Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

When I was working in the special events catering industry, I saw first-hand the large amount of waste that was produced at many events and weddings, from floral, decor, and material waste to food waste. I thought there must be a better way to plan ahead and get creative in order to reduce waste and be kinder to our planet- which started my idea for WasteKnot. Planning and organizing brings me so much joy, so I combined my love of event and wedding planning with my love for the planet. I took many environmental science and journalism courses in my academic career, which sparked my interest in making a positive impact on our planet. I enjoy connecting with local vendors and venues that have sustainable practices in place, and encourage others to start their journey if they have not already. I have found that many people resonate with planning eco-friendly events, but do not know how to get started. I hope to continue educating people about the impact of their gatherings and offer free consultations to those who are interested in learning more. I am happy to say that since starting WasteKnot in 2022, I have successfully planned and executed many beautiful, earth-conscious wedding and events, successfully reducing waste production and lowering the environmental impact.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

One goal of mine when starting my company was to focus not only on smaller, eco-friendly weddings, but to also help plan events to support my own community as a home-based business in New Westminster, BC. Shortly after joining the Chamber of Commerce in New West, they were looking to hire a contracted event planner to help with networking events and the annual Platinum Awards gala. I am so fortunate that they gave WasteKnot this opportunity and I have since built an amazing family within the local business community. New West is a small city with a big heart, and the residents and business owners are so friendly and community-oriented. I am honoured to be the contracted event planner with the Chamber since May 2023 and enjoy helping small business owners and nonprofit organizations with their local events year-round. I also offer discounted hourly prices for my community planning services specifically working with nonprofit organizations or charities. Some previous community-based events WasteKnot has planned in New West this past year include: Mayor Johnstone's Annual State of the City Address (New West Chamber, City of New Westminster, Starlight Casino), Women in Business dinners (New West Chamber, Scotiabank Women in Business Initiative, Douglas College), Platinum Awards 2023 (New West Chamber, Douglas College, and more), Moxie Muse (community art fundraiser with Perfect Imperfect Art and Westminster House Society), VICI Learning (Grand Opening and Family Day event with the City of New Westminster), and more. WasteKnot hopes to continue to plan more events in and around the New West community, all with the planet in mind.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

The word "impact" means so much to us at WasteKnot Weddings and Events. Our goal is to literally reduce the environmental impact of every wedding and event we are a part of, and therefore making a positive overall impact in the wedding and event industry. If WasteKnot can inspire other individuals and businesses to plan an event with the planet in mind and be environmentally responsible, then we have made a great step in the right direction. We have a long way to go, but every step counts towards a greener future for the generations to come.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Sustainability and inclusivity are built in to WasteKnot's mission: "WasteKnot embraces being transparent with resources and information, being inclusive and accessible to everyone, and holding ourselves accountable.
We lead with our eco-values first: reducing waste, eliminating single-use plastics, and supporting local, ethical and socially responsible businesses." WasteKnot's website has several educational blogs that I have written that provide great resources about earth-conscious wedding and event planning. You can read more here: https://wasteknot.ca/blog/ While we have developed strong relationships with many vendors and venues in the wedding and event industry, we do not receive any commission or other kickback/incentives from any other vendors or venues. This is part of the oath we took upon becoming certified with the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. The vendors and venues that we highly recommend to clients are those with similar values to our own. We are proud to be affiliated with some excellent organizations, including MUSE (Members United for Sustainable Events- Founding Member) and the Emerald Hour Organization (Pacific Northwest collective of sustainable wedding industry leaders). We never stop learning from each other so we can help our planet in our industries. Although WasteKnot currently has one employee (female-founder Mallory Gladman), we contract other excellent wedding and event professionals to assist with onsite setup, coordination, and tear down when required. Our contractors are hired inclusively, treated with respect, and paid fairly. This is all part of the WasteKnot company culture.