Sustainability
This page includes highlights about what actions are happening now, our hopes for the future and roles involved in this stream.
Sustainability is a key enabler towards building relevant and long-term viability through the intentional dismantling of historical exclusive and oppressive constructs through meaningful participation and coordinated impact with the community. It is about examining our ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations, while balancing social, economic and environmental factors to ensure long-term well-being for individuals, communities and ecosystems. The initial focus of this stream will be on Environmental and Financial Sustainability.
Environmental Sustainability specifically focuses on the preservation and responsible management of natural resources and ecosystems. It aims to minimize negative impacts on the environment, maintain biodiversity and ensure the planet's ecological systems remain healthy and resilient. Key principles include sustainable consumption, reducing waste, conserving energy and water, limiting pollution and transitioning to renewable resources.
Financial Sustainability is defined as the ability to consistently generate and manage financial resources in a way that supports the organization's mission now and in the future.
What Evidence Tells Us
Our organization's financial data demonstrates:
8 out of 9 of our properties will be hitting the end of their usual life stage in the next decade.
*Our locations range in age from 13 to 59 years.
75% of our revenue comes from funding sources (Government and other funding and grants).
We are currently at a 1.71% contribution rate. This is low compared to the Thriving Y metric of 5% ROR (Return on Revenue).
The Impact We Hope to Achieve
Our hope is to bring an environmental sustainability lens to our work with the intention of positively affecting our communities. Our hope is to create a movement towards environmental sustainability that enables our employees, leaders and careholders (members, clients, participants) around us to drive positive change, and grow in our ability to expand our sustainability footprint.
We will do this by focusing on sustainable consumption and production, while working towards a better understanding of our environmental impact, and taking accountability towards the land we steward. By ensuring that we focus on financial sustainability we hope to continue to be able to delivery the meaningful programs and services that our communities rely on us for, while staying relevant and viable to ignite the potential in our employees, volunteers and communities.
Click into the sections below to see the steps we are currently taking to make an impact in this stream. This section is updated frequently and a part of our ongoing commitment and accountability towards action.
