Sustainability Profile: Ananda Fundamental Wellness Resources

1. What is your company's brand promise, vision or statement of values, and how does it relate to sustainability?

Ananda Fundamental Wellness Resources provides experiences that nurture peace and healing in individuals, and in communities. Holistic therapies and funshops support clients to live authentically and effectively. We believe that when we live from this space of wholeness, health, and ease, we naturally make compassionate, sustainable choices for ourselves, our communities, and our planet Earth.
2. How are your products or services environmentally and socially sustainable?

Clients sometimes wonder what seemingly eclectic services such as Voice & Sound Funshops, Wellness Funshops, Flower Essence Therapy, Reiki and Reflexology have in common. The answer is this: all of these modalities nurture peace and healing within an individual, or within groups of people. So, for example, in the Voice & Sound Funshops, participants develop their innate ability to express themselves authentically and creatively; they also develop their ability to listen to other people deeply, compassionately, and without judgment. Both of those skills together are fundamental in establishing the communication and cooperation we need to co-exist peacefully in daily life, and to make lasting positive changes in our families, communities, and organizations.

Most of our services leave a very shallow environmental footprint, as they rely on the simple presence of facilitator and client, and the application or teaching of specific techniques, rather than products or other "things".
3. How does your company give preference to suppliers who create positive social and environmental benefits either through their products and services or through their community partnerships?

Flower essence therapy uses therapeutic tinctures called flower essences, purchased from the Flower Essence Society (FES). The majority of these tinctures are wild-crafted, or organically/bio-dynamically grown in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California. Tinctures are dispensed in glass bottles which can either be re-used or recycled.

A small amount is donated back to FES yearly to support continued research, education, and humanitarian projects. Ananda Resources also donates to organizations that are working towards a more peaceful, cooperative, and sustainable planet, e.g. Alliance for a New Humanity, and The Naked Voice Foundation.
4. How does your business minimize the environmental impact of its operations?

Our home-based office employs a recycling service and uses recycled paper whenever possible. We use fragrance-free, biodegradable detergents to wash linens used for bodywork services, and the entire house is cleaned with natural and mostly scent-free cleaning products. This not only minimizes environmental impact, it also creates a safe space for allergic and chemically-sensitive clients.

A recent shift from contracting to various locations, to being a purely home-based business, also saves at least 120 km of driving per week — not to mention improving quality of life!
5. How does your business demonstrate ethical business conduct?

Ananda Wellness Resources founder Pamela Alexander is a member of various organizations that offer support, research, and information, as well as guidelines for ethical conduct and ongoing education requirements. These include: the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada, the Flower Essence Society, and the Naked Voice Facilitator Association.
6. What strategic community partnerships does your company have in place?

We are a proud member of REAP, and participate in REAP events whenever possible. Ananda Resources has a strong referral network to other local health, wellness and "living life well" resources.
7. What policy or guidelines exist to support charitable contributions?

Simply, we support charitable organizations that are in alignment with our vision and statement of values.
8. How many people do you employ locally?

1

Apart from our founder, we have no other employees at this time.
9. In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee health and safety?

Work-life balance is a high priority, since we can only facilitate a healing space for clients if we are also in balance. We operate on a 4-day work week whenever possible, with breaks throughout the year for education and recreation. Since receiving complementary/alternative health care and attending workshops is how we develop a network of care and opportunities for clients, self-care is built right into the business—a sustainable, win/win cycle!
10. In what ways does your business demonstrate its commitment to employee development and job satisfaction?

We are committed to ongoing professional development. One of our services, Voice & Sound Workshops, evolved out of a personal interest in music, and an ongoing training with the Naked Voice Foundation in the UK.
11. How does your business support employees to lead balanced lives and be active participants in their communities?

In 2008 we participated in the Earth Charter Summit bringing healing and a sense of community to participants through song, and have various volunteer activities planned for 2009.