Any Whistlerite who has kept up on local environmental issues over the past decade and a half is likely familiar with Claire Ruddy, the executive director of the Association for Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE).
Whether fighting to have an environmental voice around the table at municipal planning meetings, working on the ground with local events and groups to minimize their footprint, or simply being a vocal advocate for climate action and biodiversity protection, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more active champion for the environment locally.
That’s why it came as a surprise last week when Ruddy announced she will leave the non-profit after 15 years, including 10 as director, a time that saw AWARE transform as an organization and affect real change on the ground.
“Once COVID hit, I was really committed to making sure AWARE survived the pandemic. We were having some very interesting conversations, not just in Whistler but as a global community about how do we build back better from COVID and I think that, at this stage, AWARE is on firmer footing and facing more normalized challenges,” she explained. “I think there’s never a good time to exit a small non-profit, but now that AWARE has got its feet under it again, it’s a good time for new energy, new leadership.”
The legacy Ruddy leaves behind at Whistler’s environmental non-profits is a significant one. Formed in 1989 by a group of concerned residents fighting the construction of the Nicklaus North Golf Course on vital wetland habitat, in its early years, AWARE played more of an “agitator” role in the community.
“I think that agitator role is important in communities where the change isn’t happening at the scale or pace that’s needed. Thinking back 10, 15 years, there was a lot of change happening in the valley that wasn’t being put through an environment lens,” Ruddy reflected. “AWARE’s very strong advocacy voice in the early days was the result of the need.”
While advocacy still serves an important role at AWARE, it is but one way the non-profit champions environmental causes today. Programming has expanded by leaps and bounds, from offering nature camps and managing community gardens to delivering climate action mentorship and hosting election panels.
Throughout Ruddy’s tenure, AWARE secured roughly $2 million to develop more than 40 ongoing and one-time projects for the community, as well as hundreds of events aimed at supporting Whistler’s conservation and climate goals.
The non-profit also transitioned to a staffed model under Ruddy, with its budget increasing tenfold over the past five years, helping to create new jobs in the environmental sector that have provided permanent, seasonal and internship opportunities to nearly 100 people.
AWARE has also partnered with governments, including the Resort Municipality of Whistler, funders, businesses and other non-profits to support local and regional goals around waste management, active transportation, climate action, and more.
“What I’m most proud of is AWARE becoming recognized as a valuable ally on the environmental issues we’re tackling as a community. I think that shifting into a lot of program delivery has helped us connect with many different groups in the community in a way that wasn’t happening when I first joined,” Ruddy said. “I also have really enjoyed having the opportunity to influence policy and development early on, before ideas are fully formed.”
Ruddy credits an improved relationship with the municipality as one reason AWARE has been able to expand its influence. On a more personal level, Ruddy herself has also broadened her understanding of meaningful collaboration.
“It’s a small town, and we have a lot of partners we work with on specific projects, a lot of community collaboration, and I think the reality of that is some places we’ll be aligned and on other issues we might be completely at odds with each other. So, that ability to have productive working relationships on some files and agreeing to disagree on others is a nuanced but really interesting space. It’s complex in the same way that communities are,” she said. “That’s what I’ve tried to bring to AWARE: a kind of culture, a mindset of leaning into that complexity and doing it with a curiosity.”
Ruddy plans to wrap up her work at AWARE at the end of October. Because of both time and financial constraints, Ruddy said AWARE is likely to hit pause on its municipal committee obligations, at least until the new year. AWARE currently has seats on the Forest and Wildland Advisory Committee, the Whistler Bear Advisory Committee, the Zero Waste Select Committee of Council, and the Trails Planning Working Group. Ruddy has asked that AWARE be allowed to maintain its seat on those committees.
Ruddy estimated the time and work required to fulfil its municipal committee obligations last year cost the non-profit about $15,000. “The reality is we have to be able to cover the costs of time to be sitting around those tables,” she added.
AWARE accepts donations through its website.
