"In a world where environmental issues are many and complex, the cooperative effort of people with diverse views and backgrounds is vital to finding workable solutions."Ecotrust co-founders Rob Macintosh and Michael Robertson, 1992

Alberta Ecotrust was founded after two years of discussions and negotiations among environmentally focused individuals in industry and the non-profit sector in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Traditionally opposed in many ways, both sides acceded that their common goal of a healthy environment would be better achieved by working together in a collaborative partnership.

In the fiscally restrained economy of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Alberta Ecotrust was presented as a unique and multifaceted opportunity for environmental groups and companies to cooperate and support worthwhile environmental projects with a strong community base. Equally important, Alberta Ecotrust provided a platform for dialogue and positive working relationships in an innovative alliance that was considered by many at first to be unworkable. It was a leap of faith that required a great deal of trust from both sectors.

Making decisions by consensus, the partners of Alberta Ecotrust created and continue to develop a highly successful model for cross-sector collaboration that benefits from the financial resources, environmental commitment and combined expertise of its diverse partners. Numerous others now emulate the partnership concept, and multi-stakeholder groups are no longer uncommon.

Many years later, Alberta Ecotrust continues to stand alone as an innovative industry-environmental NGO alliance. It is recognized as unique partnership model founded on the need for mutual trust and ecological commitment.