ROBERT CERVELLI
Building Community Resilience in a Changing World
For the past 35 years, Robert Cervelli has worked passionately to build community at the local, small and rural levels. His particular area of interest is in projects implementing innovative new tools for rebuilding economic resilience. With an entrepreneurial spirit and history, Robert understands the issues related to new business creation and the health of vibrant local economies.
Mr. Cervelli is the Executive Director of the Centre for Local Prosperity, a non-profit organization working with re-localizing rural economies and building climate readiness. The Centre is dedicated to promoting and inspiring practical blueprints for prosperous and healthy local economies. The Centre initiates conversations intended to encourage communities to begin a shift toward an economy that is properly scaled for the place, resulting in real action for change by creating a new climate for change. The Centre works alongside community groups, businesses and governments to identify opportunities and assess the risks in making the shift to a new economy, through the use of workshops, conferences, and targeted discussions.
Robert is a co-founder and Chair of Transition Bay St. Margarets Bay, one of the first Transition Initiatives in the Maritimes. He has been a member of the E.F. Schumacher Society for over 25 years, has corresponded internationally and attended key international events on alternative economics.
Robert has also been a life science tech start-up entrepreneur for over 25 years. Bob has founded, or helped found, biotechnology companies developing neurological drug discoveries, vaccine enhancement technologies, consumer health products, diagnostics and cancer therapy.
Mr. Cervelli has enjoyed gardening, and especially food production for decades, and currently manages a mini-farm at his home. He has over 35 years experience in plant propagation, horticulture and fruit crop production. More importantly, teaching others about growing your own food is an important focus of his time.
Centre for Local Prosperity
As co-founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Local Prosperity, Robert assists communities across Canada with ways to relocalize their economies.
Transition Initiatives
Robert is involved in several initiatives which are educating communities on ways they can transition for the future. These include Transition Bay St Margarets and Transition Garden.
Business Mentoring
Mr. Cervelli has several decades of experience is all aspects of start-ups and technology commercialization. He mentors small businesses and individuals about planning, patenting, licensing and financing.
Contemplations
Inspired by long hours of contemplative practice, Robert continues to produce articles, poems and other written works.