2024 Letter from Executive Director
Dear Friends of Sustainable Calgary,
We’ve been on an incredible journey the last decade at Sustainable Calgary, reimagining what’s possible in the design of our communities so we can lead healthier, more connected lives. Most recently we’ve focused on making neighbourhoods welcoming and healthy for kids - as imagined by kids. We’ve learned how much of a difference we can make, and we want to pass that knowledge and empowerment on to the next generation!
Collaboration is at the heart of our work and for me, one of its greatest joys - whether co-designing, brainstorming indicators, or shoveling dirt! Some of my favorite memories are of painting local school streets while chatting with colleagues and local residents about philosophy, poetry, and movies. It’s a blast, it fills my cup - and I’m beginning to suspect it’s this kind of connection that’s the antidote to polarization and other malaises.
Today, I want to share a glimpse of what we’ve accomplished with our collaborators, why it matters, and how your support can help us continue this vital work.
A Year of Impact: What We’ve Built Together
This past year, we celebrated countless milestones, each a testament to collaboration and persistence. Here are just a few highlights:
Safer Routes for Kids: Building on our Kids Reimagine School Streets success, we’ve teamed up with national partners to prototype two more School Streets and are sharing lessons learned with communities across Canada. Want to learn more? Check out our new literature review on School Streets here!
Revitalized Public Spaces: From resurfacing the Connaught Open Street with playful designs that enhance safety to hosting winter bonfires and co-designing permanent plans for a greener, healthier school street, we’re creating a welcoming place to travel and explore. The Connaught project wouldn’t be possible without collaborators like BUMP Mural Festival, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The TULA Project, the City of Calgary, the University of Calgary and local residents.
National Recognition: Through Kids Reimagine School Streets, students led the charge to transform their school surroundings. The results? Four precedent-setting built projects, three visionary school street network plans—and a 2024 National Urban Design Award! Thank you to partners SPECTACLE Bureau, Martinson-Golly Ltd, and Everactive Schools!
Innovating with Nature: The Chickadee Challenge brought nature-inspired problem-solving to Calgary classrooms and the SPARK Science Centre - sparking creativity and environmental stewardship among our youngest citizens. With thanks to partners at the University of Calgary!
Supporting Individual Change: We launched Dialogue for a Change, a new facilitated program that helps individuals navigate meaningful, planet-friendly steps toward a more sustainable future.
Advancing Policy Change: We’ve consulted on the Calgary Plan, HealthYYC, and the Neighbourhood Streets Policy, bringing research, engagement, and knowledge translation to the table.
Whether advocating for housing and transportation infrastructure, prototyping school-adjacent Open Streets, hosting events, reviewing literature on healthy built environments, or developing tools like our new Playful Places deck of cards for community-led change, every project is a step toward a healthier, happier city.
“When kids, non-profits, schools, teachers, students, parents, designers and fabricators collaborate to create safe and inclusive active spaces, it's worth celebrating. It gives children a voice and shows them the importance of such spaces. They get exposed to the idea of designing for the future. The project demonstrates effective community collaboration to design safe and kid-friendly school streets, showcasing various examples and strategies implemented in Calgary. “
The Ripple Effect of Your Support
While the outcomes of our work are clear, the path to achieving them isn’t always straightforward. Change can take time.
In High River, our codesign process inspired an expansion of their Happy Trails within just one year. In Bridgeland, on the other hand, a community-led vision for a new bridge secured funding nearly a decade after our collaboration began. Development in the neighborhood’s southeast also came to fruition after a decade, catalyzed by the East Riverside Master Plan, which aimed to address isolation among seniors through more multi-generational housing and walkable amenities.
In Anderson-Heritage, we were able to participate as stakeholders in the Local Area Plan, ensuring community feedback and co-design work would live on in long-term development efforts. These wins wouldn’t have been possible without sustained support for relationships, creativity, and persistence behind the scenes.
Why We Need You
While we’ve been fortunate to secure project funding, operational funding remains a constant challenge. The heart of our work—building trust, exploring new ideas, and sharing lessons learned—depends on it. Without operational support, the innovative, people-first solutions we’re known for simply wouldn’t exist.
Your donation today will:
Help us grow projects like Kids Reimagine School Streets, ensuring every child has safe, healthy, and inspiring routes to school.
Support community-led designs that address pressing challenges—from mobility to climate resilience.
Scale up communication about the many benefits of investing in transit and active transportation.
Fund the behind-the-scenes work that transforms bold ideas into real-world impact.
An encouraging sticker you can take-home with a pledge of $10 or more to help support our work next year!
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we step into the new year, we’re excited about what’s on the horizon: prototyping more safe school streets, engaging in a communications campaign, and taking on our first major capital project! There’s so much more we can do—with your help.
Your generosity makes it possible for us to dream big, experiment, and bring meaningful change to the communities we serve.
Will you join us in making 2025 our most impactful year yet?
Your generosity makes more possible. Every contribution helps us dream bigger, try new ideas, and bring lasting, positive change to Calgary’s communities.
As a thank-you, our holiday campaign includes fun rewards, available for pick-up in the new year. Don’t forget to provide your address so we can send you the details! Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support—whether through a donation, a kind word, or simply spreading the word about our work—means the world to us.
With gratitude,
Celia Lee
Executive Director
Sustainable Calgary
P.S. Follow us on Instagram to see the faces behind our stories and projects—and know that every contribution you make supports this incredible work. Let’s make 2025 our most impactful year yet!