As we close out the year, I want to say thank you.



At Alberta Ecotrust, we have the privilege of working alongside remarkable people. Funders who take risks on promising ideas. Partners who roll up their sleeves with us and make things happen. Community organizations and leaders who show up every day for the places and people they care about. Nothing we do is possible without you.

I realized this year that progress happens when people choose to build rather than pull back. When we try, test, learn and improve instead of waiting for perfect conditions. That mindset runs through so much of our work together.

Across Alberta, our collective efforts helped advance critical environmental and climate solutions that help people and nature thrive. We collaborated with municipalities willing to try something new, builders and industry partners keen to adjust how things are done, and community organizations that consistently reject the notion that problems are unsolvable.

What gives me the most hope isn’t just the metrics or the milestones. It’s the people. It’s the quiet optimism, the persistence and the belief that we can solve hard problems if we work on them together.

This year reinforced something I believe deeply. The future isn’t something we wait for; it’s something we build. And it’s built by people who are curious, pragmatic and willing to try.

To our funders, partners and community leaders, thank you for your trust, your collaboration and your commitment to possibility. And to Alberta Ecotrust staff, thank you for your hard work, your dedication and the care you bring to everything we do.

I’m proud of what we achieved together, and even more proud of how we did it. Focused on solutions, open to learning and oriented toward what’s possible rather than what’s broken. I look forward to a new year of collaboration and possibility.

Wishing you a rest-filled holiday and a hopeful start to the year ahead.

Cheers!

-Rod Ruff

President & CEO, Alberta Ecotrust Foundation