ALUS Canada announces $100,000 sponsorship from Silk® to help restore farmland across the country

TORONTO, Sept. 9, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - ALUS Canada is thrilled to announce a significant New Acretm Project sponsorship by Silk®, a pioneering brand in Danone Canada's plant-based product category.

Through its $100,000 commitment, Silk® will help ALUS Canada's network of farmers and ranchers in three provinces?Alberta, Ontario and Quebec?use parcels of land in an alternative way to produce ecosystem services that will benefit Canadians.

"We want to thank Danone for their investment in the New Acretm Project. We strive to sustain agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces one acre at a time, and today's funding announcement will help us achieve this goal," said Katherine Balpataky, who leads the New Acretm Project as ALUS Canada's Director of Corporate Partnerships and Business Development.

With this sponsorship, Silk® will help support the management and restoration of 90 acres of farmland over the next seven years, to help improve water quality and watershed health, develop new habitat for wildlife and combat the effects of climate change.

"Silk® has always worked tirelessly to be responsible in everything we do?from the way we bring food to your table to the way we take care of our planet. Our involvement in the New Acretm Project advances our ongoing mission to support local communities and promote sustainable local practices, such as water conservation and helping pollinators, through our existing drought-resistant plants project," said Geneviève Bolduc, Director Plant-Based Category at Danone.

The Silk® funding has been directed to ALUS communities in Alberta (ALUS Lac Ste. Anne, ALUS Red Deer County), Ontario (ALUS Norfolk, ALUS Middlesex, ALUS Elgin, ALUS Ontario East) and Québec (ALUS Montérégie).

New Acretm Project will provide Silk® with annual progress reports on key performance indicators, such as overall biodiversity gained, percentage increase in beneficial insects, nutrient retention for water quality improvements, soil organic carbon accumulated in restored marginal lands when planted in permanent cover and total standing biomass. Silk® intends to share these reports publicly.

"We are delighted that the Silk® brand has chosen to team up with the New Acretm Project to help deliver nature's benefits on the working landscape, thereby improving the environment," said Balpataky.

ABOUT DANONE CANADA

One of Canada's Top 100 Employers, Danone Canada is a business unit of Danone and operates from headquarter offices in Boucherville, Quebec, and Mississauga, Ontario. Danone Canada is the country's largest consumer-facing Certified B Corporation®, demonstrating that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Danone Canada's ambition is to produce healthful dairy and plant-based products, as well as coffee creamers and beverages; to create economic and social value; and to nurture natural ecosystems through sustainable agriculture. Its portfolio of brands includes Activia®; Oikos®; DanActive®; Danone®; Silk®; So Delicious®; Light & Free®; YoPRO; Danette®; Stok; International Delight®; and more. For more information about the company, please visit www.danone.ca; facebook.com/danonecanada; Instagram (@danone.canada); Twitter (@DanoneCanada) or LinkedIn (Danone Canada). Visit SilkCanada.ca

ABOUT THE NEW ACREtm PROJECT

The New Acretm Project is an ESG (environmental, social, governance) solution that enables businesses to have a positive impact on the planet by supporting nature through a community-based, farmer-delivered program that produces cleaner air, cleaner water and better habitats for wildlife and pollinators. The New Acretm Project is ALUS Canada's corporate sponsorship program. Visit newacreproject.alus.ca

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SOURCE ALUS Canada