INTERNATIONAL GREEN GOWN AWARDS
Canadore College Sustainability Initiative named a national finalist

Sustainable Canadore's latest initiative, "Our Forest: A Living Lab for All," is a finalist for an International Green Gown Award in the Nature Positive Category.

Photo credit: Canadore College

The project focused on creating a 10-year forest management plan for the 460 acres of forested land at its College Drive campus.

"It is highly competitive, so being recognized on an international scale is an achievement on its own," said Jesse Russell, Sustainable Development Project Leader. "It validates the hard work put forth by everyone involved and, most importantly, brings awareness to the need to protect nature by managing forest sustainability."

This is Sustainable Canadore's second Living Labs project funded by Colleges and Institutes Canada through its ImpAct-Climate initiative. Using a boots-on-the ground approach, the project developed a forest inventory, data collection, and mapping on forest health, structure, and composition in order to obtain a Forest Council Stewardship certification.

"Winning an International Green Gown Award would be a great recognition of Canadore's outstanding sustainability efforts, especially our forest management project," said George Burton, Canadore President and CEO. "We're proud to be the first college in Canada to earn both Forest Council Stewardship and Sustainable Forestry Initiatives certifications. These achievements hold us accountable for our management practices and inspire students and communities to undertake similar impactful projects."

The International Green Gown Awards highlights innovative sustainability solutions and promotes the replication of these successful initiatives globally. Now in their 10^th year, the awards recognize exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by the world's colleges and universities. The winners will be announced in September.

"International recognition of our commitment to sustainability would give us a broader platform to spread awareness," said Russell. "It aligns perfectly with the outreach goals of our Living Sustainability Plan. Winning this award could encourage others to replicate these kinds of projects, which would be an even greater victory."