September 11, 2020
ALUS Ontario East will tackle local water quality and flooding issues with help from new funding from ALUS Canada’s New Acre Project. ALUS Canada announced a new, $100,000 New Acre™ Project sponsorship from Silk® on September 9.
This new Silk® funding will be directed to seven ALUS communities as part of the funding received every year from ALUS Canada. The other ALUS communities to benefit from this new funding stream include ALUS Lac Ste. Anne, ALUS Norfolk, ALUS Middlesex, ALUS Elgin, ALUS Red Deer County and ALUS Montérégie.
This sponsorship will help ALUS support the management and restoration of 90 acres of farmland over the next seven years, to help improve water quality and watershed health, develop new habitat for wildlife and combat the effects of climate change.
“We are delighted that the Silk® brand has chosen to team up with the New Acre™ Project to help deliver nature’s benefits on the working landscape, thereby improving the environment,” said Katherine Balpataky, who leads the New Acre™ Project as ALUS Canada’s Director of Corporate Partnerships and Business Development.
“ALUS Ontario East is a very innovative ALUS community that plays an important role in the Eastern Hub, and I am happy that ALUS Canada is able to provide this additional funding thanks to a new NAP sponsorship from Danone/Silk. This funding will help advance ALUS Canada’s goals in the Eastern Hub, specifically in the ALUS Ontario East community,” said Alyssa Cousineau, ALUS Canada’s Eastern Hub Manager.
The ALUS Ontario East program has 33 participants and 306 acres enrolled in the program (data as of March 31, 2020), and it continues to grow rapidly. ALUS Ontario East has already received its share of the funding for year one, which will help the program achieve its goals.
“Silk® has always worked tirelessly to be responsible in everything we do—from the way we bring food to your table to the way we take care of our planet. Our involvement in the New Acre™ Project advances our ongoing mission to support local communities and promote sustainable local practices, such as water conservation and helping pollinators, through our existing drought-resistant plants project,” said Geneviève Bolduc, Director Plant-Based Category at Danone.
New Acre™ Project will provide Silk® with annual progress reports on key performance indicators, such as overall biodiversity gained, percentage increase in beneficial insects, nutrient retention for water quality improvements, soil organic carbon accumulated in restored marginal lands when planted in permanent cover and total standing biomass. Silk® intends to share these reports publicly.
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ABOUT ALUS Ontario East
ALUS came to eastern Ontario in 2012. Today, Ontario East ALUS Inc. operates within the watersheds of the Raisin Region and South Nation Conservation Authorities, covering the geographic region of Eastern Ontario, between Ottawa and the Quebec border, and south-west to Maitland. The program focuses on retiring marginal, inefficient and fragile farmland, converting it into natural areas, such as pollinator habitat, hedgerows, wetlands, buffer zones, native meadows, reforested areas and wildlife habitat, complete with nest boxes for birds, bats and bees. For more information, visit the ALUS Ontario East webpage and contact Program Coordinator Brendan Jacobs at ontarioeastalus@gmail.com.
ABOUT DANONE CANADA
One of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Danone Canada is a business unit of Danone and operates from headquarter offices in Boucherville, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. Danone Canada is the country’s largest consumer-facing Certified B Corporation®, demonstrating that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Danone Canada’s ambition is to produce healthful dairy and plant-based products, as well as coffee creamers and beverages; to create economic and social value; and to nurture natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Its portfolio of brands includes Activia®; Oikos®; DanActive®; Danone®; Silk®; So Delicious®; Light & Free®; YoPRO; Danette®; Stok; International Delight®; and more. For more information about the company, please visit www.danone.ca; facebook.com/danonecanada; Instagram (@danone.canada); Twitter (@DanoneCanada) or LinkedIn (Danone Canada). Visit SilkCanada.ca.
For more information about Danone Canada and Silk®, contact Meaghan Beech, National PR: T: 416-848-1624; M: 647-463-4467; MBeech@national.ca
ABOUT THE NEW ACRE™ PROJECT
The New Acre™ Project is an ESG (environmental, social, governance) solution that enables businesses to have a positive impact on the planet by supporting nature through a community-based, farmer-delivered program that produces cleaner air, cleaner water and better habitats for wildlife and pollinators. The New Acre™ Project is ALUS Canada’s corporate sponsorship program. Visit newacreproject.alus.ca.
For more information about New Acre™ Project and ALUS Canada, contact: Katherine Balpataky, Director of Corporate Partnerships and Business Development, ALUS Canada: 519-222-1178 kbalpataky@alus.ca (Français: Bridget Wayland, Directrice des Communications, ALUS Canada : 514-770-3001’ bwayland@alus.ca)
STAY CONNECTED @NewAcreProject on Twitter and @ALUSCanada on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & ALUS.ca