Awardees: Climate & Social Resilience Fund

With support from our friends at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático, and National Autonomous University of Mexico, we have connected with students and recent grads making climate impact in Mexico.

Livestock farming in the state of Hidalgo faces the challenge of increasing population, so new ways are needed to reduce greenhouse gases, along with soil and water pollution. It is estimated that sheep can produce up to 31 litres of methane per day, a powerful greenhouse gas. 

Eco-Friendly Sheep is a project concerned with food security, vulnerable populations and animal welfare. Feed costs are high in Mexico due to an economic situation made worse through climate change like droughts and floods, and limited traning for rural farmers.

Ovejas Ecofriendly started as a project of veterenary students who created and tested ways to properly feed and care for sheep, using scientific approaches they learned and monitor. They are reducing methane on farms, reducing waste, educating farmers and monitoring their outcomes.

A special donation from our Founders will support these young graduates to cover the cost of transportation to visit farms farther from the City, to support more farmers with green practices. We are planning an online workshop to connect young climate innovators in Canada to learn and cross-pollinate with those in Mexico.

At the UTM Students Union, we are committed to providing students with opportunities to integrate sustainability into their daily lives while deepening their understanding of global environmental challenges. With our initiative to revamp the Green spaces in our Student Centre, we aim to foster a community rooted in sustainable practices that can be carried beyond campus life. 

One of our key projects for this year will be to revitalize the Community Plant Wall, Vertical Plant Wall, and garden bed, all of which is housed in and around our Student Centre. These spaces, nurtured by the students and community at UTM, are an integral part of our mission to build a “green” community on campus. We hope to create a space for students to learn more about and understand the importance of cultivating sustainable practices. 

In addition to the revitalization efforts, through the supprt of Lift 360, we will host monthly events like clothing swaps, where students can exchange items and promote mindful consumption. We aim to hold workshops on topics such as growing your own produce in collaboration with our Food Centre, mending clothes, and composting.

 Black Creek Community Farm (BCCF) organized a partnership with Toronto Community Housing to set up a Pop-Up Farm Stand in front of a North York building. We had the opportunity to test the viability of providing off-site community pop-up markets, be more intentional with the type of crops we sell, and be more informed on what crops are in demand in this community. The Pop-up Farm became one of the 3 pick-up locations in the city for BCCF's Harvest Share program, a weekly or bi-weekly food subscription program, using the community-supported agriculture model. We've supported Black Creek Community Farm's work in increasing access to fresh food options and made connections with the community, which helped deepen our relationships with the Jane/Finch neighbourhood.

Our Community Climate Mini-Grant allowed the Farm to subsidize produce to make the food more affordable for tenants at Toronto Community Housing buildings.