more simplified and effective path toward reaching sustainability goals.
Ongoing Actions
- Share sustainability stories
- Schedule support meetings with Impact Network team
- Attend events
- Participate in Carbon Cleanse
- Complete annual survey
Ongoing Supports
- One-on-one coaching
- Green Team support
- Free admission to all SWR events
- Networking opportunities between members
- Access to MemberLink with resources
Pledging Members 2025
Our GHG Pledging Partners commit to reducing their environmental impact by setting either absolute or intensity-based reduction targets:
Absolute targets aim to reduce an organisation's total emissions or water impacted by a targeted amount.
Intensity-based targets aim to reduce emissions or water impacts relative to a particular organisation's growth factor or performance indicator. Intensity metric values could include reductions per: square metres of office space, full-time employees, or products produced.
GHG
Green Economy Canada
The Impact Network is one of seven Green Economy Hubs across Canada supporting a growing network of businesses and organisations to set and achieve sustainability targets. Together, we're demonstrating a more sustainable economy is possible.
Key terms to know are:
GHG
Greenhouse Gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to the warming of the planet.
Target Line
This represents the planned trajectory for reducing GHG emissions or waste over time.
Absolute Emissions
Indicates the total GHG emissions produced by the organisation.
Intensity Emissions
Indicates GHG emissions divided by a particular growth indicator.
Scope 3 Reporting
Indicates indirect sources of GHG emissions captured in the organisation's target.
Water Focus Areas
Shows areas where members have reduced their water usage.
GHG & Water Targets
Specific goals set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize water usage.
Waste Diversion Target
Specific goals to reduce the waste sent to landfills by recycling, composting, and reusing material.
Microforest
A microforest is a small area of land that is returned to a natural state through the planting of native trees and shrubs.
Microforests are planted on non-developable land and can be as small as a city residential building lot (500 square feet). A microforest is a great way to naturalize a small piece of land in urban areas and has many ecological and social benefits.
Without the help of our sponsors, land contributors and volunteers we would not be able to do what we do, and plant the hundreds of trees we have! Check out our sponsors page here, and look below to see how you can get involved.
The Microforest program aims to encourage organisations across Waterloo Region to help reforest our urban spaces by sponsoring a forest, hosting a forest, volunteering to plant a forest, or all three!
“We’re proud to partner with SWR to take visible, local action that demonstrates our shared commitment to environmental sustainability."
— Sarah Hughes, President & CEO of GrandBridge Energy
| Year | Stats |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 170 trees planted |
| 2022 | 590 trees planted |
| 2023 | 1046 trees planted |
| 2024 | 1467 trees planted |
| 2025 | 1910 trees planted |
Total Program Stats Section
Cumulative
- 55 sites
- 5183 trees
- 12,957.5 kg of carbon sequestered
2025
- 19 sites
- 1910 trees
- 4,775 kg of carbon sequestered
2024
- 16 sites
- 1467 trees
- 3,667.5 kg of carbon sequestered
2023
- 12 sites
- 1046 trees
- 2,615 kg of carbon sequestered
2022
- 6 sites
- 590 trees
- 1,475 kg of carbon sequestered
2021
- 2 sites
- 170 trees
- 425 kg of carbon sequestered
Carbon Sequestered = # of trees x 2.5 kg
Breaking Ground and Growing Together: Highlights from Our 2025 Microforest Season
The microforest program was created both to support the movement towards a low carbon, equitable future through renaturalization, but also to create ways that we can support organizations to engage their teams in tangible ways. With the support of the Ages Foundation, we planted the first two forests in 2021 on the grounds of two schools in Cambridge Ontario.
SWR is proud to share that this year, our shovels broke ground on 19 new microforests, each contributing to the naturalization of small urban spaces. Since our program began in 2021, we have planted 5,183 trees and shrubs across 55 microforests, steadily increasing the number of plantings each year. We are always delighted to welcome both returning and new partners, collaborators, and sponsors as our program continues to grow. Looking back on the year, it’s rewarding to reflect on our accomplishments, the communities we’ve served, and everyone who helped make this year so successful.
Where did we plant?
Microforests were planted in locations all across Waterloo Region, including:
- Six schools within the Waterloo Region District School Board
- Five city parks in Kitchener
- Four privately owned locations
- Two plantings at the David Johnston Research & Technology Park
- One school within the Waterloo Catholic District School Board
- Fountain Street Soccer Complex (Cambridge)
These plantings contribute to expanding urban canopy cover, creating greener, cooler, and more vibrant public spaces across Waterloo Region.
We were excited to return to Farm Mutual Re and Pfenning’s Organic Farm, celebrating our third year of planting at each and seeing how these microforests continue to thrive. Conestoga College, Waterloo Campus also joined our growing list of urban forests. It was wonderful to have faculty, staff and students join in on the planting.
Roots in Community
One of the year’s highlights was our very first community tree planting event at Mausser Park, co-hosted with the City of Kitchener as part of the 2025 Community Canopy program. It was an absolute pleasure to have Tim Louis, MP for Kitchener-Conestoga, and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic join us for the occasion. Families, friends and neighbours of all ages came together to plant trees, roll up their sleeves, and celebrate nature. This planting was a huge success, and we hope to make it a regular tradition, bringing people together to grow our green spaces year after year. Thank you to the sponsors of this planting AET and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.
Nurturing Nature: Our First Maintenance Planting
Another highlight of the year was our first-ever maintenance and replanting event. We returned to our inaugural microforest at Avenue Road Public School with a small but dedicated group of volunteers to carry out some replanting, re-mulching and litter cleanup. It was a wonderful opportunity to pause and reflect on how much the microforest program has grown. Interested in being part of our volunteer maintenance team? Reach out at microforests@sustainablewr.ca.
It was a fantastic year, filled with many ‘firsts’, familiar faces and new friends. The season was full of smiles, hard work and a shared sense of accomplishment. These moments not only helped our microforests thrive but also strengthened our community, leaving us excited for the year ahead.
If you’re interested in joining our Microforest Program, we’re already planning for 2026! Our goal is to plant 22 new microforests across the communities we serve, and we’re always looking for new partnerships and opportunities. Interested in sponsoring, volunteering, or hosting a microforest? Discover how you can get involved by reaching out to us at microforests@sustainablewr.ca.
Fill out this form to get involved!Email microforests@sustainablewr.caA big Thank you to our volunteers and sponsors of 2025!
See more about Microforest
ClimateActionWR
Engagement
2
Events hosted
515+
Attendees
9
Events attended (tabling/booth)
160+
Community members engaged
13
Volunteers engaged
330+
Attendees
7
Community climate action & TransformWR presentations
10
Taking on Climate Change Workshops
900+
Community members engaged overall
Waterloo Region Climate Fest
In September 2025, ClimateActionWR hosted the first Waterloo Region Climate Festival, a community-led celebration of local climate action. The festival brought our community together to showcase practical climate solutions and inspire collective action. With over 500 attendees, the event featured climate inspired art & performances, interactive booths, workshops, creating meaningful opportunities for residents to connect directly with those advancing climate action across Waterloo Region.
Youth Climate Action Fund
We had an opportunity this year to spin up some student-led mitigation projects with two classes at Kitchener secondary schools. This initiative was made possible through the Youth Climate Action Fund at the City of Kitchener. Through a series of hands-on workshops, ClimateActionWR guided students to develop creative ideas for a climate mitigation project of their choice for their school community. Our workshop began with an exploration of local climate challenges and the importance of collective action, giving students the foundation they need to design solutions that could make a difference in our local community.
One class worked on creating solar-powered charging carts that can be moved around their school for students to charge their laptops with less impact. The second class chose to expand a pollinator garden by purchasing rain barrels to support more accessible watering, as well as more plants and trees.
Dashboard
Each year we work with organizations across Waterloo Region to update the TransformWR Dashboard. Our dashboard provides resources and progress made on our community’s climate action plan all in one place. While we still have a long way to go, we have progress updates on 58% (46 of 78) of the actions in TransformWR. This plan takes us to 2030, so we are just past half way and we are just beginning to see the fruits of our labour. Accelerated action is making a difference in our community, but we can’t let up!
Check out the TransformWR progress dashboard
Organics
2025 Statistics
The Organics program is a collaborative procurement program to support businesses, organisations, and multi-unit residential locations to take organic waste out of landfill. Through this program, participants help reduce diversion costs, support sustainability and contribute to community well-being, while converting organic waste into renewable natural gas and fertilizer.
1.28
tonnes of GHG emissions reduced/month
4.84
tonnes of waste diverted from landfill/month
812.92
kWh of clean energy generated/month
87.5%
of respondents found the program to be useful
4
events diverted food waste
30+
participating organizations
58+
tonnes of waste diverted
300+
bins collected/month
Organization Spotlight: Royal City Mission
Royal City Mission offers a safe and respectable space for people to gather, opening an opportunity for the community to develop. They are committed to creating a community that reflects their deepest values: Relationship, Justice and Beauty. Their ethos guides their behaviour, decisions and commitments in every aspect of their service. It is rooted in the teachings of non-violence, compassion, love and inclusivity.
Their main work is done through a drop-in program, meal program, worship service and outreach. They serve over 1,800 free meals a week to those in need and provide a safe place for people to gather and find shelter from the elements. Along with food, daytime shelter, and community, they provide other basic needs like shower and laundry facilities, belonging bins, and social activities. They provide spiritual care through worship services on Sundays. They also provide job readiness skills through our outreach programs.
Daniel Bell, pastor and facilities manager said: "We didn’t have a program before and are really grateful to be a part of the full cycle of dealing with organics and reducing food waste. We often work with leftovers and donations from businesses that would normally go to waste, and work hard to reduce what ends up going into our bins. Reducing food waste and redistributing food are essential to our programming. Using the organics system further works very well.”
Please visit the Royal City Mission website for more information.
"We're a community of people working together to make the invisible visible in Guelph" - Royal City Mission
Do you want to learn more about the Organics Program and how it can benefit your organization? Reach out to us at organics@sustainablewr.ca
Email organics@sustainablewr.caFrameworks
The Frameworks program is a partnered program between SWR and Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA), with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada to strategically support sustainability in the building sector.
Executive Advisory Committee
In Partnership with
Our Funder
In 2025, the Frameworks program successfully transitioned from its foundational phase into full operation. This period has been characterized by the implementation of key program delivery pathways, expansion of partnerships, strengthened communications infrastructure, broadened industry engagement, and focused network development.
The Frameworks program is now firmly positioned as a go-to regional platform for cross-sector collaboration, technical knowledge exchange, and policy–industry dialogue.
Key Achievements in 2025
Program Implementation & Delivery
- Online Resource Library – 35 curated resources including four in-depth case studies on exemplary local buildings, each illustrating distinct sustainability approaches and outcomes.
- Events & Engagement Opportunities – Frameworks hosted its first hybrid event on Building Certification (October 24, 2025) and its first in-person building tour and panel discussion on Building Renewal (November 17, 2025) with over 40 attendees collectively. It also established an online calendar for both Frameworks and industry partner events.
Communications & Outreach
- Program Newsletter – Circulated 5 monthly newsletters to over 200 subscribers featuring program updates, new resources, upcoming events, and partner news.
- Broader Community Exposure – Leveraged existing SWR communication channels to extend Frameworks’ reach to a wider regional audience, including introductory presentations to all eight municipal councils in the region.
- Cross-Promotion with Partners – Expanded visibility and outreach through inclusion in partner communications, including those of the Grand Valley Construction Association, Grand Valley Society of Architects, Waterloo Climate Institute, and Future Cities Institute.
Industry Engagement & Network Development
- Partnership Materialization – Transitioned several exploratory relationships into formal collaborations through event programming and content curation.
- Stakeholder Engagement – Continuous engagement across academia, government and utilities, financial institutions, and industry partners, including similar initiatives across Canada (e.g., ZEBx, ENBIX, BTZx) to identify collaboration opportunities within the program’s delivery pathways.
- Network Building – Initiated focused outreach within the program’s three primary audience groups: Developers & Owners, Designers & Consultants, and Builders & Contractors, including engagement with Build Urban, a local builders’ consortium, and the Grand Valley Society of Architects to strengthen sector representation and community connections.
2025 Stats
Frameworks gained strong momentum after several months of full-scale operation. The next phase will focus on deepening delivery, expanding network, and sustainability of impact.
5
newsletters circulated to 217 subscribers
35
Curated sustainable building resources
8
Presentations to municipal councils
40+
Attendees at first hybrid event
Scout
Building a Scalable Future for Retrofits
SWR is leading the development of a transformative platform designed to support a scalable and cost-effective approach to deep energy retrofits. Funded by the Government of Canada (Natural Resources Canada).
The aim of the platform is to turn retrofit complexity into actions. The AI powered tool brings financial modeling, business case development, and technical/workforce guidance together on one platform, for commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential buildings developed using a framework that minimizes environmental impact while remaining robust in the value it delivers.
Expert led Development & Research
To ensure our platform is grounded in rigorous science and real-world industry needs, we have expanded our project team to include specialized expertise:
- Academic Rigour: In partnership with the University of Waterloo School of Accounting & Finance, we are the Symbiosis lab to validate our financial risk models, ensuring our algorithms meet institutional lending standards.
- Industrial Accuracy: We are bringing on a dedicated Building Science & Decarbonisation Specialist from WSP to bridge the gap between AI development and on-site realities. This ensures the tool reflects practical constraints.
We are following a structured roadmap to move from concept to market deployment with a planned full product launch by March, 2027.
Events 2025
Annual Evening of Recognition
Frameworks
Climate Fest
Open House
ICI Stocktake
Scout Kickoff Event
Microforest
Thank you to our sponsors!
SWR Alumni Network
With 15 years under our belt, we have had more than 250 people working as part of this movement! We would like to take a moment to recognize and express our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated volunteers, board members and staff who have contributed to our mission. Your passion, commitment, and hard work have helped us make meaningful strides in sustainability, and we are proud that you have been part of the journey. As valued alumni, your impact continues to resonate, and we are honored to have had you as part of our team. Thank you for your lasting contributions, and we look forward to staying connected as you continue to inspire positive change in the world.
If you would like to see the current list of alumni on our website, please check it out.
If you are SWR alumni, but are not yet on the site, please fill out this form and we will be happy to proudly share your information on our website.
Check out the current alumni!
Evolv1
evolv1 is Canada’s first net-positive energy, commercial multi-tenant building—an innovative project inspired by SWR and developed by the Cora Group. Located in the David Johnston Research + Technology Park in Waterloo, Ontario, evolv1 was designed and is operated with a strong focus on sustainability and clean energy generation. The building is proudly LEED Platinum certified by the Canada Green Building Council.
This graphic on the right shows the annual power output of the evolv1 building over time.
Solar generation was down a fair amount due to an inverter, atmospheric soiling caused by wildfire smoke, particularly during June and July of 2023, on top of lower irradiance levels in July 2023.
Act Now!
Engage with us:
- Reduce your emissions
- Eliminate food waste
- Host, sponsor or volunteer at a microforest
- Support community climate action
- Transition towards efficient, smart and healthy buildings
We are here to help.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in our community!