Media Kit
Natural Pod ™ x The Better Together Partnership Collection at IDS Vancouver 2022
We are Better Together: People, partnerships, places.
Experience the warm and welcoming effect of the Natural Pod + Better Together Collection at our booth (#937). Whether that’s the high-quality materials and craftsmanship we use, the footprint we leave, or the wellness of everyone along the way. We do not cut corners beside the ones of our furniture which we produce locally in beautiful British Columbia. However, these corners are smooth, as we focus on mimicking natural shapes, forms, and flows.
Impacting lives. Raising a strong, resilient generation of planet protectors requires significant social change. British Columbia based entrepreneur, Bridgitte Alomes, invokes conversations and takes action in how to do business to induce such change. With her values-based company Natural Pod, Bridgitte is forging a path ahead. Recently with inviting like minded brands to the Better Together Partnership for radically transforming learning spaces through collaboration rather than competition. Led by the increased global demand for healthy, durable, and sustainable furniture.
Growth & Impact. Today, Bridgitte is the CEO of the learning solutions company she founded 15 years ago. Having built the business conservatively through re-invested revenue, she has since grown a female-led team. Spearheading the movement with a holistic approach of reflecting human-centric design in furniture and business solutions. The team cares deeply about creating better learning environments that support the best experiences and outcomes for students, educators and their communities. This approach is creating demand! Natural Pod learning solutions are designed and produced locally but sold globally; from beautiful British Columbia to New York, LA, Bahrain, Hongkong, Japan, and Australia
Better Together. The Better Together Partnership of local, British Columbia based companies ChopValue, Heritage Lumber + Unbuilders, LifeSpace Gardens and Halfmoon, is harnessing their resources and experience to better use business as a force for good. Natural Pod and their partners are shifting the paradigm of learning space design; from a didactic teaching model to a student-centric approach focusing on collaboration and intention of needs and space. Through the creation and curation of beautifully designed, multi-functional, high-quality and sustainably made education furniture elements. These spaces tell a story of sustainability and impact; where a product came from, what it has become, and what can it be next.
Impact of Design. In her keynote at the upcoming IDS Vancouver 2022, Bridgitte will offer insights on how each of us can challenge the fast-furniture industry, what conscious consumerism can invoke and how people, partnerships and places can make a positive long-term impact that matters. She will share reflections on how design impacts emotions and imagination, and ultimately affects the outcomes of everyone engaging in and with the learning space.
We extend the invitation to like-minded, value-aligned brands, architects, and designers to join us in creating a systemic shift in how learning spaces are designed. These partnerships and the ones to come are proof that business collaborations are a force for positive change.
Elements + Furniture of the Better Together Partnership Collection presented at IDS Vancouver 2022 at Booth #937
About Better Together Partnership Collection
The Better Together Partnership Collection is a mixed-material collection of sustainably designed and manufactured furniture pieces and textiles. The aesthetics of the collection supports the elimination of distractions through natural surfaces and muted colors. Transforming a classroom through adding a welcoming sense of belonging and similarly educating the new generation in environmental resourcefulness. All products are manufactured and crafted in British Columbia, Canada for learning spaces with a lasting durability and strength in mind.
Keep reading: The Better Together Partnership Collection (Press Release, June 2022)
About the Partners
Natural Pod
The Better Together Partnership Collection is being offered exclusively to the learning community through Natural Pod, a Canadian learning solution company. Using in-house design, build, and product sourcing, Natural Pod creates environments that enhance the health, well-being and learning experience of students, while making a positive impact on the planet. www.naturalpod.com
Existing Media
- Natural Pod Poised to Grow Impact on U.S. Learning Environments: Innovative furniture company welcomes two senior U.S. team members
- Repurposing Space for Sustainable Learning Experiences
Awards & Recognition
Natural Pod runner-up in BCBusiness of Good Award
ChopValue
Globally, 1.5 billion disposable chopsticks are used per week. Single-use and into the landfill they go. Until ChopValue Founder Felix Böck, a wood engineer with a Ph.D. in bamboo composites, saw untapped potential, and urban harvesting was born. To date, ChopValue has recycled more than 53 million chopsticks and diverted them from the landfill by turning them into furniture and home accessories. https://chopvalue.ca/
Unbuilders + Heritage Lumber
Over a third (37%) of the annual waste of the Canadian demolition industry is lumber. Companies are throwing away usable, renewable resources. Unbuilders led by CEO Adam Corneil are changing that. They “unbuild” buildings and reclaim all lumber. Deconstruction instead of Demolition. Unbuilders, Heritage Lumber & Natural Pod have designed one-of-a-kind furniture to give salvaged lumber a new life. The furniture pieces, often composed of Unbuilders material, are manufactured by Heritage Lumber, a BC-based specialist in the supply, milling, and processing of reclaimed lumber. https://unbuilders.com | www.heritagelumber.ca
Halfmoon
Halfmoon’s products are crafted just outside of Vancouver, BC, and consciously designed for various practices. Their wisdom, experience, and West Coast energy are woven into everything they create. Through partnership, Halfmoon and Natural Pod are offering quality textiles for multi-purpose use in learning environments, whether for mindfulness or a soft space to read, these materials bring warmth and comfort to any learning space. https://shophalfmoon.ca/
LifeSpace Gardens
With a LifeSpace garden it’s possible to grow plants and food almost anywhere, no matter how small or unlikely your available space. This gives students access to hands-on learning experiences they may otherwise not be afforded, while also creating community.
LifeSpace co-founders Wesley Hooper and Cooper Pantages started building gardens when they saw a need for a system that would allow people to succeed at growing truly organic produce while fitting into their busy lifestyles. Their goal: Connecting people through growing food. www.lifespacegardens.com
Biography Bridgitte Alomes, Founder & CEO Natural Pod
Raising a strong, resilient generation of planet protectors requires significant social change. British Columbia based entrepreneur, Bridgitte Alomes, invokes conversations and takes action in how to do better business to facilitate such change. With her values-based, learning solutions company Natural Pod, Bridgitte is forging a path ahead. Recently, led by the increased demand for healthy, durable, and sustainable furniture, Bridgitte initiated a partnership with local like minded brands to form a business model based in collaboration rather than competition. Through this union the Better Together Collection was created. Together, Bridgitte, the Natural Pod team, and partners, are radically transforming learning spaces around the world.
Natural Pod was born from Bridgitte’s deep commitment to environmental responsibility and her desire to create inspiring, healthy spaces for children.
Every thoughtfully designed learning space moves our global communities closer toward education that nourishes not only the students and teachers, but also the local communities they are part of. Through her work, Bridgitte is shifting the paradigm of learning space design toward a more collaborative, intentional, and student-centric model: supported by a team who cares deeply about creating better learning environments, experiences and outcomes for students, educators and communities. This approach is creating demand! Natural Pod learning solutions are designed and produced locally but sold globally; from beautiful British Columbia to New York, Los Angeles, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia.
Bridgitte is the host of Natural Pod™ LIVE, the online conversation show that’s been created for, and by, Natural Pod’s incredible community of educators, students, architects and anyone with a stake in creating better learning spaces and experiences. Bridgitte interviews education leaders who share their personal stories behind the challenges and opportunities of creating exceptional learning environments.
As President on the board of the Green Schools National Network, Bridgitte supports creating broad-based initiatives and successful strategies aimed at fostering healthy, sustainable K-12 schools across the United States.
Speaking Engagements
- TEDxWestVancouverED: Space + Intention = Inspiring | Bridgitte Alomes
- EdSpaces – 2018
- Green Schools Conference
- Natural Pod LIVE
Contact for Media:
Michelle Carpenter, mcarpenter@naturalpod.com
Anna-Lina Chutter, anna-lina@naturalpod.com, +1 236 997 0309
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We acknowledge these lands
At Natural Pod, we are committed to restoring our relationship with the natural world and honouring the diverse peoples and cultures connected to the lands where we operate. We craft our products using sustainably harvested and managed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, wood materials.
Our team and business are rooted in the traditional territories of several Indigenous communities: the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh in Burnaby, BC; the lək̓ʷəŋən, Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ in Victoria, BC; the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh in Vancouver, BC; and the Hul’qumi’num and SENĆOŦEN in the Cowichan Valley and Gulf Islands, BC. We deeply respect the historical relationship these communities have with the land and are dedicated to working towards truth and reconciliation.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Enjoy all our latest education news and stories
At Natural Pod™, our purpose is to ensure every learner and educator has a practical, healthy, sustainable environment in which to learn and be inspired, enabling them to reach their full potential. You can find all our news and stories here, where we share ideas and thinking that inspire our work to help inspire yours.
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