By Ben Hargreaves, Digital Communications Manager

I started working for Ecologos/Water Docs in the fall of 2020. It was a weird time for me as I had just returned home from a failed trip to Whistler in British Columbia where the plan was to work at the resort for the ski season. However, Covid had its way.

After returning home, I was more or less twiddling my thumbs wondering what I was going to do next. I had just graduated university and was struggling to figure out a plan. In the midst of that awkward time, I got an email from Melanie, our Lead Programmer, Project Manager & Partnerships Developer, asking for an interview. They had kept my resume on file from a previous application and said they had an opening I’d be well suited for. I responded right away and within days I was Water Docs’ new part-time Digital Content Manager.

It took a little bit to get into the swing of things. Starting a new job that’s fully remote during a pandemic and doesn’t have set hours takes some getting used to. After that initial hump I found my stride and pitched some bigger projects and ways the organization could adapt to the changing times.

Volunteer Design Team Members of the 2017 Great Lakes Water Walk event with Stan & Mariam Gibson

That’s where Stan comes in. Stan Gibson is Ecologos/Water Docs’ Co-founder and Executive Director. I didn’t know much about Stan at this point. I knew he had co-founded the Ecologos Environmental Organization over two decades before. I knew he owned and operated an environmentally-forward parcel of land in Northern Ontario called The Buffalo Farm. I also knew that he was a fiercely passionate advocate for and protector of the environment.

It was about a month into my position when I started pitching these bigger ideas. For anyone who’s ever worked for a non-profit, you will know as well as I do that you have to be careful when pitching big ideas, because if people love them, you’ve just given yourself the job of pulling them off.

Stan speaking at a Water Docs Where You Live event in 2014

Stan immediately recognized the importance of some of the things I was suggesting. He got in touch with me directly to ask if I’d be willing to pursue these things and expand my job within the organization. I was pretty surprised honestly. I’d been working there for a little over a month and the ED was putting so much faith in me right away. I’d never felt that kind of instant recognition in a workplace before, let alone from the boss.

It’s now been a year and a half since those early days and I’m still working for Ecologos/Water Docs as their Digital Content Manager and in that time I’ve learned that that particular decision Stan made back then is very much par for the course. I’ve learned that Stan has so much faith, dedication and loyalty to give, not just to his staff, but also to the younger generation, especially when it comes to combating the climate crisis.

Stan and Mariam Gibson walking off into the sunset of their retirement

As you may have heard, Stan is retiring this month and that’s what he’d like his legacy to be known as. We’re helping making sure of that with the announcement of The Stan Gibson Legacy Fund. This fund was created to help gather donations for our organization and especially for Stan’s final hurrah, the #LaterNoMore initiative.

If you have any fond memories of Stan or our organization and want to wish him a happy retirement, you can contribute any amount to this fund and include a farewell message. These messages will appear in a virtual card we will be giving Stan on July 2nd, his 78th birthday.
You can contribute to that fund and write your message here.