Drew Anderson
The snow may be upon us but Calgary just got a little greener with this year’s recipient of the Calgary Small Business Week Environmental Stewardship Award from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. With its triple-bottom-line approach Leela Eco Spa & Studio is leading the charge when it comes to sustainable business practices in the city.
New owner Gaurav Gupta who has an MBA from INSEAD and a background in the oil and gas industry believes Leela’s commitment to the three pillars of sustainability — social economic and environmental — is what sets it apart from other businesses. “We’re consciously trying to build upon those three aspects” says Gupta who purchased the business just four months ago.
Located in Bridgeland in a certified LEED Gold building that uses rainwater for its grey-water system Leela offers a range of services including massage therapy esthetics and yoga classes. Although the spa industry can be inherently unsustainable due to the amount of chemicals and water it uses Leela has committed to making a difference to the environment and giving back to the community. Wherever possible Leela uses organic and locally made products — whether for spa or cleaning products. The spa has also committed to going paperless and makes efforts to reduce waste wherever it can. Leela supports local businesses by partnering with companies like Green Start and Bullfrog Power.
Perhaps what makes Leela’s commitment to sustainability even more impressive is its partnership with Green Knight Environmental — a Calgary-based environmental consulting firm specialized in assisting small and medium businesses — to help focus its environmental and social initiatives. Starting in November Leela will be adding $5 to its massage service fees to fund a new sustainability project. While part of the funds will go to Green Knight to help develop a model to reduce Leela’s carbon footprint the other part will be used to purchase carbon credits to offset the spa’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Since one of the pillars of sustainability is social Leela’s commitments also extend to the community. While it has donated to local charities and groups in the past Leela is now setting up a fund to help local charities and organizations. Visitors to Leela will be greeted with posters that inform them about these initiatives and where the funds are going. For example in partnership with REAP Calgary — which also recognized Leela in its Be Local Awards as the favourite small business this year — the spa will plant 70 apple trees in Bridgeland in 2015. Each fruit tree represents 100 massages at Leela or 150 drop-ins.
Gupta says it’s important to help people in the surrounding community but the business also has to be profitable in order to survive. Leela is managing to do both with 50 per cent growth in revenue in the last year. The business was also nominated for the Calgary Small Business Week Breakout Business Award — the only company to receive nominations in two categories this year.
Gupta believes Leela’s success is due in part to its focus on sustainability which is important for its customers and its staff. “I truly believe in the importance of [these initiatives]” says Gupta. “I’d like to make Leela a leading example of how to be sustainable and to inspire other organizations.”
