Nivera Wallani

President & General Manager, KFC Canada

Armando Carrillo

Food Innovation Manager, KFC Canada

KFC’s commitment to sustainable packaging is setting an example for the industry and helping to protect our planet.

Protecting the planet is one of KFC’s core values, and over the last several years the company has made great strides in lessening its environmental footprint. A big part of this initiative has been the restaurant’s commitment to evolving its food packaging. Today, you won’t find a plastic straw in sight at a KFC restaurant, and the company has launched some truly innovative new products, like bamboo buckets and fibre based cutlery along with other sustainability-minded initiatives, including their recent commitment to move to 100 percent home compostable packaging by 2025.

A long history based on unique values

KFC’s leadership in making its food packaging more environmentally-friendly and sustainable has a big impact, especially as it’s one of the largest global restaurant chains.

Founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952 down in Kentucky, KFC is now the world’s most popular chain of chicken restaurants. Today, KFC has more than 25,000 restaurants across 145 countries and territories around the world, including more than 600 locations right here in Canada. 

To this day, the Colonel’s proprietary blend of 11 herbs and spices is still used to season KFC’s world-famous chicken, and it remains a closely-guarded secret. Colonel Sanders, the visionary behind Kentucky Fried Chicken, is still an important part of KFC’s brand and values. Throughout everything the Colonel did, he espoused his own unique brand of values, famously saying, “A man’s life is written by the way he lives it.” Here in Canada, the team at KFC has been writing its own unique chapter in the KFC story — and embodying the Colonel’s integrity and spirit of hard work remains at the core.

Protecting the planet is one of KFC’s core values and over the last several years the company has made great strides in lessening its environmental footprint.

Sustainability that’s grounded in a sense of responsibility

Reducing plastic packaging and waste is essential for conserving resources and energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and decreasing pollution. KFC understands this imperative and is at the forefront of sustainable packaging and practices in the fast food industry.

KFC has been leading the industry in sustainable packaging since 2019, when it removed all plastic straws and bags from its restaurants, eliminating 50 million plastic straws and 10 million plastic bags across the country and replacing them with fibre-based alternatives. KFC also now sources 100 percent of its fibre-based packaging from recycled sources.

“We’re on a continuous journey to lessen our environmental footprint and believe that, as one of the largest global restaurant brands, we can make a tremendous impact not only in our local communities but our global footprint as well,” says Nivera Wallani, President and General Manager of KFC Canada.

A commitment to reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging

The KFC bucket is an iconic part of the brand’s heritage, and evolving it into a bamboo version was a major step forward in achieving their goal to eliminate non-recoverable or non-reusable plastic-based packaging by 2025. Bamboo is fast-growing, anti-bacterial, and 100 percent biodegradable — the perfect solution. KFC has removed 12 million plastic poutine containers from its operations by transitioning to bamboo.

“We want KFC’s packaging to be forward-thinking and inspiring, and to champion functionality, food safety, and eco-friendly solutions,” says Armando Carrillo, Innovation Manager at KFC Canada. “We’ve continued to accelerate our efforts and push the boundaries to bring more environmentally-sustainable packaging solutions to market, including our move to bamboo poutine buckets.”

Inspiring change and constantly innovating

KFC has also been testing fibre-based cutlery. In November 2020, select restaurants began testing a new fibre-based spork made from bamboo, corn, and sugarcane. The new cutlery naturally decomposes at room temperature and requires no additional treatment, nor does it leave any toxic by-products. The process of decomposition takes approximately 18 months. Once fully introduced into the KFC restaurant system, the compostable cutlery will eliminate 40 million pieces of plastic cutlery annually.

KFC also recently announced that by 2025, all consumer-facing packaging will be fully home compostable, and the first home compostable bucket will begin piloting this year. KFC’s new eco-friendly sandwich bag, currently rolling out across all restaurants nationally, is an excellent new addition to the company’s home compostable initiatives. It’s made with 100 percent sustainably-sourced paper and coated with a plant-based, certified home compostable, marine-degradable coating. This bold commitment will divert nearly 200 million pieces of packaging from Canadian landfills each year.

“We hope it encourages our peers in the industry to follow suit,” says Wallani. “One of our leading principles at KFC Canada is feeding people, not landfills. The move to 100 percent home compostable consumer packaging is a bold and ambitious step we’re taking to inspire positive change in the communities we operate in.”

Giving back with the Harvest program

Alongside its packaging, KFC also takes food waste extremely seriously and donates its surplus chicken to charities within its local communities through its Harvest program. The team at KFC was inspired to create its prepared food donation program when it learned that there’s enough wasted food in the world to feed two billion people, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

KFC works with suppliers to purchase only as much fresh food as it expects to sell to customers based on its projections, and any surplus food is donated to food banks, soup kitchens, and other non-profits across Canada through Harvest. The restaurant donates an average of 85,000 pounds of food annually. Since 2016, KFC restaurants have donated over 260,000 pounds of food to 241 unique charities across the country.

“KFC Canada is committed to fighting food waste through our Harvest program while helping nourish those in need of high-quality protein — one of the most in-demand foods at relief shelters and food banks across the country,” says Wallani. “Colonel Sanders famously said, ‘I’m proud that I’ve helped bring good chicken to the tables of millions of people.’ Through Harvest, we’re building on that achievement beyond our restaurants while also ensuring it doesn’t end up in landfills.”

Fostering a sustainability culture

There’s no doubt that KFC is a major player in sustainability. The company’s strong voice and stance on sustainability demonstrates to its team members and franchisees that it has a stake in the game and that it cares. The KFC team lives and breathes a heart-led culture, giving its teams the permissibility to live these values every day.

KFC also works hard to ensure that its in-store initiatives make living this approach easy. For example, it’s on a mission to digitize all back-of-house operations, meaning no more paper and waste, and doing everything electronically (which also helps with supply chain management), allowing its team members to focus on delivering the best possible customer experience. KFC has also removed all financial barriers for its franchisees by paying the up-front costs for their restaurants to onboard onto the Harvest program.

KFC is working hard to inspire its industry peers and make a tremendous impact. And it’s working.

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What sparked your passion for a zero-waste lifestyle?

⁠It might be surprising but I didn’t start going zero waste because I loved the planet: I suffered from a major hormonal imbalance in college which led to a lot of pain, doctor visits, full-blown cystic acne, mood swings and mental health issues. So, I started reducing my exposure to endocrine disruptors which are found in a lot of products we come into daily contact with. One of my favourite books on this topic is Estrogeneration which explores the link between synthetic estrogen with our bodies and nature.

It all clicked for me when I moved to California, that the changes I was making to my personal health weren’t only better for me, they were also better for the planet.

I started my blog goingzerowaste.com because I wanted people to know they could save money, be healthier, and be more ecofriendly. It seemed like a no-brainer, and I wanted to help people make this transition easy and fun.

What does zero waste or eco-friendly living mean to you?

To me, it’s just about wasting less and being a good steward of what I have.

Buy fewer items. Use that last drop of shampoo. Upcycle your glass salsa jar to store leftovers. Reuse that promotional cotton tote until the straps fall off and then stitch them back on. Invest in products that will last a lifetime. Focus on timeless things that bring you joy rather than trends. Shop second hand. Eat fewer animal products, more plants, and remember, it’s not about being perfect.

We need to hold corporations and legislators accountable to ensure safe access to clean air, clean drinking water, and a safe environment for everyone.

What are your top tips for getting started?

1. I recommend that everyone start with the big four.
2. Say no to straws. If you need straws or like them, try and opt for a reusable one. My personal favourite is glass.
3. Ditch the plastic water bottles. Did you know tap water is more regulated than bottled water? If you don’t like the taste of you
4. Ditch plastic water bottles. Did you know tap water is more regulated than bottled water? If you don’t like the taste of your water, invest in a filter, you will save so much money in the long run. I prefer an insulated water bottle that keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold.
5. Bring your own bags to the store. If you tend to forget, get a couple that fold up real small and attach to your key ring so they’ll always be with you.
6. Avoid coffee cups which are actually lined with plastic and unrecyclable in most places. The lids aren’t recyclable either. If you have your handy-dandy insulated water bottle on you, you can grab your coffee, or ask for it in a real
   mug to stay.

The post Kathryn Kellogg’s Advice on “Going Zero Waste” appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Plastic can be a valuable material. But the amount of it that currently ends up in oceans and landfill is now almost universally recognized as unacceptable.

Plastic can be a valuable material. But the amount of it that currently ends up in oceans and landfill is now almost universally recognized as unacceptable. In Canada, over 85% of plastic is used only once and is then discarded.

This huge waste problem is an inevitable part of the linear economy that we all operate in – we take resources from the environment, make things with them and then dispose of them as waste. It’s an unsustainable system and one which is responsible for at least 45% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).

There is another way. The adoption of a circular economy can tackle plastic pollution at the source as well as potentially mitigate climate change. But it does require some big changes to the ways that most businesses operate – eliminating the plastics we don’t need at the design stage; innovating to ensure the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable; and circulating everything to keep it out of the environment and in the economy.

Get this right and the benefits could be widespread. A circular economy has the capability to reduce GHGs from the production, use, and disposal of plastics by 25%, and create 700,000 new jobs by 2040.

In 2018, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme established the Global Commitment to bring together businesses and governments behind a common vision of a circular economy for plastic. More than 500 organizations have agreed to work towards concrete 2025 targets on how they produce, use, and reuse plastic.

These actions are furthered by a network of groups, sharing best practices. Under the banner of the Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network, there are now 10 Plastic Pacts convened at individual country levels, together with two regional Pacts.

Canada’s Plastic Pact was launched in January 2021, led by The Natural Step Canada and with members including Walmart, Danone Canada and Maple Leaf Foods. The group has just unveiled its Roadmap for 2025 – a manifesto comprising four targets;

1.    Define a list of plastic packaging that is to be designated as problematic or unnecessary and take measures to eliminate these by 2025

2.    Support efforts towards 100% of plastic packaging being designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025

3.    Undertake ambitious actions to ensure that at least 50% of plastic packaging is effectively recycled or composted by 2025

4.    Ensure an average of at least 30% recycled content across all plastic packaging (by weight) by 2025.

These are ambitious goals, but action is already happening among international businesses. The latest Global Commitment Progress Report shows that after decades of growth, the use of virgin plastic (i.e plastic that has not yet been used) appears to have peaked for Global Commitment brands and retailers.

Many challenges remain. Progress has largely been driven by recycling, but that is not enough to solve plastic pollution. We need urgent action to eliminate single-use packaging.

We also need a legally binding, global agreement to level the playing field so that all businesses and governments can play their part. A large number of businesses and countries are supportive of a UN treaty on plastic pollution.

Everyone has a vital role to play in solving the plastic problem. Businesses, public organizations and citizens are all encouraged to be inspired by the Roadmap and find their way of contributing to this shared action plan. Where will you start?

The post Eliminating Plastic Waste at Source in the Circular Economy appeared first on HiveInnovates.

The plastic pollution crisis meets the underlying criteria necessary to classify the issue as a threat to global security, yet it lacks a legally binding global treaty.

The potential long-term detrimental health effects of plastic pollution remain contentious while environmental implications are wide-ranging and globally devastating. Investigatory research demonstrates genuine cause for concern and evolving consequences when evaluating the effects of mismanaged plastic waste. When defining matters of global security using a plastic pollution lens, traditional definitions of security are widened to include matters of environment, health, and civil rights. These matters are increasingly being considered politically important and, as matters of security, as they take the center stage of many political agendas globally.

Defining security and plastic pollution

When defining matters of global security, research demonstrates that specific criteria must be met, which include:

• Threat to preservation of international peace
• Transboundary threat
• Political action has been taken
• The issue has “real-world” consequences
• Drastically threatens or degrades the quality of life of state inhabitants over a brief time span

These underlying criteria are found in other significant environmental crises that are well established as threats to global security such as global climate change, biodiversity and species loss, invasive species, ozone depletion, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These recognized threats have extensive binding global treaties which catalyze global action to minimize or eliminate their effect. What is alarming, however, with the issue of plastic pollution is that, although it meets all the same criteria, the world has not yet developed a globally binding treaty to curb the devastating effects and serious risk of this ubiquitous pollution. To make matters worse, plastic pollution contributes to many of the existing recognized ecological threats to global security, worsening their cumulative effects such as atmospheric carbon.

Finding solutions among the disparity

There are no proven formulas which provide one solution to ending the plastic pollution crisis. Solutions must be localized, diverse, accessible, and as equally complex as the issue of plastic pollution itself. Over the last decade, Ocean Legacy has been creating a plastic pollution emergency response program called EPIC, a strategic platform which integrates Education, Policy, Infrastructure, and Cleanup. This program was designed to educate a global population around the effects of plastic pollution, to build advocacy tools, and identify policy gaps that build effective practices which manage plastic wastes, to give plastic waste an economic value and stimulate the plastic circular economy with infrastructure development, to provide training to facilitate cleanups, and to develop immersive learning tools to steward the natural environment.

The future of plastic is circular. Circularity is a founding ideology that I believe will become the accepted norm which sustains the very basis of humanity’s survival. Circularity is where humanity learns to harmonize its behaviour with nature and provides the opportunity to reevaluate and redesign our current state of affairs. To move forward into a life-supporting reality, establishing the following will be critical:

• We need a coordinated globally binding treaty to catalyze world-wide action and to harmonize patch work policy
• We must teach our children the importance of building a meaningful relationship with the natural planet and educate the general population on the threat of plastic pollution
• The need for more long-term research on the human health effects of plastic pollution is urgent
• Mandating recycled content standards in manufacturing and redesigning products with their full life cycle in mind must become common practice
• Capital investment to build new systems which foster behaviour change and develop infrastructure are paramount

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Steve Rakidzioski

Business Development Specialist, RNG

As decisions are weighed over longer-term climate plans, here’s why leaders are choosing renewable natural gas (RNG) as an immediate, cost-effective solutions to reduce Ontario’s emissions

Climate change is imminent, and decisive action is needed on the
best path forward. For governments and business leaders, it’s a complex issue: many solutions require significant cost investment, new infrastructure, or decades to effectively transition. As decisions are weighed over longer-term plans, here’s why leaders are choosing renewable natural gas (RNG) as an immediate, cost-effective solution to reduce Ontario’s emissions.

A pragmatic solution to a tough problem

To step up climate action quickly and affordably, RNG is among the most pragmatic of approaches. More than a third* of the food produced and distributed in the country gets discarded. RNG is produced from organic waste, so that uneaten potato salad or apple core is diverted from the landfill and repurposed as a renewable energy source. RNG is carbon-neutral and can also be added to the natural gas network. Unlike the electricity system, no infrastructure expansion is required to enable greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

The benefit of producing and using RNG is that it captures methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Although methane from decomposing organic waste accounts for only 10 percent of GHG emissions, it contributes to global warming — it’s about 25 times^† more harmful than carbon dioxide.

Proven, scalable, and quick to implement, RNG is not the only solution to climate change — but it’s an immediate, feasible way to reduce emissions and put Ontario on track for its long-term climate commitments.

With RNG produced from organic waste, vehicles can be carbon-negative

One of the most exciting applications for RNG is in the transportation sector. Earlier this year, Ontario’s first carbon-negative bus in Hamilton
set new standards for sustainable transit. Launched in partnership with Enbridge Gas, the bus is fuelled by locally-sourced RNG produced at
the StormFisher facility in London, ON. RNG is renewable and plentiful, and its cumulative impact — from diverting methane to displacing diesel emissions—takes the vehicle’s emissions to below zero.

The carbon-negative bus is just one example of an effective and scalable step forward. In recent years, Hamilton Street Railway moved away from diesel and expanded its fleet with more than 130 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. Today, it’s uniquely positioned to fuel them with compressed RNG and amplify its environmental impact even further.

The “quick win” of decarbonizing light-duty fleets

So what about vehicles that still have years of useful life? Rather than electrify an entire fleet at once, it’s more manageable to convert existing diesel, propane or gasoline vehicles to RNG and reduce emissions right away. There are many opportunities in light- to medium-duty fleets
(Class 1 – 6), including:

1. Snow plows
2. Refuse trucks
3. Delivery trucks
4. Supervisory vehicles
5. Public works vehicles
6. Emergency vehicles
7. School buses

CNG vehicles serve as a low-risk, low-cost “proof of concept” to support the case for larger RNG projects. In the long run, demonstrating success at a small scale will help strengthen the case for broader RNG fleet conversions.

The City of Toronto has implemented an initiative to produce and use RNG. Every year, about 35 percent of the City of Toronto’s Green Bin organic waste is transformed into RNG, diverting about 55,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfills. The RNG is used to fuel the city’s waste collection fleet and added to the natural gas system, which cuts down on GHG emissions and reduces reliance on landfills.

Expert help to find the lowest-cost path to conversion

Every climate solution has complexity. Embridge Gas’ dedicated team of energy experts are ready to provide you with the technical expertise and information to produce and use RNG. Enbridge Gas works closely with agribusiness, food processors, municipalities, waste management, and other organizations to help identify, facilitate, and get RNG projects off the ground.

As partners in sustainability, Enbridge’s team can help find RNG opportunities that leverage existing investments in vehicles or buildings. Take advantage of expertise, insights from successful past projects, and access to the North American marketplace.

RNG will play an important role in the clean energy transition. As plans to reduce emissions evolve, it’s a promising and proven way for more leaders to take meaningful climate action.

^*Source: www.nzwc.ca/focus-areas/food/issue/Pages/default.aspx
^† Source: https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/transparency-and-reporting/greenhouse-gas-data/frequently-asked-questions/global-warming-potentials-ipcc-fourth-assessment-report
^‡ CO₂e stands for carbon dioxide equivalent. It is used to describe different greenhouse gases in a common unit.
^** Net emissions from vehicle using 40,000 m³ RNG/year. 40,000 m³ of RNG is the equivalent of 1,623 GJ or 451,195 kwh of energy per year.
^†† 85,000 kg CO₂e/yr of CO2 is released from the combustion of RNG. Since RNG is derived from organic waste produced by plants that take up CO2, these CO2 emissions are considered biogenic and not additional to the atmosphere. Trace amounts of CH4 and N2O are also produced from the combustion of RNG that result in 11,000kg CO₂e/year of emissions being released.
^‡‡ Net emissions from powering electric bus using 451,000 kwh/year based on Ontario grid.
All calculations are based on Ontario’s electric grid for illustration purposes only. Actual calculations will be provided when working with Enbridge Gas. © 2021 Enbridge Gas Inc. All rights reserved. ENB 657 09/2021

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You know that funky smell coming from your green bin? That’s the primary ingredient of biogas. If you capture enough of it, and purify it, it becomes a powerful and reliable source of renewable energy.

Wherever you live in Canada, there’s a good chance that climate-friendly biogas is working for you at this very moment: it’s helping to charge your phone, to power your fridge, to heat your home, or to fuel your transit system. And if it isn’t yet, it will be soon.

That’s because biogas is one of Canada’s fastest-growing renewable energy sources. It’s clean, it’s reliable, it’s cost-effective, and it comes from something we have a lot of in Canada: organic waste.

Canada’s 6 million tonnes of food waste, 16 million tonnes of farm manure, 1,500 active landfills, and sludge from 1,200 wastewater treatment plants are all readily-available sources of biogas energy.

Canada’s biogas producers capture the waste methane emitted by these organic wastes, before it gets released into the atmosphere as climate pollution, and instead get value out of it by turning it into a clean source of electricity and renewable natural gas (RNG).

Biogas is Canada’s quiet achiever

There are currently more than 270 biogas projects operating across Canada, producing reliable and clean energy for communities, farms, homes, and businesses. How much exactly? In 2020, the sector produced the equivalent of roughly 400 million square metres of solar panels, or more than 13 large hydro dams.

These projects are being led by farmers, who are converting one million tonnes of manure and agricultural waste into biogas; by industries, which can tap into wastewater sludge; and by municipalities. For instance, the City of Surrey is capturing the biogas from its Green Bin program and converting it into the fuel being used for its waste collection fleet. And in 2021, the City of Hamilton unveiled Ontario’s first “carbon-negative” bus, which is fuelled completely by RNG made with biogas from a nearby biogas facility.

There’s opportunity for much more

The good news is that there’s opportunity for much more made-in-Canada biogas. Research shows that Canada could efficiently tap at least eight times more energy from biogas and RNG, with untapped resources in every part of the country. Having the right market signals and policies in place can shape a bright future in which biogas supports greenhouse gas emission reductions, organic waste diversion, and clean energy production in a profound way.

The Canadian Biogas Association (CBA) is dedicated to growing the biogas industry to its fullest potential and maximizing the benefits from biogas. Jennifer Green, Executive Director of the CBA, shares, “Biogas is a shovel-ready solution that can deliver reliable and clean energy while reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and driving economic development in both urban and rural areas. Biogas is a full-package solution for Canada’s climate targets, and there’s opportunity for much more of it.”

Visit the CBA’s dedicated microsite bettergas.ca for an introduction to biogas, project profiles, and FAQs, and to view the Canadian 2020 Biogas Market Report published by the CBA, which offers a snapshot of Canada’s biogas sector and the factors influencing its growth.

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Xiaomin Zhou

Director of Operations, BioFuelNet Canada

The Biomass Cluster (BMC) is Canada’s first research cluster focused on commoditizing biomass, including farm-to-market supply chains and enhancing sustainability.

Climate change poses an increasing challenge to the production of both food and biomass crops. In addition to food security, these crops are necessary as they’ll play a key role in underpinning the developing Canadian bioeconomy through allowing for the reliable production of biomass (sustainable proportion of crop residues in the case of food crops) bioenergy, including biofuels, and associated high-value bioproducts, such as bio-plastics and pharmaceuticals. The agricultural sector has a key role to play in Canada’s drive to develop its bioeconomy and decrease the carbon footprint of the energy and materials that we consume and export. The potential payback, a thriving agro-bioeconomy, to Canada is enormous. The agricultural sector could reduce Canadian greenhouse gas emissions by up to the equivalent of 79 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and generate up to $3.8 billion in additional farm revenues.

What we can do?

BMC was developed by BioFuelNet, which was established through earlier Networks of Centres of Excellence funding. The BMC spans 5 years (2018 to 2023), with support from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and other partners. The BMC includes 22 industry partners, as well as 7 universities, 15 lead researchers and co-leaders (five from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), plus 51 graduate students and post-doctoral fellows being trained. The BMC work will improve technologies and market opportunities for biomass, bioenergy, and associated high-value bioproducts, benefitting agricultural producers across Canada, including in the northern regions.

BMC seeks to mobilize Canada’s agricultural sector to commoditize biomass for bioenergy and bioproducts, to benefit agricultural producers across Canada, while mitigating and adapting to climate change. In doing so it will improve agricultural producers’ incomes through biomass production on marginal lands (where food material is generally not produced) and adding value to agricultural wastes. This will serve to improve the overall sustainability of Canadian agriculture by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (production of biofuels and incorporation of organic matter into soils) and making Canadian crop production systems more climate change resilient (enhanced stress resistance through plant-microbe interactions). BMC’s work will enable Canadian farmers to earn additional revenues from crop residues, biomass crops grown on marginal lands and from the emerging carbon credit markets. BMC is divided into three themes: 1) Biomass and bioenergy for northern latitudes, 2) Optimization of biomass production, and 3) Biomass pre-processing, supply-chain logistics and economics. BMC also conducts a considerable level of knowledge transfer, ensuring that producers and industry are fully informed regarding research outcomes.

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A famous saying “As Long as The Sun Shines, The Grass Grows and The River Flows,” Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation north of Vancouver, British Columbia. This famous quote has been distilled in Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island. 

Connection to this land goes beyond walking amongst the land, we are spiritually and materially connected. Most Indigenous peoples are taught from a young age, that if we take from mother earth, we always give something back and we only take what is needed. Now if everyone who walks the earth did the same, I think we would be living a different story today.

As a national organization, we at the Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC) understand that we work, play and live in the most beautiful diverse landscapes across Canada. Being exclusive to the communities that we work in, we also incorporate respect to the lands. Outdoor education to key to our organizational where we encourage the younger generation and all those that are leaders in the outdoor community.

What does protecting the forest actually mean? I look at the sweet science and diversity of our national resources, these elements are continually being extracted from mother earth. Understanding that she is exhausted and that we have a huge fight on our hands, when one natural resource is affected it affects the whole ecosystem. A word I recently heard “Collective Impact’ – my interpretation of this statement, it’s not up to one individual to make a difference. It begins with one person, group, organization, community, province, nation to be collective to make the greatest impacts.  We as humankind are innovators and leaders in creating ways to become more sustainable and resourceful with the daily demands of our society. Do we need to be innovative or does innovation include bringing back the old traditional or simplistic way of living? 

As the original peoples of the land, all the elements of the land were a gift.  We acknowledge and give respect to all living things. What can we do in protecting the forests? How do we reduce impacts in our natural resource demand? As we have an unbalanced ecosystem worldwide, maybe it’s time to engage and be a leader or our domain. As Indigenous peoples fight to protect their homelands and sacred sites, maybe it’s time that we consider all of our land sacred and fight for her together as one.

This quote from an ancestors rings really true today and carries with it the teachings from our parents, grandparents and knowledge keepers. 

It’s hard for me to understand a culture that not only hates and fights his brothers but even attacks Nature and abuses her. Man must love all creations or he will love none of it. Love is something you and I must have.  We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it.  Without love our self-esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails.  Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world.  Instead we turn inwardly and begin to feed upon our own personalities and little by little we destroy ourselves.

Chief Dan George

Love for our forest is created by spending time within it. That is why we believe the best way to protect honor and celebrate our unique Canadian forests is to bring as many people as possible outside and offer powerful experiences where they can create their own connection and understanding of the relationships between humans and the world.

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Home to an incredible two million lakes, 20 percent of the Earth’s freshwater, the world’s longest coastline, 40 national parks, and countless beautiful views and vistas, Canada is a natural wonderland. With our large land mass and relatively small population, Canada boasts a lot of wildlife and wild, untouched nature. It’s the perfect place to live or visit for those who love adventure travel, camping, outdoor sports and activities, and road trips.

Advocating for responsible adventuring

For many Canadians, answering the call for the outdoors and getting outside is an important part of their lifestyle. Whether it’s a weekend hike or bike ride through a nearby park or a summer camping getaway, spending time in nature is good for the mind, body, and soul.

Next time you pop up your tent in the forest or stop for a picnic on the lakefront, though, it’s important to remember the oldie but goodie: “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.” For Coleman, a favourite brand of outdoor recreation lovers and camping enthusiasts, leaving nature as you found it when enjoying outdoor activities is just as essential as packing your sunscreen and bug spray. In manufacturing camping equipment and equipping Canadians for their outdoor adventures, Coleman makes sure that protecting our wilderness and being responsible to nature is part of its brand message. Coleman advocates for responsible adventures, which is good for the environment, wildlife, and people, too.

Getting properly equipped for your next expedition

Active families, outdoor enthusiasts, and adventure seekers know that enjoying the great outdoors is better with high-quality gear you can count on. Coleman provides all the equipment you need for your next outdoor activity or camping expedition, including coolers, tents, shelters, screenhouses, fuelled & e-lighting, sleeping bags, camp cooking equipment and cookware, camping accessories and much more.

Coleman stands out from other outdoor product companies with its approach to protecting nature and supporting nature and outdoors lovers. Not only does the brand provide adventure seekers with the necessary supplies and equipment to ensure their overall enjoyment and experience of the outdoors, but they also equip their customers with plenty of tips and advice to guarantee an outdoor adventure that’s positive for all involved — from the campers and adventurers to the surrounding wildlife.

The outside is calling, and Coleman is encouraging you to answer it. Spend more time in Canada’s great wilderness – hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, or doing any other activity you love or have been wanting to try. Enjoy our beautiful wilderness while respecting it.

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ECO Canada’s work and training programs ensure all Canadians have an opportunity to participate in the growing environmental sector.

Over the next decade, the demand for skilled talent in the environmental sector is expected to grow exponentially, with 173,000 job openings by 2025 alone. ECO Canada is the steward for Canada’s environmental workforce and is dedicated to helping to meet this demand by connecting environmental employers with skilled talent, providing workforce training programs, recognizing competencies with the only national environmental professional certification, and identifying workforce gaps within the industry through statistical research.

Funded by the federal government (as part of Canada’s Integrated Work Learning Strategy), ECO Canada has been offering wage subsidies to eligible employers for the past 20 years. In partnership with industry, academia, practitioners, and various other stakeholders, ECO Canada aims to support Canada as a global leader in innovative workforce solutions and job creation.

Ensuring Indigenous representation in Canada’s environmental sector

One of ECO Canada’s mandates is to nurture an inclusive workforce and ensure the representation of Canada’s Indigenous populations. “We work closely with Indigenous communities throughout Canada,” says Kyle Sims, Manager of Professional Services and ESG at ECO Canada.

One initiative is BEAHR Indigenous training programs for local workforce development. “Our BEAHR Indigenous training programs help break down barriers to employment and build job-ready skills through both field and classroom-based training programs that take a two-eyed seeing approach, braiding traditional knowledge with western science,” says Sims.

Since 2006, ECO Canada has delivered over 270 BEAHR training programs in partnership with over 220 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities across Canada. The courses are tailored to meet the needs and priorities of the respective communities as well as the local employment demands of that geographical area.

BEAHR students graduate ready to enter the environmental sector in junior roles and are eligible for wage funding through Canada’s Science and Technology Internship Program, where additional funding is available for those in remote areas to help with training, transportation and other costs. This program helps leverage graduates into environmental careers and is available to people aged 30 and under who are hired for full-time, permanent environmental positions related to natural resources.

Another of ECO Canada’s employment programs, the Science Horizons Youth Internship, offers wage subsidies up to 80 percent for employers who hire recent graduates for full-time roles in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.

Making a valuable contribution to protecting Arctic habitat and wildlife

Chukita Gruben is one of the Science and Technology Internship’s participants. Since July 2020 she has been working for the Joint Secretariat in Inuvik, NT as a Junior Resource Coordinator, where she’s responsible for providing administrative, communications, and outreach support. She’s also helping to coordinate two active projects in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region — the Beluga Habitat Program and the Coastal Restoration Project, both funded by the Government of Canada.

“The communication, outreach activities, and projects I’m leading here have really helped me grow my network, and since I joined the Joint Secretariat, my role also includes assisting other resource people and helping to get youth more aware, engaged, and connected to the environmental issues we face,” says Gruben. “This wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for ECO Canada’s funding. Looking to the future, she hopes to continue in the environmental sector, working to protect and preserve Arctic wildlife.

ECO Canada would like to thank their funders for making these programs possible.

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