March 29, 2010, Ottawa—The Natural Step Canada has been named the Environmental Employer of the Year for 2010 by ECO Canada. The award in the small-to-medium sized enterprise category was presented at an exclusive event hosted at Vancouver’s historic Century House on Thursday.

The Natural Step Canada is a non-profit organization with over a decade of experience helping individuals and organizations—including businesses and communities—understand and make meaningful progress toward sustainability.

“This award is a meaningful tribute to the work we have undertaken to ensure our human resource (HR) policies are in line with our organization’s core sustainability values,” says Kelly Hawke Baxter, Executive Director of The Natural Step Canada. “As an organization that promotes sustainability, we are committed to walking the talk by striving to be a role model organization when it comes not only to our environmental policies, but also to our social sustainability.”

ECO Canada’s annual Environmental Employer of the Year Awards recognise organizations and businesses in the environment industry for their commitment and dedication to HR excellence. The awards are unique, as winning organizations are selected based on the feedback of those who are most impacted by an organization’s HR initiatives—the employees.

“Congratulations to The Natural Step Canada for showing leadership in HR practices,” says Grant Trump, President and CEO of ECO Canada. “They have set an impressive example for others to follow within the rapidly growing environment sector.”

The Natural Step Canada has grown exponentially in the past 5 years. To keep pace with ever-increasing demand for their sustainability training, coaching, and advisory services, the organization has had to increase the size of its team and ensure that their HR practices evolve hand-in-hand—a challenge the organization has embraced.

“Our goal is to foster a healthy work environment that allows employees to achieve a positive work-life balance,” Baxter says. “We strive to have an atmosphere of respect and open collaboration, creating the conditions wherein every employee feels valued, empowered, and part of a team.”

“There is something very unique about working for The Natural Step Canada,” says Chad Park, who has been with the organization for 8 years and currently leads the Sustainable Business Program. “There’s an energy that stems from the mission of the organization, the quality of the people attracted to its vision, and the dynamic and engaging workplace. It is wonderful to have some recognition from outside the organization for what we all know—as staff—makes it special.”

“I am beyond proud of our whole staff,” says Liz Crocker, Chair of The Natural Step Canada. “The quality of the work they do and the spirit they bring to it takes my breath away. Hats off to a great team!”