Gathered around more than two dozen tables in the hall of Ottawa’s St. Joseph’s church this past Sunday, sat activist, friends, families, and curious community members. The reason? The Natural Step Canada’s 1st Annual Sustainabili-TEA: Helping Leaders Create a Better Tomorrow, Today. The event aimed to raise awareness about the global sustainability challenges and opportunities we all face, the work The Natural Step Canada undertakes to help create sustainability leaders across the country, and to generate financial and in-kind support to expand our important programs.

Without question, Sustainabili-TEA was a huge success!

Check out our photos from the event.

Liz Crocker, the Chair of The Natural Step Canada’s Board of Directors kicked things off. She did an incredible job as facilitator of the event, introducing speakers and talking about the work of an organization she’s so passionate about.

The Executive Director of The Natural Step Canada, Kelly Hawke Baxter, then addressed the audience, sharing the evolution of the organization over the past few years and the current need, as well as demand, for The Natural Step Canada in our country.

Kelly was followed by Emma Savage, a Master’s in Environment and Sustainability graduate from the University of Western Ontario (UWO)—and an alumnus of The Natural Step Canada’s sustainability co-op program in partnership with UWO. Emma spoke passionately about what sustainability meant for her and why the incredible work experience she obtained through this program has been invaluable in bridging the gap between the academic and working world. She provided a strong testament for expanding our Emerging Leaders Program, which strives to support the young sustainability leaders of tomorrow as they enter the work force. It was an inspiration to the crowd!

And Bob Willard, a Member of The Natural Step Canada’s Board of Directors and leading sustainability expert, gave a heartfelt keynote speech on the need for organizations of all types and sizes to strive for sustainability, as a way of living and doing business.

The event came to a close with members of the audience winning door prizes and a big round of applause to all participants, sponsors, volunteers, and organizers of the event.

The Natural Step Canada would like to thank all of the incredible volunteers who made our Sustainabili-TEA such a huge success—this event would not have been possible without you. We would also like to express our deep appreciation to all of the guests who attended and the many folks who donated generously to support our important sustainability work.

Finally, thank you to all of the kind local businesses who sponsored the event with delicious treats:

• Bread & Sons Bakery
• Bridgehead
• Cocoa Camino
• Farm Boy
• The Green Door Restaurant
• Metro
• The Otesha Project
• Rainbow Natural Foods
• The Scone Witch
• The Tea Store
• Three Tarts
• Thyme & Again
• ZenKitchen

We look forward to next year’s Sustainabili-TEA…