Guelph Environmental Leadership

Overview

The Guelph-Wellington community is well known across Canada as an environmental leader. Accordingly, citizens have made great strides to protect ecological habitat, ensure safe and careful water use, reduce air pollution and uphold recycling excellence among other actions.

Current accomplishments show that progress is being made, however, there remain significant gaps. Most efforts have a low profile, are volunteer-based, met with funding shortfalls and not well planned amongst environmental activities and organizations. Ultimately, environmental progress relies on an educated and engaged community.

For these reasons a group of citizens incorporated Guelph Environmental Leadership (GEL) in 2002. The Board of GEL comes from diverse professions to stimulate activities at the community level and heighten support for the groups, businesses, schools and citizens making a difference. GEL’s approach encourages progress toward resilient ecology, healthy people, reduced costs and lasting resource use.

Vision

Healthy Behaviours

The community will be using more and more environmentally sound products, priorities will be known and overall well-being will be measureable as a result on positive improvements.

Strong Leadership

The community will be participating, exemplifying leadership and local groups will have the capacity to deliver activities and ensure partnering on projects.

Broad Involvement

The community will have new resources and tools to engage as many citizens as possible and financial support will be sufficient to remove obstacles to awareness and progress.

Tangible Progress

The community will be working together to undertake responsible management of the environment and efforts toward environmental sustainability will be permanent at the community level.

Mandate

Guelph Environmental Leadership (GEL) provides a cross sector collaboration to stimulate partnering among local environmental groups, heighten support for environmental improvement and engage widespread participation in sustainable behaviours – through a proactive strategy that is measureable over the long-term.

Background

2000-2001: C itizens facilitate environmental events and projects
2002: GEL is incorporated on January 7, 2002
2002-2003: GEL develops its program through community input
2004-2007: GEL expands activities through Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF)

Board Members (2005/2006)

Stephen Rodd – retired Planning Professor, University of Guelph
Warren Stiver – Chair of Urban Systems Environmental Design Centre, University of Guelph
Don Eaton – Executive Director of Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence
Karen Farbridge – Former Guelph Mayor, Political Science Professor, University of Guelph
James Etienne – Director of Environmental Services, City of Guelph
Glynis Logue – Executive Director of GEL

Past Members

Tom Kriszan – Owner of Thomasfield Homes

Guelph Environmental Leadership’s program consists of three key areas: