Accommodation and Real Estate Services (ARES) provides accomodation and real estate services to government ministries and broader public sector clients in British Columbia. Its portfolio of 1.6 million square meters of space includes office and residential buildings, courthouses, correctional centers, and other special purpose facilities. Many ARES employees were already trained in the delivery of sustainable products, but the organization identified the need for a framework to help employees and clients make strategic decisions about sustainable accommodation options.

In 2008, staff members across 30 different departments completed The Natural Step’s award-winning eLearning course: Sustainability: Step by Natural Step and participated in facilitated dialogue sessions with The Natural Step sustainability advisors.

“Great learning took place [in the blended learning sessions]; now we want to see more follow through and integration,” explained John Berry, ARES’ Environmental Manager. “As more staff receive TNS training, we’ll be looking at how to help each department integrate sustainability into day to day work.”