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The Faculty of Environment celebrates the success of its entrepreneurial alumni. These profiles provide examples of the creativity and ambition that our students and alumni have shown in creating environmental, social and business ventures.
Pitch Competitions
World's Challenge Challenge
2020 Winner: ECOwear
David Sartor, Master's in Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology
Abdul Kahloon, Master's in Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology
Muhammad Ahsan Khan, Master's in Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology
ECOwear is creating a 100% biodegradable, one-time use absorbent hygiene product that is healthy for the user and the planet. This product acts as an alternative to disposable diapers and helps to address the issue of excessive waste in landfills.
David Sartor, Abdul Kahloon, Muhammad Ahsan Khan
2019 Global Winner: SheCycle
Leah Wouda, International Development
Anna Kuepfer, Health Studies
Abby Loewen, Math & Business Administration
SheCycle is creating a unique antimicrobial reusable sanitary pad that can be locally sourced and distributed in Uganda. SheCycle went on from winning the World's Challenge Challenge campus finals to being the global finalist.
Jack Rosen Memorial Award
Fall 2019 Winner: TRUM
Jonas Hamberg, PhD Candidate Restoration Technology and Thermodynamics
Shahzad Lone, Bachelor of Computer Science
TRUM (Targeted Remote Unsupervised Monitoring) uses thermal monitoring to drive environmental growth by tracking the growth and vegetation of plants in different locations to optimize and strategize their growth environment.
2019 Winner: SMART App
Jaydeep Mistry, Master's in Geography
Juan Carrillo, Master's in Computer Software
Fraser King, Master's of Science
Manpreet Singh Chahal, Masters in Geography
SMART (Sustainable Management in Augmented Reality Technology) App uses Augmented Reality and GIS technologies to increase public engagement in the planning of Sustainable Urban Development initiatives.
Youth Innovation Challenge
2019 Winner: IXIM
Noor-ur-Rahman Shaikh, MES in Sustainability Management;
Daniel Gonzalez, MES in Sustainability Management
IXIM creates 100% biodegradable and sustainable blocks as an alternative to bricks by leveraging agroindustrial waste.
2018 Winner: Polygone Technologies

Lauren Smith, PhD candidate Social and Ecological Sustainability, MES
Nicole Balliston, PhD candidate Geography and Environmental Management, MSc GEM
PolyGone Technologies provides fast, reliable, and accurate measurement of microplastics in consumer products, like your favourite craft beer or other beverage. PolyGone is setting the standard for microplastic content certification as they increase transparency for consumers and work with businesses to help get plastic out of consumer products.
Fierce Founders Bootcamp
2018 Winner: Polygone Technologies
Lauren Smith, PhD candidate Social and Ecological Sustainability, MES
Nicole Balliston, PhD candidate Geography and Environmental Management, MSc GEM
PolyGone Technologies provides fast, reliable, and accurate measurement of microplastics in consumer products, like your favourite craft beer or other beverage. PolyGone is setting the standard for microplastic content certification as they increase transparency for consumers and work with businesses to help get plastic out of consumer products.
Nominate an Environment alumnus entrepreneur
Are you a Faculty of Environment alumni and an entrepreneur (environmental, social or business)?
Contact Paul Parker, Environment's Associate Dean, Strategic Initiatives, to nominate someone or suggest yourself, to be featured on our Wall of Recognition!
Looking forward to hearing many more stories of creative solutions and venture creation!
Wall of Recognition
Anastasia Veeramani
Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability
Management
NU Grocery, Co-Founder
NU is Ottawa’s first zero waste grocery store. We are on a mission to eliminate packaging waste and reinvent consumption

Amr Elalfy
Sessional Lecturer, Ph.D. Candidate
School of Environment, Enterprise, and Development (SEED)
Synergy Sustainability & Development Group, Co-founder & Managing Director
Waterloo SDG is a consulting firm focused on providing comprehensive sustainable development related support services to international and domestic businesses, NGOs, and government organizations.
Victoria Alleyne
B.E.S Environment and Business
Career Skills Incubator, Founder
Organizes workshops, mentorship and custom-crafted volunteer opportunities to empower the underemployed.
Full Footprint, Founder
Innovated a more holistic metric for assessing environmental impact that combines carbon, ecological and water footprints together.
Sarah Walker
B.E.S Environment and Resource Studies
Boosh, Co-Founder
Creating bold, organic, cruelty free cosmetics in the service of all those allergic to chemical food dyes. At Boosh, we believe that clean does not mean compromise. You CAN have bold shades of mineral makeup without using food dyes, petroleum-based oils, and artificial fragrances!
Rex Turgano
B.E.S Environment and Resource Studies
The Green Pages, Founder
Canada’s environmental social network – helping ordinary Canadians make sustainable lifestyle choices by distilling the latest environmental news, events and stories from across Canada in one place.
Bobby Green
B.E.S Environment and Business
Amina Health, Co-Founder
VitameterInc. provides a handheld device that measures individual vitamin levels. Its device provides the information needed to manage diet and supplements in individuals. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is based in Kitchener, Canada.
Humberto Gutierrez
B.E.S Environment and Business
Pearl Card, Founder
Pearl enables highly dynamic interactions between high-traffic entertainment venues and their customers through a system of electronic payments and a personalized marketing platform.
Lucy Ho
Craig Batstone
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
GeoOrbis Inc., Owner
A Barbados-based geospatial technologies firm that provides products and services to both public and private sector clients throughout the Caribbean. Our services include geospatial project management, application development, web-based solutions, web-based automated vehicle location and base mapping.
Mark Bednarz
B.E.S Environment and Resource Studies
BZ Environmental Consulting, Owner
Provides a wealth of experience in demolition, waste disposal, hazardous material management, site reclamation, tailings reclamation and revegetation, and closure planning.
Tatry Geo-Environmental Drilling, Owner
A full service geotechnical/environmental drilling firm located in Northern Ontario.
Steven Bentley
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Bentley Coaching Limited, Owner
Solutions for healthy aging, energy, performance, weight loss and wealth creation.
Bentley Coaching Limited has helped clients prepare for over 1400 Ironman Triathlon events, leading them to victory at the ITU Age Group World Champions, and being named Coach of the Year in Ontario.
Rob Black
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Blackline Power, Owner
Blackline Power helps individuals and businesses make the most out of their Solar Photovoltaic (PV) products throughout their lifecycle, from the panel installation through maintenance and optimization.
Gregory Brown
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
B&A Planning Group, Partner
B&A Planning Group is one of Western Canada’s leading and fastest growing professional community and land development planning firms with a twenty-five year track record of success. We provide professional consulting services to a broad range of public and private sector clients throughout Western Canada.
Mavis Chan
B.E.S Environment and Business
whyVOTE, Founder
whyVOTEis a web app that helps you determine who to vote for and compare views with friends.
Lee Yin Chung
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Udj? DJ School, Founder
Cultivating the next generation of DJs and teaching them how to use their art to positively impact others.
Practice. Preparation. Performance.
David Clark
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Centre for Rural and Community Initiative, Partner
We contribute to the well-being of the citizens of Grey, Bruce, Simcoe, Huron, and Perth counties by identifying, sharing and creating regional knowledge resources to support cultural, social, economic and municipal initiative.
Valeria Cranmer
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Valerie Cranmer & Associates Inc, President
For the past 22 years, Valerie Cranmer & Associates Inc. has provided planning consulting services to many rural municipalities and private development concerns in Ontario. The preparation of policy documents such as strategic plans, official plans, and zoning by-laws are the focus of the municipal work, while the private development interests range from plans of condominium/subdivision, affordable housing initiatives to OMB hearings.
Keith Cutten
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Cutten Golf Course Design, Owner
Cutten Golf Inc. is a design-build practice focused on creating fun, economical and environmentally sustainable golf courses, which blend seamlessly into the sites on which they are shaped. Cutten is also the author of The Evolution of Golf Course Design.
Martin Draeger
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
ENVionx, Founder
ENVionXInc. is focused on helping environmental organizations move their innovative ideas into tangible assets. From strategic planning, to execution of high-impact marketing tactics, ENVionX’screative team has the experience and passion to drive customer goals forward.
Ian Dunlop
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Dun-Map Inc, Founder
Dun-Map specialized in digital mapping, Geomatics, graphic design, software development and communications for public transit, real estate, tourism and consumer applications, from 1989 to 2012.
Julian Dunster
PhD Regional Planning and Resource Development
Dunster & Associates Environmental Consultants Ltd, President
We provide professional services in consulting arboriculture, timber testing, and land use planning for private and municipal clients.
Ruth Ferguson Aulthouse
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning 
RFA Planning Consultants Inc., President
RFA Planning Consultant Inc. is fostering progressive development and creating attractive, livable communities by providing comprehensive planning services from their base in Belleville, Ontario.
Elaine Ferrier
Master of Environment and Resource Studies
Tallgrass Mead, Founder
Tallgrass Mead is a boutique winery specializing in honey wines made with locally-sourced ingredients. Our meads are made using sustainable production methods in the spirit of celebrating this rare ecosystem and protecting the environment around us.
Christopher Flemming
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning 
C. Flemming Developments Ltd., President
Developing and managing suburban and business centresin Ottawa’s fastest-growing neighborhoods by combining a corporate approach to financial security with the personal care of a family-run business.
Katherine Forster
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Wild. Here., Founder
Wild. Here. has been created out of a desire to get that extra boost that only nature can give us and a curiosity about the wild creatures, plants and spaces around us in the urban environment. Join in on discovering the hidden untamed corners and urban green gems in your city!
Scott Freiburger
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management 
AET Group Inc, CEO
AET Group is a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting, auditing and scientific services company providing professional services to the built and natural environments in many core service areas.
Randy & Margaret French
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
French Planning Services Inc, Founders
French Planning Services provides a full range of planning services from environmental inventories to impact assessments, group facilitation, strategic planning and resource and municipal planning.
Andrew Gabb
B.E.S and Psychology
Agile Financial Services, Owner
Agile Financial Services provides customers with expert and unbiased guidance on mortgage, insurance, savings, investment and retirement needs.
Laurie Gallant
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Hazelton Hops, Co-Owner
Permaculture ethics applied to the cultivation of 11 varieties of organic hops local to Hazelton.
MASH, Founder
Turning Hazelton, BC into a hub for agritourism by organizing arts and music events celebrating local agricultural heritage.
Elaine Ho
PhD Social and Ecological Sustainability
TRIECO Research and Consulting, Founder
TRIECO is a transdisciplinary consulting firm that works with a diverse set of organizations to craft flexible plans that address complex problems. Providing stakeholder research, action plans, workshop facilitation and much more, TRIECO is a young organization unbound by the rules of conventional consultancies.
Pamela Hubbard
Master of Regional Planning and Resource Development
PM Hubbard & Associates, Principal
PM Hubbard and Associates is a unique consultancy specializing in graphic facilitation, collaborative planning processes and methods for engaging people in meaningful conversations (dialogue).
Paul Jakubicek
Master of Urban and Regional Planning
Freight Transport Research Institute, Founder
The Freight Transport Research Institute looks for ways to increase the standardization, visibility and use of technologies in transportation, especially in transportation operations.
Lynn Johannson
B.E.S Man-Environment Studies
E2 Management Corporation, Founder
E2 Management Corporation is a research-based niche management consultancy whose experiences and expertise spans the globe.
GoingfortheGreen.org, Founder
GFTG TV is an online high definition TV platform with programming designed to help small business as the “go for the green.”
Mackenzie Keast
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
NXT City, Founder
NXT City is a non-profit organization based in Toronto that connects young talent with a network of established leaders to create, activate and program public spaces. NXT City leverages the momentum of a new wave of creative talent with a call for vibrant public spaces to create a brand new engagement tool.
Sivankumar Kuppuswamy
Master of Climate Change
Footprint Engineering Inc, Founder
Feng is a design engineering services company focused on driving sustainable design practices in foundations and rehabilitation engineering.
Climate and Nature Society Engineers and Technicians Inc, Founder
CANSEAT is a not for profit organization dedicated to finding engineering solutions and best practices to climate change and sustainability challenges.
Maria Legault
Master of Geography and Environmental Management
Nautilus Consulting, Founder
Nautilus offers a wide range of services across the entire spectrum of a construction project.
Ryan Lo
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Urban Minds, Co-Founder
Urban Minds was founded in 2016 by a trio passionate about shaping the next generation of urban changemakers. We combined our experience in architecture, urban planning, and design with our passion in youth education to encourage curiosity and exploration of innovative urban design.
Ian Macnaughton
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Master of Regional Planning and Resource Development
MHBC Planning, Founding Partner
At MHBC we bring innovation, creativity and practicality to the challenges of commercial, residential and aggregate resource planning. We are accomplished problem solvers and qualified experts who believe in high quality aesthetics whilst never hindering the environment.
Anne-Marie Marais
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning 
Long Legs Media, Founder
Long Legs Media is a Digital Media Company established in 2008. We offer a range of expertise and experience to help serve the Digital Marketing, Social Media and Content Creation needs of small to medium size businesses or larger businesses with an entrepreneurial mind-set.
Kevin Mayall
Master of Regional Planning and Resource Development
PhD Urban and Regional Planning
Locus Geomatics Ltd, Founder
Developing and servicing geospatial infrastructure for the public, private and non-profit sectors in Bermuda. We enable various types of business activity with geographic technology to provide staff and customers with insights and ease of use
Jean Monteith
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Monteith Brown Planning Consultants Ltd, Founder
MBPC is a highly successful urban and regional planning firm serving a broad range of municipal, not-for-profit and private sector clients since 1977. Our major service areas include: Municipal Planning, Parks, Recreation, and Culture Development Planning.
Rainer Mueller
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Mount Seven Group, Principal
Mount Seven Group is a boutique strategic advisory firm focused on leading and developing the architecture of multi-unit organizations.
Atul Nanda
B.E.S Environment and Resource Studies
Recyclable Materials Marketing, President
ReMMmarkets paper, plastic, metal, glass and other recyclable materials typically collected from curbside recycling programs across North America. ReMM also provides waste management and environmental consulting services to select clients.
Erin Nicolardi
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Rivers to Ridges, Co-Founder
Designing and delivering year-round wilderness-based programs to people of all ages across the Yukon to promote healthy communities and connections to the natural world.
Marnie Olson
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Engaging Minds Consultings Ltd., Founder
Strategic consulting for sustainability-based employee and outreach programs with community and business partnerships. Design, develop, implement and evaluate pilot programs, initiatives and curriculum for target audiences, as well as facilitators, educators and trainers within organizations.
Brian Prudman
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management 
Momentum Developments, Co-Founder
Condominium developments turning Downtown KW into a modern, environmentally-friendly, tightly-knit community – one condominium development at a time.
Omar Rais
Barry Randall
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
Grey Bruce Sustainability Network, Principal
Bringing together municipalities, groups and individuals of the Grey Bruce Region of Southwestern Ontario dedicated to leaving their planet and communities in better shape than they found them.
Ian Robertson
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Inukshuk Planning & Development Ltd, Principal
IPD is a unique northern environmental planning and landscape architecture firm. Setting higher standards for inclusive, meaningful and equitable environmental consultation in Northern Canada.
Dan Sageman
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Carolinian Construction Ltd, Owner
Providing an exciting and immersive home improvement experience for their clients, from minor home renovations to building new homes to managing large construction projects.
Theresa Schumilas
PhD Human Geography
Open Food Network Canada, Founder
Open Food Network Canada uses technology to move the food movement. We work with sister organizations around the world to develop and deploy open source technology platforms that help community based sustainable food initiatives connect, proliferate and have greater impact.
Lauren Smith & Nicole Balliston
PhD candidates in Social and Ecological Sustainability & Geography and Environmental Management

Polygone Technologies, Co-Founders
PolyGone Technologies provides fast, reliable, and accurate measurement of microplastics in consumer products, like your favourite craft beer or other beverage. PolyGone is setting the standard for microplastic content certification as they increase transparency for consumers and work with businesses to help get plastic out of consumer products.
Catherine Spears
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Spears & Associates Inc, Owner
Spears & Associates Inc. is a planning, real estate and development consulting firm that provides diverse professional services to both public and private sector clients in the areas of development management, municipal approvals, mediation and negotiation, market and economic analysis, proposal calls, forensic and land use planning and expert opinion evidence and testimony, etc..
Robin Sutherland
GDip Social Innovation
Thinking Rock Community Arts, Founder
We are a non profit community arts organization based in Thessalon, Ontario that creates art with and for the people living along the North Shore of Lake Huron, from Spanish to Sault Ste. Marie and all points in between.
Mary Tasi
B.E.S Urban and Regional Planning
Sky Spirit Studio, Founder and Director
Creating public artwork meant to display and commemorate the rich artistic legacy of BC’s First Nations.
Rob Theodosiou
B.E.S. Environmental Studies
Abe ErbBrewing Co, Founder
We are a small brewery/pub located in the heart of Waterloo. Our focus is on a small craft selection of premium ales and lagers.
Settlement Co, Founder
Settlement Co, located in Waterloo, is a coffee roaster dedicated to quality, ethically sourced seasonal crops of the highest grade for all our specialty coffees.
Tim Mock
B.E.S Geography and Environmental Management
TM NewMedia Inc, Founder and President
27 years of helping organizations and individuals achieve their goals through enhanced online learning and web communications.