Wildlife Trust Receives Grant for Environmental Education
Nature's Path Foods Recognizes Wildlife Trust's Dedication to Educating The Next Generation of Global Conservationists
NEW YORK - September 1, 2007 - Wildlife Trust is pleased to announce a $30,000 grant awarded by Nature's Path Organic Foods to support environmental education initiatives for children. This grant from Nature's Path's EnviroKidz™ program will help Wildlife Trust continue achieving conservation success in the realm of children's education within two countries where it is most needed: Indonesia and Mexico. The two projects tackle disparate issues but strive toward the same goal of wedding biodiversity conservation with environmental education - and both are geared toward children in developing regions.
Wildlife Trust works in Indonesia with our Alliance partner PEKA (Center for Conservation and Insect Studies) researching the ecological issues associated with agriculture, particularly the effects of pesticides on insect biodiversity, the efficacy of traditional/indigenous knowledge in biodiversity conservation and the human-wildlife conflicts that result when agricultural land is converted into urban areas. With the Nature's Path grant, PEKA will be able to continue its educational outreach programs, training educators on environmental issues, developing teaching methods to integrate environmental issues into the national curriculum and, ultimately, educating people about their role in conserving natural resources.
The goal of our educational work in Mexico is to teach the country's youth about the essential role bats play in ecosystem function. Over the past decade, Bioconciencia, Wildlife Trust's Alliance partner in Mexico, has produced and distributed the leading bat-related educational materials for use in Mexico and several other Latin American countries. "With support from Nature's Path, our education program will reach 2,000 schoolchildren in four Mexican states, stressing the importance of biodiversity conservation, with an emphasis on bat protection," said Julie Hughes, Director of Foundation Relations at Wildlife Trust. This work will ensure a safer future for endangered and threatened bats within Northern Mexico and safeguard ecological processes that ultimately benefit human communities.
Since 1999, Nature's Path Foods has set aside 1% of sales annually from its EnviroKidz branded products into the EnviroFund. The EnviroFund grants are used to support programs which deal with endangered species, habitat conservation and environmental education for kids around the globe, like Wildlife Trust. Nicky Shaw, EnviroKidz Brand Manager states: "It's our belief that by supporting such groups that are committed to environmental and species conservation and education, we are helping to ensure that our children will grow up in an abundantly diverse, sustainable and healthy world."
About Nature's Path Foods, Inc.
Founded in 1985, Nature's Path Foods, Inc. is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia and employs over 300 people at its four facilities in Canada and the United States. The privately held, family-owned company produces certified organic breakfast foods and snacks sold in specialty foods stores and retailers in 42 countries around the world. The company's innovative brands include Nature's Path®, EnviroKidz®, Dr. Weil for Nature's Path, LifeStream® and Optimum®. Visit Nature's Path online at www.naturespath.com.