Why do you value a partnership with the Ecology Action Centre?
Our core personal values, which influenced the company’s outlook when establishing Truefaux Films, are reflected in the Ecology Action Centre. Finding ways to engage our community and the environment, through meaningful and attainable steps, on a local level is important to not only mitigate climate change but also to mediate the stress of overwhelming catastrophic information. Knowing about issues is the first step but taking action is important, and the Ecology Action Centre provides clear avenues for individuals to engage with concrete action on numerous issues that are an ongoing focus of Truefaux’ work including food security, built environment, and renewable energy. Having that local resource to guide people into action is a vital component of our community.
What kinds of things are you doing within your business to have a positive impact on our environment or community?
To offset our home and office energy consumption we purchase renewable energy sources through Bullfrog Power, helping to bring renewable projects online across Canada, like solar on schools and community centres. Our plan with Bullfrog Power covers our office and home as well as our vehicle. Our web-hosting company, HostPapa, was one of the first web hosting companies to take the initiative of going green by purchasing 100% green renewable energy to power their data centres, web servers, office computers, laptops, and office space. And, working with our clients, we have initiated a carbon offset program for all of our out of town travel.
Truefaux Films has a deep community philosophy, bringing high end creative and technical resources to community groups, non-profits, and social enterprises - producing media content these organizations would otherwise be unable to afford. Through our annual Community Partnership Program, whereby we select a partner non-profit organization in the Dartmouth-Halifax community, we are formally committed to donating the equivalent of 10% or more of our time through pro-bono services.
Beyond that, by working with our clients we help them imagine how their content can serve social change movements - way beyond a social media post or residing on a web page. We help them create community engagement, using storytelling to highlight existing voices and bring new ones to the table.
Truefaux Films is a Certified Benefit Corporation, meeting the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. BCorps envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good.
Personally, why is the environment/community development important to you?
These twin topics were instilled in both of us while growing up. Hannah’s parents were founding members of Nature Action in Montreal and both our childhoods were spent in canoes and tents
throughout Central and Eastern Canada. When John’s mum passed away a number of years ago, each brother spent time remembering how their mother would pack up the small Datsun and traipse them around the province - camping and exploring. Hannah’s parents spent decades developing their ½ acre organic garden, and John’s mum dragged him into the woods to collect numerous plants for the yarn dye pot. And whether it was an immigrant or local, people were brought home in both houses to share stories, exchange ideas, and contribute to a shared sense of place often becoming life-long friends. All of these left a lasting impact that, as we grew, became second nature to how we live our lives. Nature and community are the fabric of what’s meaningful to us, a legacy from parents we loved, and holds the promise of hope for our daughter’s future.