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Sparx’s Sustainable Valentine’s Day Gift-Giving Guide: 25 Eco-Friendly and Zero-Waste Gift Ideas for 2023

Whether it’s romantic love for your partner, love for family and friends, or your devotion to a cause, love makes the world better. It motivates us to do better, to work harder, to grow in understanding, to act with compassion, and to share ourselves and what we have with others.

In celebration of love and its ability to amplify good, Sparx has created another sustainable gift-giving guide, this time for Valentine’s Day gifts that will help express your love while supporting the environment and other wonderful causes. Because nothing says heartfelt like a gift with real impact.

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1. Treat Them to Something Sweet 

Sustainable alternatives to decadent delights. 

Image: Drizzle

Drizzle Cacao Luxe Raw Honey: This all-natural, sustainably sourced, bee-friendly, allergen-free, Canadian-made honey has a chocolatey twist and a delicious chocolate-covered strawberry recipe. Plus, it’s made by a women-owned, certified B Corporation.

Pukka Love Tea: This soothing and fragrant tea will touch the heart of your beloved in more ways than one. Pukka is part of 1% for the Planet, Fair for Life certified, Soil Association organic certified, and B Corp certified.

Raaka Chocolate Valentine’s Day Collection: Choose from a variety of ethical and unique non-GMO, vegan, certified organic, and kosher treats to share with your beloved. Raaka crafts its single-source chocolate in small batches and practices transparent trade – its supply chain process is even integrated into its packaging. 

Ritual Chocolate Après Chocolate Bar: This 70% dark chocolate bar is infused with sparkling white wine and topped with raspberries. Best of all, the chocolate is vegan and ethically sourced, the packaging is fully recyclable, and the company is working toward net-zero and fully solar-powered goals. Also purchasable from impact-driven Canadian vendor The Better Good. 

Southbrook Wine Valentine’s Day Bundle: Canadian-made, this romantic bundle of organic wines and condiments is made by Southbrook Organic Vineyards, a company with numerous certifications, including Demeter, Ecocert Canada, LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), Sustainable Winegrowing Ontario, and VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) for grape wines.

T.Kettle Loose Leaf Teas: Make your loved one a (heart)warming cup of certified kosher, vegan, organic, and 100% Fair Trade Strawberry Fondue Tea from T.Kettle, a values-driven company.

2. Pamper Them 

Gifts that feel good and do good.

Encircled Renew Sleep Mask: Help your loved one relax with this eco-friendly Tencel™ Lyocell and recycled polyester fleece sleep mask, made by a Toronto-based, certified B Corporation. 

Harlow Salty Soak Bath Salts: These vegan bath salts are made from Saskatchewan Red Salt, smell intoxicatingly of flowers, and come in a compostable pouch. Plus, Vancouver-based company Harlow sources from social enterprises like Hives for Humanity.

Image: Old Soul Soap Company

Old Soul Company Sweetheart Collection: Pamper your soulmate with this ethical and sustainable, all-natural collection, which includes its Be Mine soap, Be Mine heart-shaped bath bomb, Be Mine massage & body oil, tea light candles, and lip balm. 

Sequoia Soap Sets: Made by 100% Indigenous women-owned and -operated brand Sequoia, the Sweet Blends and Night Sky Four Soap Gift Sets are beautiful, sustainable, and ethically sourced.

Yukon Soap Wild Side Shave Soap: This sustainable, handcrafted shave soap is made by Indigenous-owned and -operated brand Yukon Soap, which is on a mission to make the world better by supporting economic diversification and empowering, nurturing, and elevating Northern Indigenous cultures, communities, and people.

3. Bring Them “Flowers”

Lasting gifts that serve as wonderful alternatives to classic perfumes and bouquets.

Image: Goodee

All Things Being Eco Organic Rose Geranium Bulk Essential Oil: This fragrant oil is Natural Organic Program (NOP) certified and sold by a purpose-driven BC-Based company that’s on a mission to make the world better through offering organic, ethically-produced, and locally-sourced products.

Goodee The Floral Kits: With this sustainable kit from B Corp certified Goodee, your valentine has everything they need to grow and shape their own bouquets. Plus, this kit supports multiple causes, including marginalized communities, gender advocacy, and community engagement.

Flowerink Plantable Tandem Love Greeting Card: You and your valentine can watch your love blossom with this plantable seed paper card, made from 100% recycled content. Plus, these cards are Canadian-made by a company that donates to health and environmental organizations.

Le Comptoir Aroma Love Pebble Essential Oil Diffuser Stones: These 100% natural heart and rose-shaped diffuser stones are made by a Canadian family-run business that uses recyclable and recycled materials, along with other eco-friendly practices.

Mala the Brand Candles: Check the classic romance boxes with bouquet or rosebud candles that are sustainably packaged and hand-poured in small batches by a Vancouver-based brand. Plus, a tree is planted for every candle purchased.

Recycled Ideas Pink Seed Paper Flowers Valentines Day Gift Box Set: These flowers are made from plantable seed paper and packaged in a box that can be used as a personal greenhouse. You can also find them on etsy.

Wild Coast Perfumes Floral Collection: Made with pure, all-natural, sustainably-harvested ingredients from Vancouver island, these perfumes smell beautifully of flowers and come in recyclable bottles with no plastic overwraps. Plus, $1 per every 50ml bottle sold in the perfumery goes to the Ancient Forest Alliance.

4. Get Them Ready for Date Night

Beautiful gifts that protect the beauty of the environment.

Image: Cheekbone Beauty

Cheekbone Beauty Sustain Lip Kit (Red): This gorgeous, low-waste, consciously-sourced lip kit is made by Cheekbone Beauty, a values-driven, Indigenous-owned and -operated, Certified B Corporation that’s part of 1% for the Planet and donates to multiple causes. Check out this guide for recycling its lipstick. 

Elate Refillable Cosmetic Cases: These fully customizable cosmetic cases are recyclable, made from bamboo, and sustainably packaged. Plus, Elate donates 2% of its profits to causes that share its values every year: 1% to social and 1% to environmental initiatives.

Luna & Rose Recycled Silver Heart Necklace: Ethically crafted, this heart-shaped necklace is made from recycled sterling silver by a company that is part of 1% for the Planet.

Treats Designs Tagua Valentine Heart Pendant: Made from sustainable tagua, with natural dyes and a tumble-until-they-shine method, these pendants are created by a BC-based artist. They are also available for purchase through sustainable, Vancouver-based Hemp & Company.

5. Spend Quality Time with Them

Want a truly zero waste alternative? Consider giving your valentine the gift of experience — because nothing takes the single out of single-use more than creating lasting memories. 

There are plenty of sustainable ways to engage in quality time with your beloved. For example, you could go for a picnic using sustainable items, such as beeswax food wraps, zero waste bamboo cutlery, and reusable storage bags, and have a beautiful, waste-free moment that has a truly positive impact.

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Would You Be Our Valentine?

Are you engaging in purpose-driven efforts to make the world better? We (not-so-secretly) admire that. Contact us for a free marketing consultation. We would love to gift wrap your message and help deliver it to your audience.

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Make The World Better Magazine

Circular Economy Leadership Canada: Advancing Innovation

From implementing zero-emission transportation to banning single-use plastics, Canada is at the forefront of environmentally-conscious initiatives. Yet, even with advocates and industry leaders paving the way, there is still a knowledge gap about a game-changing model of production and consumption: the circular economy. 

The Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC) is working to bridge this awareness gap to advance the circular economy in Canada. We spoke with Paul Shorthouse, Managing Director of CELC, about being a “network of networks” for circular economy innovation.

Tell us about Circular Economy Leadership Canada’s mission.

Circular Economy Leadership Canada (CELC) is uniquely positioned as a multi-sectoral, national organization dedicated to advancing the circular economy in Canada. CELC is working to connect Canada’s circular economy community and serves as a bridge to similar networks around the world. We provide thought leadership, technical expertise, and collaborative platforms for accelerating systems change and the transition to a low-carbon, circular economy in Canada.

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

The Circular Economy Leadership Canada initiative is a project of The Natural Step Canada, a non-profit charity based in Ontario focused on creating a more sustainable future through effective systems change and social innovation. CELC was officially launched in 2018 at the G7 Oceans Partnership Summit in Halifax and was originally made up of a small number of corporate leaders, non-profit think tanks, and academic researchers. This group was part of an earlier Ontario-based Circular Economy Lab that was largely focused on eliminating plastic packaging waste and pollution. 

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

The key issues we’ve faced include the low level of awareness among businesses, governments, and the public in terms of the circular economy and its benefits for Canada, as well as the fragmented and siloed nature of our supply chains. These are two areas we are working to address: raising awareness about what the circular economy is and its benefits and acting as a cross-sector platform to create systems change.

What do you consider to be Circular Economy Leadership Canada’s biggest success?

One of our greatest successes was the launch of the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) in January 2021. Circular Economy Leadership Canada acted as an incubator to form and launch this network that now consists of more than 90 key stakeholders across the entire value chain in Canada, focused on creating a circular economy for plastics packaging in the country, including its roadmap to 2025.

What makes your organization unique?

We currently have more than 45 partners across Canada coming from all sectors and regions, as well as a handful of international partners, with CELC acting as a “network of networks.” CELC is dedicated to bringing value to our partners by filling existing gaps in the marketplace and supporting efforts to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Canada. 

We do this by serving as a national hub that connects people to the knowledge, networks, and opportunities to help achieve circular innovation; fostering constructive dialogue between government and industry on critical issues where collaboration is key to the system transition required to achieving circularity; making the business case for new approaches by shining a light on corporate leadership and circular innovation; championing a national circular economy strategy and a coordinated innovation ecosystem; and accelerating circular economy transitions in key sectors through our Circular Economy Solutions Series, focused on taking advantage of opportunities and tackling the barriers.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We’re hyper-focused on the circular economy which addresses our planet’s triple environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The circular economy model leverages actionable business strategies to eliminate waste and pollution from our economy, reduce the demand on our ecosystems and natural resources by keeping materials and resources in use for as long as possible, and regenerate nature in the process. 

Tell us about Circular Economy Leadership Canada’s goals.

Our goal is to advance a circular economy in Canada across all sectors and supply chains, enhancing innovation and improving the competitiveness of Canada’s economy over the long term.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

Circular Economy Leadership Canada’s work is carried out through our Solutions Series work streams where we have a number of projects underway in areas that include plastics, food systems, metals and minerals, construction and built environment, and finance. You can find more at circulareconomyleaders.ca/solutions-series/ 

As one example, CELC has recently launched a project in collaboration with BOMA Canada, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), CSA Group, and others from the real estate sector exploring the use of circular strategies to extend the life of existing buildings – including innovative leasing and renovation – and, in turn, preserve the embodied carbon found within buildings. 

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

To advance the circular economy in Canada, we must work together in partnership to create the systems change we need. Through our collaborative approach and CELC’s platform for convening, we can accelerate the opportunities and tackle the barriers together.

How can people help or contribute to Circular Economy Leadership Canada’s mission?

We welcome organizations to join our network as Circular Economy Leadership Canada Partners, investing in the work streams we have underway, establishing the business case for action, and helping to communicate the benefits and advantages for Canada in transitioning to a more circular economy.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better magazine:

 

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Make The World Better Magazine

Textile Lab for Circularity: Weaving a Circular Solution

No shirts, no shoes, no service. Clothing is essential for survival and navigating modern society; however, the shirts on our back have also evolved to be emblems of our status and reflect our unique personalities — all great qualities until it’s time to retire that novelty souvenir t-shirt we wore once as a joke. 

The Textile Lab for Circularity is fighting fashion and textile waste in Canada through extensive research and collaboration with industry players. We spoke with Megan Bourassa, Impact Strategist & Project Manager, to learn more about the Textile Lab for Circularity’s fashion-focused initiatives in the circular economy space.

Networking at the first in-person social innovation lab on textile waste, in 2017.

Tell us about Textile Lab for Circularity’s mission.

The Textile Lab for Circularity is a social innovation lab connecting unlikely allies across Western Canada to divert fashion and textile waste from landfills and move the industry toward circularity. We envision a thriving circular textiles economy in British Columbia by 2031. 

We believe that collaboration is key to making the circular economy a reality, and we strive to build the spaces for strategic cross-sector connections and industry clusters to form and flourish. 

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

While facilitating a social innovation lab for the hospitality industry in 2015, our founder Sara Blenkhorn witnessed the severity of the textile waste problem. She saw that textile waste resulted from almost every stage of the product life cycle, with no comprehensive, scalable solutions to divert this waste from the landfill. Folks working on solutions were isolated from each other, and she saw an opportunity to bring them together to make more progress, faster. 

She launched the first textile-focused lab through her consulting firm Leverage Lab. This two-year interactive lab program resulted in a whitepaper that mapped the flows of textile waste in Metro Vancouver and identified leverage points to take action. 

The first lab identified that in Metro Vancouver alone, upwards of 22,000 tonnes of textiles make their way to landfills annually. We also know that approximately 95% of this landfill waste is repairable, reusable, or recyclable, showing a large opportunity for the circular economy. This opportunity is what inspired Sara to start the Textile Lab for Circularity. 

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

There are a few challenges we’ve encountered and continue working on, including pivoting from in-person programming to 100% online due to the pandemic; pivoting to the changing needs of the industry during this turbulent time, thus redesigning our offerings to work for companies that had pivoted away from long-term climate and waste prevention strategies to short-term pandemic mitigation; and minimizing Textile Lab for Circularity added-value activities to extend the lifetime of our initial funding save money. 

As well, there are some challenges we’re encountering on an ongoing basis, including juggling the back and forth between the industry needing regulation and legislators waiting for the industry to take the lead. 

And more recently, we have seen an emerging need in our networks for reshoring textile/fashion production due to unstable supply chains. However,  there are gaps in the workforce and infrastructure to make that a reality at the moment.

What do you consider to be Textile Lab for Circularity’s biggest success?

Our biggest success since our official formation in 2019 is our massive pivot that led to producing our now-annual Building Your Circular Strategy Workshop! 

From 2017-19 we partnered with Vancity, The City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, and the Vancouver Economic Commission to convene 25 businesses and organizations from textiles-related sectors to collaborate on the issue of regional textile waste. We mapped the regional textile system through participant and network interviews and secondary data sources, and we produced the whitepaper, Unravelling the Problem of Apparel Waste in the Greater Vancouver Area. This study revealed a systems map of apparel waste flows in the Lower Mainland, establishing critical baseline data. This foundation positions us well to identify and act on opportunities that disrupt the conventional take-make-waste process.

The Textile Lab for Circularity was formed as a result of this whitepaper and its five leverage points for systemic change: increasing industry collaboration, investing in circular fibre development, educating consumers, levelling the playing field, and, ultimately, making circular fashion business models mainstream.

We designed and began marketing a Phase 2 lab in the winter of 2020 to take serious collaborative action on the leverage points that the whitepaper identified; however, COVID-19 disrupted this plan. Unfettered, we performed an in-depth analysis of the leverage points and the emergent needs of the industry. We determined that our lab model could be parsed out into two phases: an educational workshop to level the playing field and tangible pilot projects down the line. 

As a result, we successfully recruited and guided nine organizations through our new educational program and are now gearing up for a second cohort. 

What makes Textile Lab for Circularity unique?

We act like mycelium around the complex systemic issues of textile waste, transmitting knowledge, connections, and resources between key nodes when they wouldn’t otherwise relate. We believe that by breaking down silos in this highly-competitive industry and open sourcing key research and resources, we can move the whole industry further, faster. 

We also employ the science-based Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, grounding our programs in a holistic methodology that accounts for the long-term well-being of both people and planet. This helps us guide the industry toward addressing the root problems, rather than implementing band-aid reactionary strategies. 

The first cohort of the Textile Lab for Circularity’s virtual Building Your Circular Strategy program, launched in October 2021.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Our organization is composed of sustainability experts with deep experience in education and facilitation. We make the world better by championing collaboration in an increasingly competitive world. By creating safe spaces for exploration, open conversation, and sandboxes for play, we are able to spark ideas and partnerships otherwise inaccessible. 

We also aim to facilitate and normalize the open sourcing of key research to move the industry forward together.

Tell us about Textile Lab for Circularity’s goals.

As mentioned, we aim to create a thriving circular apparel industry in British Columbia by 2031. To get there, we are focused on taking action on these five leverage points designed to catalyze systemic change: 1) increase industry collaboration in the collection, sorting, recycling, and design for the environment; 2) invest in circular fibres development, recycling technology, and collection infrastructure; 3) educate consumers, designers, and brands about their role in a zero-waste fashion future; 4) set a level playing field that supports the reduction of apparel waste; and 5) make circular fashion business models mainstream. 

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

One project we’d like to share is our upcoming landmark research project, the Roadmap to Textile Recycling in Western Canada. This roadmap is a cross-sector study engaging folks from government, industry, non-profit, academia, and funding to forge a path through the complex ins and outs of making scalable textile recycling in Western Canada a reality. 

The second initiative we’d like to share is gearing up for the second cohort of our one-of-a-kind Building Your Circular Strategy program. This four-session training is designed to spark circular strategies for long-term resilience in BC’s fashion and textile organizations. Together, we help companies understand their current system, set a circular mission, and develop a custom plan for embedding circularity into their business model. Teams will leave with their own internal Circular Strategy and the confidence to implement and communicate it internally and externally.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

We truly believe that the future is collaborative. Together, we have the know-how, the resources, and the passion to make the apparel industry circular. As a non-profit organization, we are not driven by money but rather by the quality of the connections we facilitate. We measure our success on impact — all the way from individual conversations to systemic shifts.  

How can people help or contribute to Textile Lab for Circularity’s mission?

Non-profit, laser-focused Social Innovation Labs like ours are a key ingredient in catalyzing and accelerating innovation. We realize this is still a new concept to many, so please join us, support us, and amplify our work!

Some ways to get involved is to join or sponsor one of our programs, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on social media at @textilelabforcircularity.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

Considerations Before Hiring a Marketing Specialist

When it comes to the purpose-driven space, marketing efforts not only include standard marketing goals but also serve to inspire action, communicate impact, attract the attention of like-minded audiences, and help the organization face greater degrees of scrutiny and expectation than brands outside the space. 

A lot of purpose-driven organizations search for a talented marketing specialist who can help achieve these goals by checking every possible box. But finding someone with the right combination of skills, innovative thinking, and expertise is no simple task. So, what should you look for when you want to hire a marketing specialist? 
Here’s what a marketing specialist should do, what they shouldn’t do, and what are the alternatives for a full-stack solution at a comparable cost.

What Marketing Specialists Should Do 

According to Glassdoor, marketing specialists “develop, execute, and monitor marketing programs across a variety of channels.” While the scope of a marketing specialist will vary on the budget, needs, and size of the organization, their focus should be on, you guessed it, marketing. 

A marketing specialist’s role should primarily consist of:

  • Understanding key business initiatives and implementing the marketing plan/strategy;
  • Supporting, project managing, and coordinating tasks for the execution of marketing campaigns;
  • Tracking marketing initiatives to adjust if necessary;
  • Conducting research on key areas, including competitors, customers, and trends, to identify opportunities for marketing;  
  • Working with the creative team (i.e. copywriter and graphic designer) to develop marketing collateral.

What Marketing Specialists Shouldn’t Do  

Finding a jack-of-all-trades marketing specialist, equipped with an entire team’s worth of skill sets, is like finding a unicorn. Even if someone has all the desired skills, the sheer volume of work they are expected to handle tends to reduce their bandwidth and increase the chances of burnout and human error. 

A marketing specialist should not be expected to:

  • Work independently, expecting them to be an expert in and cover all areas of marketing;
  • Create professional-level brand and marketing material (i.e. copy, design, video, etc.);
  • Carry out duties that should be assigned to a marketing manager, such as setting budgets, developing the marketing strategy, or reporting to executives; 
  • Perform IT and HR tasks.

Finding the Right Solution

While an in-house marketing specialist may be the right choice for your organization, outsourcing your marketing may be a better solution depending on your needs. If you are interested in a full-stack marketing solution, agencies and vendors like Sparx are an excellent alternative to consider.

Marketing agencies fill knowledge gaps with specialized expertise, creating professional marketing strategies and campaigns. As a team of experts, they provide top-quality talent across multiple channels, from analytics and web design to branding and advertising. 

Having a dedicated team of experts who already know how to work together, consistently work to stay current on the latest trends and best practices in the space and can assist your in-house marketing professional means your existing staff won’t have to deprioritize other tasks, and you don’t have to worry about the hiring and training process.

Not only that, but marketing agencies tend to use sophisticated tools and technologies, such as pricier software for design or analytics, that may not be accessible to in-house teams because of budget constraints. This leads to new levels of efficiency and effectiveness and opens up new avenues of innovation.

Working with marketing vendors and agencies also presents a lot of flexibility. You can scale up or down based on your needs, enabling you to find the ideal solution for your marketing budget.

Sparx is a Mission-Aligned Alternative

Looking for a full-stack, purpose-driven marketing solution? Contact the experts at Sparx for a free consultation. We’d love to help make your impact story shine.

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Make The World Better Magazine

Circular Rubber Technologies: Re-Tiring Rubber Waste

The oil and gas industry may be known for its controversial environmental footprint, but part of this impact may be where you’d least expect: rubber tire waste. Once a site is done with any fracking and drilling, leftover equipment is often left behind to waste away. 

Circular Rubber Technologies (CRT) saw this issue and decided to do something – or should we say some tonnes — about it. We spoke with Maartje van der Sande, Co-Founder & CEO, about repurposing end-of-life mining tires and reducing their waste in the process.  

This photo shows how large off-the-road (OTR) tires are.  By processing one of these tires, we expect to generate a revenue of roughly $4,000 and save around nine tonnes of CO2 emissions. From left to right: Talia Hoffman, Maartje van der Sande, and Bram van den Berg.

Tell us about Circular Rubber Technologies’ mission.

Circular Rubber Technologies’ purpose is to turn the world’s waste streams into value, and we are on a mission to redirect at least 300,000 end-of-life mining tires from landfills through the production of 1 million tonnes of our rubber reclaim product. In doing so, we’ll reduce CO2 emissions by 3 million tonnes and generate CA$1 billion revenue.  

What inspired you to start your organization?

After over a decade in the oil and gas industry, I decided it was time to start focusing on making the world a better place instead of contributing to projects that had a negative impact on future generations.

I got involved in several projects which led to a realization that most mining companies bury their end-of-life mining tires on site. If you have ever seen one of these giant tires, you’d understand that burying thousands and thousands of these tires would have a huge environmental impact. 

I also learned that there are roughly 20 million tonnes of virgin rubber being used every year to make new tires. These two facts and the huge disconnect between tire waste on one end and the need for raw materials to make new tires on the other end sparked the idea for Circular Rubber Technologies and became one of our biggest drivers: closing the circle and ensuring end-of-life tires become new tires again.  

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

At Circular Rubber Technologies, we work with large multinationals: mining companies for the feedstock of our product and tire manufacturers as our reclaim product customers. The first challenge is obviously getting your foot in the door – finding the right people at the right level in the organization to talk to so they can champion your idea within their organization. This isn’t something that can be done overnight; it takes time and persistence. Meanwhile, we try to operate as lean and fast as possible since we’re a start-up.  

Another challenge, which I think all start-ups face, is to stay optimistic when things do not go as planned. For example, when we shipped 18 big bags of rubber feedstock crumbs to our testing facility, we did not anticipate that due to the transportation, the crumb was no longer free-flowing, but it was basically a solid one-tonne rubber block. Luckily, we rallied our team to come up with a solution to break up the rubber block into crumbs again. However, the challenges didn’t end there; we were shut down by inspection when we were finally producing our product because the neighbours complained of the rubber smell.  

We have overcome these challenges, and, in hindsight, I am actually thankful they happened. We have been able to learn from them, optimize our process, and improve our design. With all these hurdles, I think the biggest challenge is sometimes to stay optimistic, keep the team motivated and the end goal in mind, and be open and creative in addressing any unexpected situations. 

A endless amount of tires are waiting to be processed. This is just one location where the giant OTR’s are being collected. The majority stay in the mines and are never processed.

What do you consider to be Circular Rubber Technologies’ biggest success?

Apart from all the great technical successes we have had and the milestones we have reached in terms of technical de-risking, scale up, product development, and initial sales, I am especially proud of the fact that we have recently become a benefit corporation and reached a pending B Corp status. 

This speaks to the values we cherish as a team and the standards we hold ourselves and the organization accountable to. I believe this is Circular Rubber Technologies’ biggest success in that we have been able to cement these beliefs, values, and our purpose in the foundation of the business. 

What makes Circular Rubber Technologies unique?

We provide tire manufacturers with a sustainable alternative to virgin rubber. We ensure that tires that would otherwise be landfilled or end up in low-grade applications get used to make new tires. We provide a true circular solution: tires can be tires again. 

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We solve two problems in one go. Firstly, we help mining companies direct one of their largest operational waste streams to be processed in a true circular manner. At the same time, by selling our product to tire manufacturers, they will be able to produce more sustainable tires. By using our product, they will need less virgin rubber, which means fewer rubber plantations and less CO2 emitted. 

A proud moment: the first full pallet of product during the development phase and scale-up. This pallet was later sold to the first customer for the use into new tires. Circular Rubber Technologies CCO Marc Beeldsnijder (left) and CEO Maartje van der Sande celebrate this accomplishment.

Tell us about Circular Rubber Technologies’ goals.

Our most important goal currently is to get our first facility operational in the second half of next year. This will be a huge milestone for Circular Rubber Technologies, and it will mean we will be able to convert roughly 5,000 giant mining tires into our reclaim product each year.

Our subsequent goal is to quickly expand within Canada and beyond. We see a strong and growing demand for more sustainable materials and products, and tires are no different. Global tire manufacturers are increasingly searching for sustainable alternatives to lower their carbon footprint, and we plan to help them by providing them with a continuous stream of our high-quality reclaim on each continent. 

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

As mentioned above, we have recently reached the pending B Corp status and are now working to become a fully certified B Corp over the course of the next year. We are about to release the key findings of some interesting work we have done with the Impact Institute to determine the true price of virgin synthetic and natural rubber and Circular Rubber Technologies’ alternatives. And, of course, people should stay tuned on the progress we are making with the realization of our first facility based in Alberta, Canada.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

We are an impact company. The more successful we become, the greater the impact we make. 

How can people help Circular Rubber Technologies’ mission?

I think more generically, if we truly want the circular economy to work, we must also revisit the first part of the circle: the manufacturing of products and the consumers that use them. This is a fundamental part of the circle in the circular economy, and we often forget that we all have a role to play here: by making more conscious choices on consumption and use of products and simply by consuming less, we make it easier to solve the waste reduction side of the circular economy. Essentially, if we generate less in the first half of the circle, there’s less to “clean up” in the second part of the circle.

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Work Life & Culture

Sparx’s CAMSC Certification: Gaining National Recognition as a Minority-Owned and -Led Organization

The Sparx team is excited to share that, this November, we were recognized by the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC) as a minority-owned and -led organization. 

This nationally recognized certification is a sign of our continued commitment to “walk our talk” when it comes to making the world better by supporting and adhering to diverse and inclusive business practices.

We are proud to celebrate this milestone and look forward to building new relationships with a community of like-minded organizations committed to leading positive change.

What is CAMSC Certification? 

CAMSC is a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated to growing Indigenous- and minority-owned businesses by “connecting them to procurement opportunities with companies and governments committed to a diverse and inclusive supply chain.” Through championing and advocating for BIPOC-owned businesses, CAMSC helps to create economic value, expand opportunities, and boost innovation. 

According to CAMSC, certification confirms that businesses “are 51% or more owned, managed and controlled by Aboriginal peoples and/or visible minorities,” operate in Canada, and are for-profit enterprises.  

Why We Pursued CAMSC Certification

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our vision of a better world. 

We saw CAMSC certification as a way in which to connect with and support a diverse group of mission-aligned organizations and individuals who are in pursuit of greater economic opportunity, especially for excluded and underrepresented groups.

Having a well-established, nationally recognized certification as part of our identity will also enable our existing and potential partners to feel confident that, by working together with Sparx, they too can help build a more diverse and inclusive Canadian economy.

Hamish Khamisa, Founder and President of Sparx Publishing Group, stated, “More than any one project Sparx has worked on, I am exceptionally proud of building an organization that prioritizes and practices diversity, equity, and inclusion. The quality of work we produce is directly tied to this diversity and something our clients benefit from every single day. The CAMSC certification, ideally, can help demonstrate that companies who choose to work with diverse suppliers can gain outstanding results.”

How CAMSC Certification Furthers Our Mission

Our mission at Sparx is to help purpose-driven and minority-owned and -operated organizations market their world-changing message, and an inclusive economy is a crucial step to achieving this vision of a better world. Participating in systemic change within Canada through CAMSC certification is just one of several steps we’re taking to advance our mission of inclusivity.

Through supporting Indigenous- and minority-owned businesses, as well as having a demonstrably diverse workplace, we’re following through on our commitment to the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals Program. Specifically, this certification helps affirm our progress on SDG 8 and SDG 10, which aim to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all,” and to “reduce inequality within and among countries,” respectively.

Our CAMSC certification is also a large stride toward our goal of becoming B Corp-certified, as managing and creating inclusive workplaces and attaining procurement through a diverse and inclusive supply chain are two key factors in achieving B Corp certification.

Receiving CAMSC certification will also enrich our relationships with new and existing clients because it proves that we “walk our talk,” that we are mission-aligned with impact-driven organizations, and that we are truly committed to promoting and expanding diversity, specifically by supporting groups that have been systemically excluded from equitable economic participation.

Building a Better World, Together

Sparx is proud to be part of this like-minded community by having a nationally recognized certification, and we’re thrilled to support minority- and Indigenous-owned businesses as part of a more vibrant and diverse Canadian economy. We are eager to help build a world in which systemically excluded groups have greater opportunities to thrive. 

Are you on a mission to create tangible positive change? Reach out to us. We would love to work with your values-aligned organization and to help promote or achieve your supply chain diversity goals.

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Make The World Better Magazine

EcoMeter: Measuring Foodprints to Support Sustainability

There’s no doubt that the advent of take-out apps has furthered the convenience of at-home dining, especially during the pandemic. While the benefits are clear, the amount of wasteful packaging that’s often used can make us lose our appetites. 

EcoMeter, the 2021 winner of Brands for Better’s Brand Battle for Good competition, is helping Vancouver consumers find sustainable restaurants and restaurants find sustainable partners. We spoke with Jill Robinson, Project Manager at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and EcoMeter Project Co-lead, about this volunteer-led sustainable restaurant guide.

The EcoMeter decal is displayed in Metro Vancouver restaurants that have adopted practices to be more sustainable. Photo credit: Missy Shana

Tell us about EcoMeter’s mission.

EcoMeter is a community-based resource hub that highlights the most sustainable restaurants in Metro Vancouver. We make it easy for consumers to make better dining choices by supporting eco-minded businesses. As well, we help connect restaurants that want to make a positive change to industry partners with the expertise to help them. 

What inspired you to start your organization?

EcoMeter was the 2021 winning concept of the inaugural Brand Battle for Good, a zero-waste conference followed by an accelerated ideation and pitch competition. Our original inspiration was the compulsory restaurant health code ratings in New York City, where every establishment must display their rating from A – B – C based on their health inspection. We took this concept and applied to it a lens of sustainability and community support to ask, how can we educate consumers on the best places to eat that are mindful of their carbon “food” print?

EcoMeter volunteers proudly raise their reusable cups to celebrate the positive change realized through a big team effort. Photo credit: Missy Shana

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

When we started, none of our team members knew much about the food waste and packaging industry when it came to restaurant orders. That led us to consult and collaborate with some key partners who had been in the space much longer – industry partners like Ocean Wise, ShareWares, and Vancouver Food Runners gave us valuable advice that helped pivot our concept as it matured. We’ve learned to dream big and to listen to the experts in the field.

What do you consider to be EcoMeter‘s biggest success?

Our website, eco-meter.ca, officially launched in May 2022, just 12 months after the concept was born at the Brand Battle for Good. A lot of research was distilled into the four key categories that make up our restaurant grading system: food waste, supply chain, take-out packaging, and community initiatives. Already, more than 500 Metro Vancouver food establishments are listed on eco-meter.ca, so it feels great to spotlight these green-leading restaurants to consumers who care.

Take-out packaging is a factor on EcoMeter, and many restaurants have adopted ways to reduce single-use waste. Photo credit: Missy Shana

What makes EcoMeter unique?

EcoMeter addresses the elephant in the room when we’re talking about dining out or getting take-out. We’re experiencing a climate emergency, and local governments are stepping up measures to curb food waste and reduce single-use items. It’s a lot to consider when you just want to get some lunch before carrying on with your day, so we designed EcoMeter to highlight the food establishments that have adopted environmentally-progressive practices to make the decision-making process easier for consumers. The restaurant owners that we’ve connected with are extremely proud of their eco-friendly initiatives, and that sentiment gave us a lot of encouragement to see this project through.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

These days, everyone is ordering food from apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats – a number that has grown exponentially during the pandemic — but many of us aren’t thinking in terms of our carbon footprint when we choose the convenience of ordering from or experiencing a restaurant. We believe that knowing the impact of everything that goes into a meal will help us make better choices. EcoMeter exists to shine a light and educate our local community.

Supply chains are a factor on the EcoMeter that considers the entire food experience from farm (or ocean) to fork. Photo credit: Missy Shana

Tell us about EcoMeter’s goals.

We’re pushing back against the sobering statistics. According to the National Zero Waste Council, CA$49 billion worth of food is sent to landfill or composted each year in Canada, and in Vancouver alone, 82 million single-use cups and 103 million single-use utensils were thrown in the garbage in 2018, according to the City of Vancouver.

EcoMeter strives to change consumer behaviour and lower the carbon footprint of restaurants. We want to align with the City of Vancouver’s Zero Waste 2040 plan and help to create the greenest city in the world.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We are openly exploring next steps to allow this project to blossom into its full potential as a driver of change. Conceivably, we could hand off this opportunity to an organization with an aligned mission and dedicated resources to harness the scalability and promise of the EcoMeter platform. Our team is so proud of what we’ve built, and it’s remarkable that it was all done through volunteers’ efforts. We will be looking for a partner with a similar passion.

Food waste, take-out packaging, supply chain, and community initiatives affect a restaurant’s EcoMeter rating. Photo credit: Missy Shana

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

We truly think that education can empower and ripple change throughout the industry. The facts of climate change and huge amounts of waste around the globe are both sobering and inevitable; however, EcoMeter is a resource for our community to make a positive and preventative change to support businesses that give a damn. 

We are privileged to work, live, and play on the ancestral and unceded Coast Salish territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh nations (commonly known as Vancouver), and we need to take care of this land for generations to come. 

How can people help or contribute to EcoMeter’s mission?

Visit eco-meter.ca to discover your next favourite restaurant and so many others that are taking steps to be more sustainable. Tag @ecometer on Instagram when you eat at a restaurant you found on our website. And when you spot the EcoMeter decal – a leaf pointer on a four-level scale – displayed on the windows and doors of a participating restaurant, let the owners know that you appreciate their efforts to be more sustainable.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better magazine:

Learn about more world-changing individuals and organizations:

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Sustainability Tips

Sparx’s Sustainable Gift Giving Guide: 25 Eco-Friendly and Zero-Waste Gift Ideas for 2022

‘Tis the season of giving, both to our loved ones and back to our communities. They say “it’s the thought that counts” when gifting, but for purpose-driven folks, seeing the 545,000 tonnes of annual waste generated in Canada during the holidays makes it hard to not feel like the Grinch.

Whether you’re looking for a zero-waste Secret Santa present or sustainable gifts for your family, we’ve researched a wide range of mostly Canadian eco-friendly products and other green gift ideas that will tie a ribbon on a year of circular efforts. Together, let’s go walking in a sustainable wonderland!

Candles 

Help make even the darkest evenings bright for your loved ones with these eco-friendly candles. 

EastVan Bees-Beeswax Candles: Crafted in Vancouver, these 100% beeswax candles are non-toxic and biodegradable. 

Mala the Brand Candles: Made of custom-blended coconut-soy wax, these paraben-free candles are biodegradable, toxin-free, come in recyclable packaging, and are hand-poured in Vancouver. Plus, for every candle purchased, a tree is planted. 

Siblings Candle Kits: Built on a “reuse, refill, relax” model, these candle kits enable you to repurpose and reuse containers by pouring candles yourself, again and again. Plus, these candle kits have 100% compostable packaging, are non-toxic and paraben-free, use coconut blend wax, and are carbon neutral.

Sequoia® Candles: Bring the outdoors in with these candles made from phthalate-free fragrance oils and essential oils in scents like sweetgrass and blackberry sage. Plus, they come in a reusable tin. Sequoia is a Proudly Indigenous brand that is 100% owned and operated by Indigenous women.

Stationery 

Rewrite traditional stationery gifts with these regenerative alternatives. 

Sprout Plantable Pens: Along with being sustainably made, sustainably sourced, non-toxic, and biodegradable, each of these pens contains seeds and can be directly planted in soil once the ink runs out. The seeds are drawn from an assortment of vegetable, flower, and herb seeds, making for a nice, zero-waste surprise.

Flowerink Greeting Cards and Paper: Illustrated and printed in Montréal, these unique greeting cards and paper products are made mostly from seed paper that is plantable/compostable, plus their packaging is zero-waste.  

Wisdom Supply Co. Weekly Planner: This zero-waste weekly planner is made from 100% recycled paper and plant-based inks and is shipped from a zero-waste, B Corp-certified fulfillment centre. 

Personal Care 

Gift these circular personal care products to make your loved ones feel pampered all season long.

Old Soul Soap Company Lip Balm: Canadian-made, these filler-free, all-natural lip balms are a zero-waste gift option that comes in plastic-free packaging. 

Etee Chewpaste Toothpaste: This chewable toothpaste ditches the plastic tube in favour of a reusable glass jar, providing a sustainable way to make smiles sparkle. 

The Yukon Soaps Company Soaps: Indigenous owned and operated, these handcrafted soaps are sustainably sourced and all-natural. With biodegradable plastic, reusable muslin, and other eco-friendly packaging, these soaps make for beautiful low-waste gifts. 

Nature’s Bodega Beard Care Box: Handmade in Vancouver, these beard care kits have all-natural ingredients, fully recyclable packaging, and no synthetic fragrances, making them a great eco-friendly gift option for the Movember participants in your life who opted not to shave come December.

Sisters Sage Bath Bombs: Made from all-natural ingredients, these delicious-smelling bath bombs from Sisters Sage, an Indigenous women-led company based in Vancouver, are vegan, palm oil/cruelty-free and come in reusable or recyclable packaging. 

Food & Drink 

These eco-friendly gifts are good for your body and good for the environment too.

Retea Sustainable Bubble Tea Kits with Reusable Cup: This Canadian company provides DIY bubble tea kits featuring a wide range of flavours, reusable bubble tea cups, straws and teaware, and recyclable and low-waste packaging. 

Susgrainable Banana Bread Mix: As seen in Make The World Better Magazine Issue 3, this banana bread mix is made from rescued spent grain produced by craft breweries, plus it’s low on sugar, full of protein and fibre, and loaded with flavour. 

Avanaa Vegan Chocolate: Canadian-made, this artisan chocolate is made from 100% natural and plant-based ingredients; supports farmers in Ecuador, Dominican Republic, and Colombia; and is packaged in recyclable paper. 

Salt Spring Coffee Holiday Bundle with Wooden Box: A featured company in Make The World Better Issue 1, Salt Spring Coffee is offering a holiday bundle that comes with sustainably shade-grown organic coffee, reusable mugs, and eco-friendly packaging, perfect for anyone who can’t live without their good cup of Joe. 

Pukka Teas: B Corp-certified and part of 1% For the Planet, Pukka teas are organically grown and fairly-sourced, come in sustainable packaging, and can be enjoyed in a plethora of flavours.

Stojo Cups: Portable, collapsible, and made with silicone that’s BPA-free and free of other toxic glues and chemicals, these reusable coffee cups and water bottles are safe and sustainable. 

Portable Collapsible Straw Kit: This metal straw kit is fully portable, reusable, and sustainable, keeping drinks plastic-free at home and on the go.

Apparel & Accessories 

Wrap someone you love in warmth with these sustainable clothing articles and accessories.

Hemp & Company Socks: Made from hemp, these socks are warm, sustainable, and produced by a BC-based brand. 

Anne Mulaire Fleece Clothing: Help the women in your life stay cozy with these fleece products from Anne Mulaire, a women-led, Indigenous business based in Winnipeg that puts sustainability and natural fibres at the forefront. 

GOGO Sweaters Zero-Waste Toques: This hand-knit, made-to-order toque is made from the scraps of sweaters in Canada. 

Kombi Balaclava: Have an avid ski or snowboarder on your list? This Canadian brand offers an adjustable balaclava made from 100% recycled polyester. 

rü Bags: Made from 100% recycled GRS certified fabric that’s OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, these lunch and tote bags are reusable, durable, and sustainable.

Rok Cork Leather Bags: Crafted from natural, sustainable, biodegradable cork, these bags are fashionable, functional, and good for the planet. 

While is great to buy eco-friendly gifts, it’s also important to think of the other parts of the gift-giving process. We recommend considering your environmental footprint while shopping — for example, walking or taking public transport to the store instead of driving — and wrapping your gifts in recycled, reusable, compostable, and/or upcycled materials.

Giftwrap Your Marketing with Sparx

Engaging in purpose-driven efforts to make the world better? The experts at Sparx can help package up your message and deliver it to your audience. Contact us for a free marketing consultation. 

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Impact Inspiration & Initiatives Sustainability Tips Work Life & Culture

Sparx’s Reimagined Secret Santa

It’s not a holiday get together at this time of year without a time-honoured tradition: the Secret Santa Gift Exchange. While we enjoy the act of giving, we had to come to terms with an inconvenient truth about these kinds of exchanges: many of us seldom keep our Secret Santa gifts. We believe that something as wonderful as the act of giving a gift shouldn’t come at the expense of the planet, so we started thinking about how we could iterate and improve upon this classic activity so that it aligns with our mission to make the world better, and came up with a solution.

For this year’s Secret Santa, Sparx is going sustainable all the way! All the gifts we’re giving are good not just for bringing a smile to our co-workers faces, but better for the environment too. 

Here’s how we reimagined Secret Santa to be more sustainable. We hope our experience will inspire you to jingle bell rock the boat for your own exchange!

How We Made Secret Santa Better

This year, Sparx has been laser-focused on waste-reduction efforts, from publishing the Circular Economy edition of Make The World Better Magazine to attending the Zero Waste Conference 2022 and celebrating Waste Reduction week. Sustainability is a vital part of making the world better, so we wanted to ensure our gift exchange would align with zero waste goals.

We kicked off our process by setting some ground rules. First off,  participants must only choose gifts that will either produce minimal to zero waste or will enable recipients to live more sustainably. Secondly, the gifts must fall within a budget of $20.

To ensure everyone could be involved, we selected a date and provided ways for gifters to mail their gifts, if unable to attend in-person. Then we set up our exchange on Elfster, a platform that allowed us to randomly and anonymously select our gift recipients in a totally paperless way. The platform also has a feature for making wishlists – a great way to ensure we pick gifts that are not only good for the environment, but will bring real personal value to our recipients.

Finding Mission-Aligned Gifts

While it might sound difficult to track down sustainable gifts for $20 or less, our research revealed a whole workshop’s worth of options. 

Compiling a few categories of eco-friendly items, such as items that replace single-use products, gifts made from recycled materials, items using recycled or recyclable packaging, and non-perishable goods, we launched our search.

We checked what was available at Vancouver-based eco-friendly shops, as well as products from Canadian vendors operating in both online and offline formats, and came up with a plethora of great ideas.

Leveraging this research, wishlists took shape and gift planning gained focus.

Green Gifts for $20 or Less

Here are some of the sustainable gifts we found for under $20.

  • Imperial Earl Grey Tea: All-natural and packaged in fully compostable bags and a recyclable box. Price: $14.85
  • Stojo – Jr. Bottle: Collapsible and made from safe silicone, this reusable bottle can be carried anywhere for sustainable hydration on the go. Price: $17
  • Bamboo Bottle Brush: This zero-waste brush is a great companion for reusable cups and bottles. Price: $9 

Package it all up in a sustainable way – using a recyclable box or tin, recycled wrapping paper, or a wooden trinket box – and you have a perfect, low-waste, eco-friendly gift.

Sparx Can Help You Get on Santa’s “Eco-friendly” List

Donning a green santa hat this year? If your organization is working to make a positive difference throughout and beyond this holiday season, the experts at Sparx can help amplify your impact and share your purpose-driven initiatives. Contact us for a free consultation. 

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Make The World Better Magazine

Project Learning Tree Canada: Planting Conservation Literacy

These days, being called a tree hugger is aspirational, not disparaging. To protect our planet for generations to come, we need so-called tree huggers to save our forests to capture CO2 and foster biodiversity. But when it comes to conservation, we need to make sure we’re not missing the forest for the trees.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) has been a leading environmental education program for nearly 50 years. We spoke with Jessica Kaknevicius, Vice President of Education, about PLT’s educational and career-driven resources, as well as their diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives. 

A GIS analyst performing fieldwork in Frederick Arm, BC.

Tell us about Project Learning Tree’s mission.

Project Learning Tree is committed to advancing forest literacy and environmental education. In 2018, we launched our career pathways programming, and initially focused on providing valuable work experiences for young professionals. 

We’re an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) which is dedicated to promoting sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. SFI is an independent, non-profit organization that collaborates with its diverse network to provide solutions to local and global sustainability challenges. We accomplish our work through four pillars — standards, conservation, community, and education — to achieve our vision of a world that values and benefits from sustainably-managed forests.

What inspired you/your founders to start your organization?

Project Learning Tree was launched in the US in the mid-1970s with the goal of developing an effective environmental education program. In 2017, SFI took on PLT and expanded it to Canada, with the goal of increasing its impact on educators and youth and exploring the opportunities to grow green career paths.  

Today, Project Learning Tree is one of the most widely used preK-12 environmental education programs in the United States and abroad, and it has expanded its programs and resources to include career pathways and forest literacy. PLT provides educators, parents, and community leaders with peer-reviewed, award-winning curriculum support materials to engage students in learning about the environment. It promotes forest literacy so that people acquire the tools and knowledge they need to keep our forests sustainable over the long term while continuing to benefit from them. Project Learning Tree also helps build a diverse and resilient forest and conservation workforce through our skills development resources, mentorship programs, and high-value work experiences.

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

Like many organizations, we had to pivot several of our programs because of COVID-19. Prior to this, most of our programs and content were delivered in person. In fact, our first PLT Green Mentor cohort launched right at the beginning of the pandemic, and we had to adapt to deliver it completely virtually. 

We recognize the benefit of having an in-person, local connection to make it relevant for communities on the ground. However, we quickly realized the benefits of going virtual and using webinars and online resources. With virtual programs, we can reach more people, no matter their location.

Students from Hardy School in Washington, DC learn how to monitor a forest’s condition.

What do you consider to be Project Learning Tree’s biggest success?

Our scale and reach of the work we have achieved.

Since 1976, Project Learning Tree has reached 145 million students and trained 765,000 educators to help students learn how to think, not what to think about complex environmental issues. Then, as previously mentioned, we launched our career pathways programming in 2018, which initially focused on providing valuable work experiences for young professionals. Now, we’ve supported over 400 employers and helped place over 6,000 young adults into green jobs including over 900 Indigenous youth from more than 100 different Indigenous communities in Canada.

What makes Project Learning Tree unique?

Project Learning Tree is able to have a significant impact because of the scale and reach of our diverse network. Be it through SFI-certified organizations, educators, Indigenous communities, youth, conservation organizations, and more, we are able to reach a variety of audiences and find collaboration opportunities to co-create positive change and advance nature-based solutions.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We believe that sustainably-managed forests are critical to our collective future. From climate change to water quality to biodiversity, well-managed forests provide viable solutions to many of the world’s most important sustainability challenges. We advance sustainability and nature-based solutions through forest-focused collaborations, specifically promoting forest literacy. 

As well, we provide educators, parents, and community leaders with educational resources to help develop students’ awareness, knowledge, and appreciation of the environment; build their skills and ability to make informed decisions; and encourage them to take personal responsibility for sustaining the environment and our quality of life that depends on it. 

Through these resources, we engage diverse youth in  learning about exciting and rewarding green career pathways that support nature-based solutions for a more sustainable planet. As they get older and begin considering possible jobs, they can explore our skills development resources, grow their network with our mentorship programs, and potentially land their first work experience.

Mentees and mentors posing for a group photo during the 2022 SFI/PLT Annual Conference.

Tell us about Project Learning Tree‘s goals.

Project Learning Tree’s goal is to advance environmental literacy, stewardship, and career pathways using trees and forests as windows to the world.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

SFI and PLT are working in partnership with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) to ensure greater opportunities for rewarding careers in the forest and conservation sector for young Black Americans. This will include skills training resources and a mentorship program, as well as Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers, which tells the stories of Black Americans who have taken this career path and have advice and resources to share. You can learn more here and sign up to be the first to hear about the guide’s release!

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Project Learning Tree aims to develop a lifetime of learning to create a forest-literate society. It’s critical that we learn and value the benefits that sustainably-managed forests have on the environment, our communities, and the economy. Educators, parents, and community leaders can use PLT resources to build forest literacy while engaging students and growing the next generation of environmental stewards. Plus, as youth grow up, they may be inspired to pursue a green career pathway and will have the resources and support to get there.

Project Learning Tree’s lifetime of learning helps grow future forest and conservation leaders and ensures our forests are kept sustainable over the long term.

Activity sheets and supplies needed to conduct Project Learning Tree’s monitoring forest condition worksheets.

How can people help or contribute to Project Learning Tree’s mission?

Get involved with one of our programs! Learn more about Project Learning Tree in your own region: attend a PLT training session for educators, hire a green jobs youth, become a mentor or encourage a young professional to sign up to become a mentee, and/or access great resources to get your family and friends outdoors. We also accept donations to Canadian and US programs.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better magazine:

Learn about more world-changing individuals and organizations: