Partners in Project Green Launches Kids in Nature Corporate Challenge and
Brings Nature Closer to the Class Room

- Partners in Project Green business leaders to support environmental learning -

TORONTO, Nov. 9 /CNW/ - In a recent Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) survey of 631 teachers, 81 per cent of respondents identified cost or funding as a significant barrier to student participation in field trips. To help give students the opportunity to experience wildlife inside or outside the classrooms, TRCA and Earth Rangers, through Partners in Project Green, have launched the new Kids in Nature Corporate Challenge. The challenge is designed to encourage corporations to make a difference by sponsoring local schools in need. Through the Earth Rangers "Bring Back the Wild" live animal show, the program brings the wonder of wildlife into schools to educate students about the threats facing the environment. The program also includes a class visit to the Kortright Centre for Conservation to experience nature first hand.

"Woodbine Entertainment Group was eager to take up the The Kids in Nature Corporate Challenge. As the Partners in Project Green Founding Business Partner, we are prepared to lead by example and become a gold sponsor." stated Jane Holmes, Vice President Corporate Affairs. "The company is committed to being a leader in environmental sustainability and, as a strong community partner, we invest in programs which develop youth to become tomorrow's leaders. This program achieves both objectives."

The goal is to bring this program to 50 schools in priority neighborhoods in and around the Pearson Eco-Business Zone. The zone consists of12,000 hectares of industrial and commercial land surrounding Toronto Pearson, including land from the municipalities of Mississauga, Toronto and Brampton.

The first business leaders to rise to the challenge include Woodbine Entertainment Group, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Enersource Hydro Mississauga.  "Enersource is excited to support the Kids in Nature Corporate Challenge," said Dan Pastoric, Executive Vice President & COO, Enersource. "This program complements our commitment to preserving the environment, while also providing local youth with a valuable educational experience - right in our own backyard!"

"For more than two decades, teachers have been bringing classrooms to Kortright Centre for Conservation, to experience nature first hand," said Darryl Gray, Manager, Education, TRCA. "It's unfortunate that many students can't afford to participate in field trips, especially when this kind of hands-on learning and exploration helps children to not only understand nature but appreciate it better. Thanks to Partners in Project Green business leaders, students will now have an opportunity to discover the amazing environment at Kortright."

• A per school sponsorship fee of $2,000 includes: Full day field trip to TRCA's Kortright Centre for Conservation for 6^th grade class (includes all teaching, transportation, games)
• School visit from the Earth Rangers Bring Back the Wild Program
• Teacher resources and Classroom activities

Business benefits:

• A charitable tax receipt for the value of your support
• Letters from the class you have supported
• Recognition as a Kids in Nature Class Sponsor
• Opportunity to send representatives to attend annual clean-up event

"Earth Rangers is excited to collaborate with the TRCA and Partners in Project Green for the Kids in Nature Corporate Challenge. The program will enable us to reach audiences that were previously inaccessible due to funding. Earth Rangers goal is to engage and enable children to become directly involved in wildlife conservation and this program is a collaborative way for corporate sponsors to get help," Peter Kendall, Executive Director and Co-CEO of Earth Rangers.

Sponsors can select from three sponsorship tiers: Platinum Level (10+ schools), Gold Level (5-10 schools) and Bronze Level (1-5 schools). For more information about this program please go to www.trca.on.ca/kidsinnature

Partners in Project Green
Partners in Project Green, an initiative led by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, is a growing community of businesses working together to green their bottom line by creating an internationally-recognized Eco-Business Zone around Toronto Pearson. Through new forms of business-to-business collaboration, Partners in Project Green delivers programming that helps businesses reduce energy and resource costs, uncover new business opportunities, and address everyday operational challenges in a green and cost-effective manner. For more information, visit www.partnersinprojectgreen.com

Toronto and Region Conservation
With over 50 years of experience, Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) helps people understand, enjoy and look-after the natural environment. Our vision is for The Living City®, where human settlement can flourish forever as part of nature's beauty and diversity.  For more information, call 416-661-6600 or visit us at www.trca.on.ca

Earth Rangers
Earth Rangers is an award-winning non-profit organization focused on working with children to protect endangered species.  Our long-term goal is simple: to protect enough natural habitats to ensure the lasting survival of all species in Canada. Through our live shows, online community and national television presence, we communicate a positive, science-based message to millions of children each year about the importance of protecting biodiversity. Our Bring Back the Wild program allows children to become directly involved in protecting critical habitats across Canada.

For further information:

Media contact for information:
Rowena Calpito, Supervisor, Media Management, Toronto and Region Conservation
Tel: [phone] ext 5632, Mobile: [phone] E-mail: [email protected]