Sustainival was founded to answer one question: how do you get people excited about sustainability and the environment? The answer: by the seat of their pants! Sustainival runs a full scale carnival, featuring over 40 attractions and an Amazing Race-style competition to solve a sustainability puzzle, The Green Beast Eco Challenge.

During Odette’s tenure at Sustainival she reinvigorated existing partnerships by proactively identifying stale sponsorship elements that were no longer serving partners. She expanded relationships with a wide range of partners during a financially unstable time in the province of Alberta, working with partners and funders to provide value in creative ways. 

• Produced 5 events over 2 years across Alberta 

• Generated over $400,000 per year in financial support 

• Attended by 130,000 people over 2 years 

• Managed dozens of unique partnerships including sponsors, grantors, and vendors

Partnership Case Study: Suncor Energy

Suncor had been a long time partner of Sustainival, but after indications that they were not finding the existing partnership valuable. Odette and her team worked to identify unstated objectives of the Suncor Partnerships team and noted that Suncor had a robust sustainability program, but felt that the community of Fort McMurray was not aware of the scope of their work.

In order to address this through the partnership Odette pitched a sponsorship element that would feature Suncor as the presenting sponsor of the Green Beast Eco Challenge. As part of this element Suncor would be invited to include 5 clues in the puzzle that communicated Suncor’s sustainability programs. 

This program was deemed so successful by the Suncor team in 2019 that Sustainival’s 2020 proposal for funding was approved within 24 hours of being submitted to the Suncor Partnerships Team.