Dairy producer shares its profits

Montreal – Stonyfield Canada has put a share of its profits towards five initiatives that it says take concrete action to preserve the environment and contribute to the health and well-being of Canadian communities.

The five initiatives will receive grants from Profit for the Planet, a fund created by Stonyfield Canada.

Each year the fund invites Canadians to submit their ideas for grassroots green initiatives. The aim is to provide some financial aid to these initiatives to encourage all Canadians to implement local earth-friendly projects. This year there were 83 project ideas submitted.

Grant recipients

Organizers awarded the grand prize of a $10,000 grant to the Meet Your Farmer Bike Tours, which is run by Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN).

This project enables Canadians to tour organic farms by bike, a new initiative that brings together eco-tourism with promotion of organic farming. The $10,000 grant will make it possible to organize and implement bike tours in the summer of 2011.

• Creating a Community Farm received a $5,000 grant. The mission of the Yarrow Ecovillage Society (YES) is to establish a unified, environmentally friendly community. In order to supply food to the area’s residents and foster local production, YES’s members have begun efforts to develop an organic farm co-op. With the $5,000 awarded by Stonyfield Canada, YES will set up an efficient farmland irrigation system.

• The Cold Season Salad Project received a $5,000 grant. Located right in the heart of Toronto, FoodCycles is an organization whose goal is to establish an organic garden and market in order to supply locally produced organic food to area residents. In addition, the organization donates over 455 kg of food each year to low-income families and food banks in the vicinity. The $5,000 bursary will enable FoodCycles to upgrade its greenhouse facilities.

• Un Trésor Dans Mon Jardin (A Treasure in My Garden) received a $2,500 grant.
The future of the planet lies in the hands of the next generation, and it’s with this in mind that Jeunes Pousses has set up a project in Waterville. Elementary school and daycare children from throughout the community will develop better eating habits and a more eco-friendly attitude to food by helping to cultivate a vegetable garden in different seasons.

• Native Perennial Grasses: New Crops for Organic Farming in the Northeast received a $2,500 grant.
Resource Efficient Agricultural Production (REAP) Canada is currently developing new grass varieties adapted to the climate that can be used both to feed animals and heat greenhouses. These adapted varieties are easier to grow organically, which facilitates the work of organic farmers and those in the process of becoming organic.