Sustainability

The challenge of sustainability is an increasingly pressing one, offering growing opportunities to contribute and benefit from appropriate solutions.  CULLBRIDGE has assisted a wide range of governments, NGOs and businesses with their sustainability marketing and communications.
This work has given us rich experience with such topic areas as climate change, energy conservation,  sustainable transportation, active living, biodiversity, water efficiency, pesticide reduction and other areas related to promoting a more sustainable future.

Representative Projects

The following projects are separated into two categories: (1) Environmental Industry, and  (2) Social Marketing and Market Transformation. Click on the links below to find out more about each project.

1. Environmental Industry

Domestic (Canadian) Markets for Indoor Environment Products and Services Conducted the first characterization study of the Canadian Indoor Environment Industries.

Envirodesic™ Certification Program.  Provided a variety of market research, strategic alliance development, and media relations services for a certification program for buildings, products and services that reduce indoor emissions.

Export Markets  Prioritized export markets for clean air technologies, including building technologies that produce cleaner indoor air.

Healthy Indoors Cullbridge helped birth and provides ongoing Executive Director services to the Healthy Indoors Partnership, a not-for-profit organization that promotes healthier indoor environments in Canada through multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Indoor Environment Workshops Organized full day multi-stakeholder workshops in six cities across Canada to communicate recent and upcoming advances in the indoor environment marketplace, and to strengthen working relationships among its stakeholders.

Metal recovery  Co-authored “Waste Reduction Strategies for the Printed Circuit Board Industry” and  “A study of the Economic Factors Relating to the Implementation of Resource Recycling or Zero-Discharge Technologies for Heavy Metal Generating Industries in Canada”

Pilot Phosphorus Trading Program   Currently conducting an external evaluation of South Nation River Watershed’s Pilot Total Phosphorus Management Program. This is a leading edge initiative for applying economic incentives (a phosphorus trading system) for surface water management.

Product Launch  Created trade awareness through advertisements, articles and case studies, conference sessions, and trade show exhibits, to support the launch of a new chemical waste treatment system from a young Canadian company into the U.S. marketplace. 

Trade Association   Advised the Ontario and Quebec trade associations for grain corn producers on 'building bridges' with the environmental community.

Viability Study for Icynene Insulation in Central America    Helped Icynene Insulation (a Canadian-based firm) apply for and obtain a CIDA grant to study the potential for manufacturing and selling Icynene insulation in Central America. This full viability study included market studies of selected promising countries; environmental and physical viability studies; potential impacts on minimizing the purchase and use of air conditioners, and increasing energy conservation; liaison with potential partners; and an assessment of social impacts and equal opportunity employment. In collaboration with Small and Flemming.

2. Social Marketing and Market Transformation

Best Practices in Reducing the Cosmetic Use of Pesticides on Residential Property    Researched the relative effectiveness of outreach approaches being used in Canada, USA and Europe for reducing the cosmetic use of pesticides on residential property, both with and without legislative intervention (e.g. pesticide by-laws.)

Best Practices in the Monitoring and Evaluation of Program Impacts  Contacted  well over 100 ‘experts’ from all six of the world’s major continents, and reviewed fifteen international examples of best practices in the area.

Car Heaven   Evaluated the Clean Air Foundation’s Car Heaven program, which promotes earlier retirement of older, more polluting vehicles.

City of Toronto   20/20  Conducted a best practice and market research literature review for 20/20  The Way to Clean Air – a campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from homes and personal vehicles in Greater Toronto. Our project report summarized, for each of twelve high potential opportunities: target audiences and their current perceptions, motivators, barriers, and best practices. Helped pilot test the campaign. Updated and revised the “Connector” section of the participants’ Planner to increase its ease of use and impact, and to extend its reach to cover all of the Greater Toronto Area. 

Clean Air Day   Helped Environment Canada and the Clean Air Day Steering Committee assess past performance and future options for Clean Air Day.

Clean Air Public Engagement Programs  Conducted an inventory and assessment of public engagement activities in support of clean air across Canada. 

Community-Based Social Marketing Tool Kit   Developed, tested and disseminated practical information on community-based social marketing tools for promoting environmental citizenship.

City of London Prepared a chapter for the City's Waste Management Plan Identifying attractive social marketing opportunities.

Climate Change Public Education and Outreach. Developed various research and strategy papers for the Public Education and Outreach (PEO) and Municipalities Issue Tables of Canada's National Climate Change Process.

Energy Innovators Survey   Provided recommendations on how to better support member school boards in making energy efficiency improvements through the Energy Innovators Program.

Envirodesic™ Certification Program    Provided a variety of market research,  strategic alliance development, and media relations services for a program that certifies products and services promotes healthier new company developing a new market.

Green Communities Served as a social marketing advisor and trainer, developed a social marketing toolkit for use by the communities, and provided ongoing planning and implementation assistance. We also conducted the initial public research and strategy recommendations for the Green Community Association's new  well stewardship program. 

Green Commute  Assisted Nortel Networks in developing a program for engaging its employees to carpool, telecommute, walk, bike and/or skate to work more often.

Healthy Housing Helped Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) develop a national communication strategy for its Healthy Housing initiative, and increase awareness of CMHC as an information company.

OC Transpo   Helped Ottawa's transit corporation pilot, for the first time in North America, a home visit program for increasing ridership and improving its public image.

Sustainable Community Planning Developed a national strategy for our client to use, in cooperation with its partners, to engage consumers in adopting more sustainable community planning alternatives.  Five product concepts were tested, and strategic directions for each were recommended.

Synthesis of the Community Animation Program (CAP) Provided a national synthesis of the approaches taken and lessons learned from CAP, a community-based environmental health animation program, run cooperatively by Environment Canada and Health Canada. 

Tools of Change Web site  Founded on the principles of community-based social marketing, this site links a growing bank of case studies and ‘lessons learned’ with planning guides and worksheets, to help program planners and implementers learn more quickly from their collective experience. It highlights approaches that have been particularly successful so that they can be replicated and built upon, as well as "turnkey" programs that have been ‘pre-packaged’ for use by others. The site is full of examples that are presented to each user in a customized manner, according to his or her interest profile. Users can save their planning work between sessions, and can download the resulting draft plans and work summaries to common word processors for further refinement.

United Nations   Cullbridge developed the inaugural strategic plan for the global Clearing-House Mechanism  operated by the United Nations Environment Program's Convention on Biological Diversity, and conducted an independent evaluation of its pilot phase. We also conducted an an independent evaluation of the OzonAction Clearinghouse, which supports implementation of the Montreal Protocol on ozone depleting substances.

Wood Smoke   Conducted a survey of dealers, manufacturers and other industry representatives in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec, to help scope out the possible development of a wood burning appliance change out program. Reviewed the performance of past residential wood stove change-out / education programs, and served as a key strategist for assessing the feasibility of and then planning for a national residential wood combustion program. One study was in collaboration with the Clean Air Foundation; the other was in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention and Action Environnement.