About Hearterra
“Together these plants – corn, beans, and squash – feed the people, feed the land, and feed our imaginations, telling us how we might live.”Â
– “The Three Sisters”, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
The Heart of Hearterra
Women owned. Passion led.
Indigenous wisdom teaches us that in order to thrive, we must be aware of our environment and the impact we have upon it, and we must commit to caring for our environment in ways which create a positive infinite cycle. To this end, Hearterra aims to offer local residents a gathering space where they may learn about zero-waste initiatives and food sovereignty practices, and implement them with regards to their own consumption.Â
Your Community Refillery
Check out this video about how to shop at Hearterra.
Dr. Jody-Lynn Rebek
Jody-Lynn is an Associate Professor at Algoma University's School of Business and Economics and a dynamic social entrepreneur, having co-founded initiatives like Hearterra and Waterwise. With over a decade leading Vive Strategy Consulting, she's a passionate transdisciplinary researcher, leveraging both qualitative and quantitative methods in her community-based action research. Her work delves into diverse subjects, including cross-cultural understanding, decolonizing education, sustainable management, and transformative leadership, all aimed at fostering well-being, inclusivity, and motivation. She is committed to empowering local entrepreneurs through Hearterra to fortify a circular economy within the community.
Angela de Geus
Angela grew up on Manitoulin Island and has a background in natural resource management. She has always been curious about the natural world and has understood the impact we have on the ecosystems we are part of. Angela lives with her husband and two daughters on a wooded property where they have a large vegetable garden and a small flock of ducks and chickens for eggs. Angela enjoys spending time in the forest, learning from nature and walking her dog on the trails they cleared. Angela is proud to be a Co-Founder of Hearterra, offering options for consumers interested in making a difference in their community, for the environment and for our future.Â
Brittany Chabot
Originally from Northern Ontario, I developed a profound connection with nature after moving to North Western British Columbia. Amidst its pristine wilderness, I found a calling to live sustainably and tread lightly on Earth. Witnessing the environmental changes and the impact of waste, I committed to a waste-free lifestyle and aim to help others do the same. Together with like-minded friends Jody and Angela, I'm excited to bring to Sault Ste. Marie a store that offers household and personal care products minus the plastic and waste, making sustainable living accessible and affordable for our community.Our Mission & Values
Encourage happy, healthy living and low-waste lifestyles.Â
We care
We are true
We have wholehearted passion
We are innovative, curious and fun
What we do
Hearterra offers a selection of household cleaning products, beverage products, and personal care products that are either locally made or well-known brands (and effective, yes they actually clean!!). Eco-conscious brands include PURE, ONEKA, The Bare Home, Routine Cream, Rose Citron, Birch Babe and more. You can order online for pick-up or delivery or purchase in-store.
The intention is to provide high quality sustainable, healthy options for consumers, and to work together with local producers and makers to share knowledge and techniques for reducing waste, especially single-use packaging. We also pride ourselves in offering a clean and pleasing space for you to shop.
We hope you enjoy the goods we choose to offer and our efforts to provide a more sustainable, accessible way of acquiring products we use daily. By offering this service, customers are encouraged to reduce their own carbon footprint whilst supporting the local economy through companies committed to shared zero-waste values, thus nurturing an infinite cycle of reciprocity within their community.
Why we do it
One message that we want to convey is that we don't have to go all in. Often the goal of zero waste isn't attainable or sustainable in our current lives. It is important to acknowledge this and to do the best with what we have. Every little bit helps and we need to celebrate the small changes that we implement. We are all learning together.Â
Where we began
Our social enterprise launched with support from Millworks Centre Entrepreneurship and LAMBAC/NOW grants, and from Women of Ontario Social Enterprise Network (WOSEN) and Algoma University business students.
We are sometimes asked where the name Hearterra came from. It came from combining the words heart and terra (meaning earth). We decided to remove one of the t's to combine the words. It comes from a love of our earth and nature. It can also be interpreted as hear terra or hear the earth. As we strive to listen to what the environment around us is trying to tell us.
Terra Works Program
Small business owner or organization? Join for 10% off business orders!
