Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) and Canon Canada Inc. (Canon) teamed up this fall to build a rain garden at George Kennedy Public School in Halton Hills. The initiative supports climate change solutions on school grounds and provides an outdoor learning space for students.
“CVC and Canon have a long-standing partnership that has contributed greatly to the health and well-being of communities in our watershed,” said Terri LeRoux, Director of Parks, Lands and Community Engagement for CVC. “Projects like rain gardens are critical to support climate change resiliency and provide hands-on outdoor classrooms on school grounds. Canon staff continue to establish themselves as leaders who genuinely care about their community and are committed to protecting the environment for future generations.”
Canon funded the project and employees also volunteered to help build the rain garden through the company’s Branch Out Program, a volunteer environmental initiative that provides staff the opportunity to give back to the community they work in.
“Canon Canada greatly values its partnership with Credit Valley Conservation and is always excited when CVC brings us unique opportunities to make a positive change in the communities where our employees live and work,” says Leena Nagpal, Vice-President, People and Operations, Canon Canada. “Our team greatly enjoyed helping build the rain garden at George Kennedy Public School. The afternoon allowed us to create a beautiful green space that makes a sustainable difference. Canon Canada is proud to continue supporting CVC’s important environment initiatives.”
The rain garden initiative is part of the Students for Stormwater program, led by CVC’s Integrated Water Management, Community Stewardship, and Education teams who work with schools across the watershed to design, build, maintain and learn about rain gardens. George Kennedy Public School is in the Hungry Hollow SNAP neighbourhood and the school was selected as a priority site because of drainage issues and erosion on the property that were affecting grass and playground areas. The new rain garden will help ease these issues and provide shade and an educational space for students.
Canon and CVC have partnered on environmental initiatives since 2016. Through the partnership, Canon employees have taken part in 32 events, committing over 5,000 volunteer hours to support nature. During these events, volunteers have planted approximately 2,000 native trees and shrubs, 3,500 native wildflowers, restored almost one and a half hectares of land and removed over 2,200 square metres of invasive species. In total this year, Canon provided over $60,000 in funding to CVC in combination with five events through the Branch Out Program that supported a sustainable environment. More than 100 Canon staff took part in these events hosted by CVC.
CVC is grateful for the generosity of partners like Canon sponsoring local conservation efforts that help support climate change adaptation and environmental education.
About Rain Gardens
Rain gardens are a shallow landscape feature that replaces an area of lawn in order to collect stormwater (rain and melted snow) that runs off grass, roofs, driveways and parking lots. The gardens have loose, deep soil that absorbs and naturally filters runoff, reducing the rain that enters the storm drain system and waterways. Rain gardens provide a valuable function as more frequent and heavy rainfall occurs during climate change as they help reduce pressure on municipal stormwater systems. They are a great learning tool and an outdoor classroom for teachers and students, while adding beauty to school grounds.
About Credit Valley Conservation
Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is a local conservation authority established by the Ontario government in 1954 to protect, restore and enhance the natural environment of the Credit River Watershed. Our watershed is defined by the area of land where all rainfall, snowmelt and runoff drains into lands and waters flowing into the Credit River. CVC creates connections between people and nature, knowledge and action. We inspire a deep appreciation for the role of nature in keeping people connected, healthy and happy. CVC is a member of Conservation Ontario.
About Canon Canada Inc.
Headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Canon Canada Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A. Inc., is a leading provider of consumer and business-to-business digital imaging solutions. Innovation and cutting-edge technology have been essential ingredients in Canon’s success. Canon Canada Inc. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 per cent Canadian-based service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon Canada Inc. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility.
For more information, please visit canon.ca or follow the company on Facebook, Twitter (X) or Instagram using @CanonCanada.
Photo:
Caption: Canon Canada employees working on a rain garden at George Kennedy Public School in Halton Hills.
Link: https://files.cvc.ca/cvc/uploads/2024/10/20240925_191703208_iOS-scaled.jpg
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Media Contact
Jamie Williams
Specialist, Marketing and Communications
Credit Valley Conservation
905-431-5772
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