The Abundance Project
For more than a year, we’ve been patiently tending the seed of a big idea. Now, Wêyôtan: the Abundance Project is beginning to bloom.
What is wêyôtan? For the Plains Cree, wêyôtan is the type of wealth that comes from generosity. For centuries, giving has been a foundation for community prosperity across this land. This spirit of shared resources is what makes life in our Treaty Six, Canada, possible.
new project partner
After a year of discussions with community-minded lending institutions across Canada, Newo chose local community co-operative SPICE (Solar Power Cooperative of Edmonton) to develop a local, made-in-Alberta investment culture that embodies the Cree principle of wêyôtan.
Rather than settling for a one-off, feel-good project, we are working to create a replicable financing model for energy-efficiency retrofits across the province. Our financing vehicle will provide investors opportunities to support projects that stimulate our local economy, create jobs for under-served workers, and provide clean-energy accessibility for all.
pilot project
This coming year, we are embarking on a major pilot project to retrofit four buildings owned by Edmonton’s Bissell Centre, while providing training and employment to Bissell clients along the way.
This pilot project will model a way to connect socially motivated investors with clean-energy projects on buildings owned by non-profits, faith communities and First Nations. These community organizations immediately save on their energy bills and, as they pay us back, we re-invest into more projects. Each investment will renew barriered workers’ access to training and meaningful employment in Canada’s emerging green economy, while retrofits reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operating budgets to help increase the social impact organizations have in our communities.
changing culture
A key driver for Newo and SPICE’s collaboration is to address marginalized community members’ need for steady employment, while providing SPICE and local investors with values- and community-based investment opportunities.
The Bissell Centre solar installation will be SPICE’s inaugural project. It will be a valuable working demonstration of what an Alberta solar investment co-operative can achieve.
We hope this generous spirit will foster a depth of culture to meet the local and global needs of these challenging times.
with appreciation
A special thank you to these organizations for supporting our work this year: Alberta Ecotrust’s Climate Innovation Fund and EcoCity Edmonton grant program, the Home Depot Canada Foundation’s TradeWorx program, and the United Church of Canada’s Faithful Footprints program.
I’ve heard a little about Newo’s earlier work at Bissell Centre and am very glad to see it continued and expanded. The work and learning opportunities provided are also good news. Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for the encouragement, David. We hope to share a video update on some of the work at the Bissell soon!
This is all very good, progressive news.
I like this news for many reasons:
– it builds on cultural concepts to advance new thinking and action
– it demonstrates ‘sustainability’ thinking at work
– it tells a progressive story
– it challenges new ways of applying concepts well known to some
– it embodies possibility thinking in ways and with goals that can be accomplished
– it expresses appreciation to those who have helped bring NEWO this far
– it offers fresh opportunities for a new era.
Thank you and ALL best!
Jane Ross
We’re glad this news hit the spot, Jane. Thank you for the good wishes!