Region's Community Environmental Fund will support 19 new projects

Applicants receiving funding include 10 community organizations, five schools (including both elementary and post-secondary), and four projects initiated by an area municipality.

Some of the specific projects awarded funding include:

· Trees for Woolwich, Open Space Naturalization Project;

· Divest Waterloo/Faith and the Common Good, Faith Food Forests Project;

· RARE Charitable Research Reserve, Improvement of Native Plants to Combat Invasive Species Project;

· Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School, Natural Playground Project;

· Kwartz Lab, Small Scale Plastic Recycling Project;

· City of Waterloo, Enhancing Waterloo Urban Forest Project; and

· PolliNation (WLU), Bee Leaders of Tomorrow Project.

The Community Environmental Fund (CEF) was established by Regional Council in October 2011 and provides financial support to a wide variety of environmental stewardship and sustainability projects that: provide a positive and lasting environmental return; engage citizens and encourage collaboration; seek innovative solutions and/or increase knowledge; and produce measurable and achievable outcomes.

'It’s exciting to see so many people working together on innovative projects that will make our community more environmentally sustainable,' said Karen Redman, Regional Chair, in the release.'The Community Environmental Fund enables citizens to make a lasting impact on their surroundings.'

From 2010 to 2020, the Region has provided grants totalling $1,658,076 for 247 environmental stewardship and sustainability projects. It’s estimated the Region’s funding support was multiplied more than three-fold through matching and in-kind support, for a total community investment of nearly $5 million.

Additional details on the fund are available at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/CEF

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