Three community-led projects which set out to make a positive change to the environment are the winners of Canon’s  tenth annual Environmental Grants Program The two winners and the runner up will received $5,000 and $1000 respectively, worth of grants in-kind to help achieve their sustainability goals.

The environmental merits, uniqueness of the project and the importance of the Canon equipment to help them realise success, formed the successful criteria for the winners.  The two categories were community and school. The winning projects from Australia include:

 WINNERS ($5,000 grant)

  • COMMUNITY: Bush Heritage (VIC) – engaging local communities in the restoration of the endangered Grassy Box Woodlands and the protection and recovery of native fish populations in the Murrumbidgee River.
  • SCHOOL: Junction Park State School (QLD) – committed to encouraging students to learn about the importance of insects in our ecology and promote awareness of pollination to food production.

 RUNNER UP ($1,000 grant)

  • Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation (VIC) – engaging schools to create sustainable kitchen gardens and provide the training that ensures effective food education in schools and learning centres.

“We are incredibly inspired by the applications we received this year, so much so that it made it too difficult to choose just two winners. The time and energy that local community groups and schools dedicate to supporting our beautiful natural environment deserves to be recognised. We are passionate about supporting these initiatives and helping them to prosper,” Canon Oceania managing director, Yusuke Mizoguchi said.

Bush Heritage 3 (1)

“Our corporate philosophy, Kyosei, translates to ‘working together for the common good’ and we are committed to partnering with community groups, customers, our employees and fellow businesses to enhance the environment we live and work in,” Mizoguchi added.

$15,000 worth of grants in-kind will also be awarded to New Zealand based projects, providing a total of $26,000 in grants across both Australia and New Zealand.