CAFES

CAFES was founded in 2010 to provide a shared space for community associations across Ottawa who were concerned about environmental sustainability to find each other, share ideas, and build a united voice around their common cause.

For our first decade, CAFES ran on an ad-hoc basis. Communities and organizations working on sustainability in their own neighbourhoods needed a way to share what they were learning, coordinate across the city, and build toward something bigger than any single organization could achieve.

In 2021, CAFES was incorporated as a not-for-profit, and our membership grew beyond the inner-urban core into Ottawa’s suburban and rural communities. Environmental organizations and like-minded individuals joined alongside the founding community associations.

This community infrastructure became the foundation for how we take action together. In 2022, municipal eco-debates drew 1,000+ Ottawa residents, and Climate Resiliency Dialogues engaged 330 more. Tree protection research led to zoning recommendations being adopted and 24 public delegations were presented at City Hall in 2025 alone.

The collaborative network that had been building for years has moved into action, and the outcomes for environmental sustainability in our city have been significant.

Today, CAFES is where Ottawa’s environmental sustainability community connects and acts together.

Our network includes over 250 individual and organizational members spanning more than 50 neighbourhoods across all 24 wards. Our community association representatives are often environment committee chairs or green point persons in their local associations. Our individual members are citizens active in their communities and committed to ecological balance.

We are an active voice on local environmental issues, deeply engaged in the community, and working to make Ottawa a greener, healthier place for everyone.