Newo is a non-profit social enterprise exploring ways to share abundance (Wêyôtan) through harmonious relationships (Wahkohtowin), and these foundational Cree principles guide our business practices:
Wahkohtowin: “We are all kin.” There are interwoven relationships between people, land, plants and animals, and our sense of responsibility to each other, our kinship ties, should determine our actions in the world and build foundations for our life together.
Wêyôtan: “It is rich, it is in abundant supply, it is a wealthy time.” From West-Coast potlatches to giveaways on the Prairies and by the Great Lakes, giving has been a foundation for community prosperity for centuries. For the Plains Cree, wêyôtan is the time of wealth that comes from generosity.
Newo is interested in wide-ranging outcomes: promoting respectful relations through reconciliation, empowering workers with barriers to employment, fostering friendships with clients, and blazing a trail to a society that helps the people and places within it thrive. They believe our society has the human and material resources needed to transform the way we do business; they want to help build an economy based on more than scarcity and competition.
Their services include solar-PV design and installation, energy audits and educational workshops. They are also piloting initiatives ranging from Indigenous food-security projects, to pay-it-forward financing models, to supporting Indigenous sharing circles.