SFI Brings the Forest Sector Together with Habitat for Humanity Canada to Improve Quality of Life for Underserved Communities

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick, May 15, 2015 /CNW/ -- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Habitat for Humanity Canada are helping to put a roof over the heads of Canadian families in need by strengthening their memorandum of mutual support known as Wood 4 Good, through two separate programs: Waste Not Want Not and Habitat Canada's Aboriginal Housing Program.

Wood 4 Good encourages local home building through SFI's grassroots network, increases awareness of sourcing wood products certified to the SFI standards, and helps make supply chains more efficient. The partnership also works to encourage collaborative solutions to support Aboriginal housing in Canada. To that end, SFI announced today a commitment to support Habitat for Humanity Canada's Aboriginal Housing Program which to date has enabled 119 Aboriginal families to realize their dream of affordable homeownership.

Waste Not Want Not, the latest enhancement to SFI's Wood 4 Good program, is a supply chain solution designed to provide SFI building materials to Habitat affiliates. It is a simple way for organizations certified to SFI Standards to redirect discontinued inventory, shipment error, lightly damaged products, or other products that are usable but require liquidation. Habitat arranges to pick up the inventory, eliminating a logistics challenge for the supplier.

"We are excited to see SFI continue to expand its formal commitment to help Habitat for Humanity. SFI's efforts to find new sources of building materials send a strong signal to our mutual network of supporters that we want to deepen and strengthen this important relationship," said Mark Rodgers, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. "We also appreciate SFI's commitment to our Aboriginal Housing Program. Habitat for Humanity Canada is one of the very few non-profit housing organizations actively engaged in making a difference in Aboriginal communities and now SFI is a partner in that effort."

"These are win-win programs. Through supporting programs like Aboriginal Housing, SFI and Habitat Canada are addressing pressing social issues like aboriginal housing head on through new approaches that make a difference in the quality of lives and basic human dignity," said Kathy Abusow, President and CEO of SFI Inc. "Through Waste Not Want Not, Habitat gets a new source of building products and deserving families get one step closer to an affordable home." Abusow was a feature speaker at Habitat for Humanity Canada's annual general meeting today.

SFI has made a three-year financial commitment to support the Aboriginal Housing Program which is also made possible by founding partner Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and supporters Tachane Foundation, RBC Foundation and Enbridge.

The SFI community has helped build homes in Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Alderville, Oakville, Thunder Bay and Winnipeg, three of which have been for Aboriginal families. These efforts have included countless volunteer hours and utilized building materials certified to SFI such as panel products, lumber and engineered wood products, which the SFI community is well positioned to provide. In Canada alone, there are 56 companies certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard and 92 companies certified to the SFI Chain of Custody Standard. This vast network of program participants are a key part of why grassroots community projects like the Habitat for Humanity initiatives are a success.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Inc. (SFI)
SFI® Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized SFI program. SFI works collaboratively with conservation groups, local communities, youth, resource professionals, landowners and countless other organizations and individuals who share our passion for and commitment to healthy forests, responsible purchasing and sustainable communities. Since 2010, SFI has awarded more than 60 Conservation and Community Partnership grants totaling more than $1.9 million to foster education, research and pilot efforts to better inform future decisions about our forests. When leveraged with project partner contributions, that total investment exceeds $7.1 million. Across the United States and Canada, approximately 100 million hectares are certified to the SFI Forest Management Standard.  In addition, sustainable forestry is promoted through the SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard and the SFI Chain-of-Custody Standard. SFI on-product labels help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. Learn more at www.sfiprogram.org and www.sfiprogram.org/Buy-SFI. 

About Habitat for Humanity Canada
Founded in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, non-profit organization working towards a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. With the help of over 63,000 volunteers every year and 57 affiliate organizations from coast to coast, their mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to break the cycle of poverty in Canada and around the world. Globally, Habitat for Humanity Canada provides strategic support through grants, technical support and volunteer engagement in an effort to serve the 1.7 billion people in need of access to shelter. For more information, please visit www.habitat.ca.

SOURCE Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative information, Elizabeth Woodworth, VP, Communications and Community Engagement, Tel: [phone], [email protected]; For Habitat for Humanity Canada information, Antonietta Mirabelli, VP, Marketing and Communications, Tel: [phone] x385, [email protected], http://www.sfiprogram.org