The news has been really inspiring recently with regards to environmental health. Two stories in particular, caught my attention as they shine a bright light on significant challenges for EH:

• Improving environmental health for Indigenous communities
• Focusing on equity and economic prosperity as key tenets of clean energy

Let’s dive into the specifics of the news surrounding these two exciting developments within environmental health. At Hedgerow Software, my company, we provide EHS technology to help the hard working professionals in environmental health with data collection, inspections, reporting and analysis. Through this work, we collaborate closely with a number of indigineous communities and tribal councils across Canada. So I was very excited to see indigineous communities get more attention for their struggles to obtain clean drinking water. Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds and his wife, Hollywood actress Blake Lively, made a substantial donation to non-profit Water First to improve drinking water on Canadian Indigenous reserves. 

(Image Credit: Water First)

The effort was started by University of Alberta graduate students with a goal to create broader awareness of a significant drinking water problem for Indigenous Canadians. You can read the article here in the Edmonton Journal. For those of us that spend a lot of time and energy trying to shed light on this challenge, it’s refreshing to see an initiative started by graduate students gain so much attention.

future of clean energy with a focus on equality and economic prosperity

The second bit of news I found exciting is the Region of Waterloo, a Hedgerow Software client, taking a leadership role in the future of clean energy with a focus on equality and economic prosperity. A consortium including the Region of Waterloo, Sustainable Waterloo Region, WR Community Energy and Waterloo EDC recently launched the Clean Economy Cluster Map. The vision is to create a clean energy future that acknowledges the necessity for equity and economic prosperity to be interconnected to long term success. What an exciting initiative! I think Tony LaMantia, CEO of Waterloo EDC, said it well in the news release:

“Climate change is a problem that faces companies and communities alike. Our community is exceptionally good at solving problems, and our companies are already engaged in solving the biggest problems in energy storage, clean manufacturing and more. For any business with a passion for clean tech innovation, or any individual who genuinely wants to make a difference in the fight against climate change, the Clean Economy Cluster Map makes it clear that you’ll be joining a truly exceptional group of companies here in Waterloo Region."

(Image Credit: Region of Waterloo)

At Hedgerow Software, we are all about data and how it can be used to identify environmental health gaps, remove biases, and resolve other challenges within the ecosystem. I’m excited to see where the Clean Economy Cluster Map goes and how they plan to ensure equality for everyone.

What are your thoughts on these two topics? Have you seen other related initiatives that could be beneficial to talk about? Please leave a comment below or connect with me on LinkedIn to continue the dialogue.