Our Story

2002 - EcoEquitable: A nun, a play, and a little extra space

Lucile Champagne was a French Catholic nun, a trained psychotherapist, the first female chaplain of Saint Paul University, and the founder of EcoEquitable.

In the early 2000s, she realized that her office in the basement of the Bronson Centre had some extra space.  That just wouldn’t do for Lucile, so she helped begin a women’s support group that could use the room as needed. After a donation of used sewing machines and with a play coming up, it seemed natural for the group to offer to sew the costumes for the production.  As the women worked together — shoulder to shoulder, not face to face — Lucile noticed that working together towards a common goal gave the women a renewed sense of meaning and purpose. On top of that, they were talking. They were talking about child care and immigration status and social assistance and many other things — they were talking about the real issues that were directly affecting their lives. They were talking openly about these problems that are usually so difficult to discuss. Work created a safe space for these women.

The principles that Lucile lived her life by are the same values she embedded within EcoEquitable. She was relentlessly inclusive and compassionate.

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July 2008-2009 - Fabric Donations Begin

 

In July 2008, EcoEquitable was the subject of an Ottawa Citizen article, and it was this story that began what is now our Eco Fabric Boutique. Lucille mentioned in the 2008 article that EcoEquitable used donated items for sewing projects.

 

When the Ottawa community heard this, sewists and small businesses from across the city donated fabric and notions to the cooperative. A year later, EcoEquitable had received so many donations, that they could not possibly use it all, or store it! Sew, they came up with one of the now-most beloved elements of our EcoSystem...

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2009 - Introducing: Eco Fabric Boutique and Fabric Sales

 

By May 2009, EcoEquitable had received so many fabric donations that we didn't have the room or the projects to use it all! Lucille saw an opportunity for Eco, and changed the face of Eco forever! Champagne started a fabric shop, which would one day become our Eco Fabric Boutique. 

 

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2013: Sewing For Jobs Production Starts

 

In this program, EcoEquitable created tote bags, fanny packs, our Flagbarer products including raincoats and yoga bags, and so much more. We partnered with several organizations across Ottawa and, although we were shut down over quarantine, we maintain many of these partnerships today. 

 

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2014: A Fresh, Sunny Start!

In 2014, Eco finally had the capacity to move out off their basement location, and into Heartwood House, which is where we still call home! We have grown as a community here and now share this space with over 20 other local nonprofits.

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2017: Ottawa Textile Summit

In 2017, EcoEquitable hosted a Textile Summit which aimed to bring together fabric suppliers, sewing machine vendors and operators, small makers, professional made-in-Canada businesses, and those interested in joining this field. We also held an open discussion about the textile industry and heard firsthand business experience from our panelists.

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2021: Supporting Health in Ottawa During COVID-19

 

A year into the pandemic, EcoEquitable created the Ottawa Mask, which was noted as being 88% confident in filtration by the National Research Council. With COVID-19 sweeping the city, Eco's addition to the mask market was essential and the health community was grateful for a good quality product. 

 

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January 2023: Job Referral Program Launch

 

 With successful community sewing projects as inspiration, EcoEquitable launched our Job Referral Program in January 2023. Through this program, we have revived a new version of production that pairs our graduates with post-grad employment opportunities.

 

Graduates of our Sewing For Jobs program receive requests from community organizations to sew items such as tote bags for Lainey's Luck, cell phone sleeping bags for Wild Awakenings, and 126 bed sheets for Andrew Fleck Children's Society. 

 

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October 2023: Eco Hosts Ottawa's First Ever Circularity Fair!

 

In October 2023, Canada's second annual Circular Economy Month, EcoEquitable hosted over 17 local groups and organizations dedicated to greening the city in a successful effort to raise awareness about Ottawa's sustainability initiatives. We are so grateful to have been able to create such an event, and to have met with so many