On March 4th, EnviroCentre and The Natural Step (TNS) Canada hosted the first workshop for the 2010 cohort of the Greening Ottawa Non-Governmental Organizations (GONGOs) program.  Participants will work together throughout the year long program, which is designed to support collaboration and sustainability initiatives amongst Ottawa area NGOs.  

Participants for the 2010 cohort are:
• AIESEC Ottawa
• Andy Andras HC for Seniors
• Canada Green Building Council
• Canadian Institute of Planners
• CCHI
• CUSO-VSO
• Daly Co-op
• Daybreak Housing
• EntreAide Budgetaire
• Nature Canada
• OCISO Non-Profit Housing
• Ottawa Bytown Non-Profit Housing Corp.
• Ottawa Community Housing
• Oxfam Canada
• Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre
• Shepherds of Good Hope
• Social Planning Council
• Tucker House

This year’s program builds upon the experience of the 2009 cohort, where participants appreciated the opportunity to learn together and collaborate with organizations they don’t usually meet – fostering partnerships across sectors.  For example, Independent Living Canada saw moving to a new location as an opportunity to establish new sustainability practices. 

Through participation in Ecology Ottawa’s Green Buildings and Workplaces Challenge, they implemented green initiatives from reducing energy use at their new location, to mitigating the large amounts of material waste normally associated with moving.  The GONGOs workshops helped them to capitalize on the opportunities available to them, and find support along the way. 

"The need to think green is adding a new layer to the business operations of all organizations," says Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation's Meg McCallum, a participant in the 2009 GONGOs program.  "As NGOs struggle with limited resources and heavy workloads, the GONGO workshops provide an excellent opportunity to incubate ideas and share experiences.  I found I was both a mentor and a student, and came away with lots of ideas to improve the sustainability of my organization."

The team at TNS is looking forward to seeing what new ideas and initiatives emerge from this new opportunity for learning and collaboration.

The GONGOs program has generously been funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and is being delivered through a partnership between The Natural Step Canada and EnviroCentre.