what is wêyôtan?
What is wêyôtan? For centuries, giving has been a foundation for community abundance and prosperity across this land. This spirit of shared resources is what makes life in our Treaty Six, Canada, possible.
To empower climate-change-mitigation efforts, Newo is pioneering new economic models that embody these cultures of abundance. More than an investment approach, this project is meant to foster a next-generation economy of sharing and interdependence.
project partner
After a year of discussions with community-minded lending institutions across Canada, Newo chose to work with community co-operative SPICE (Solar Power Cooperative of Edmonton) to develop a local 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 provides 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
We have just completed a pilot project to install a 30-kw solar-PV array on Bissell Thrift Shop, owned by Edmonton’s Bissell Centre, while providing training and employment to Bissell clients along the way.
This pilot project has modelled 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.
the Abundance Project
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.
We hope this generous spirit will foster a depth of culture to meet the local and global needs of these challenging times.
Let’s work together!
Contact us for more information.
precedence
The use of financial tools to release capital and create social and environmental impacts is not without precedent. RE-volv has successfully employed a pay-it-forward financing model to help 35 non-profits across the United States install solar systems and save on their electric bills. Closer to home, Encompass Coop and Aboriginal social enterprise Aki Energy have deployed pay-as-you-save financing to install geothermal on First Nations throughout Manitoba, providing employment and low-cost clean energy to these communities.