Julie LaPalme
Panelist
Parallel Session 4.4: With Affordable Housing and Energy
Julie LaPalme is Secretary General for Cooperative Housing International, one of the International Cooperative Alliance’s eight sectors. Since 2014, Julie has been raising awareness about housing cooperatives at a global level, facilitating peer-to-peer exchanges, and sharing good practices through a comprehensive communications program.
Her career in cooperative and non-profit housing began in the 1990s in organizational development, government relations, and property management. In 2006 she served as an Information Officer, and later as a Relationship Manager with the Agency for Co-operative Housing. She also delivered the Agency’s social media strategy for three years.
In an effort to offset carbon emissions and raise awareness about environmental sustainability in housing co-ops, Julie founded the Greener Co-op Microgrants programme which she manages for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. She also delivers their Diversity Scholarships and Grants programs.
Julie lives in Ottawa, Canada with her two sons. She actively champions environmentally sustainable practices in her community through Healthy Neighbourhoods Ottawa, an advocacy group she co-founded to educate folks on the harmful impacts of leaf blowers on biodiversity, air and soil quality.