8,750-km bike ride to highlight Green Jobs initiative
VICTORIA, BC — Project Learning Tree Canada (PLT Canada) is excited to launch its Green Ride for Green Jobs awarenesscampaign today with a cross-country engagement tour to encourage even more youth to work in Green Jobs and help fill critical roles in forests and parks.
PLT Canada’s Zac Wagman at Mile Zero, in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2019, as he kicks off his cross-Canada bike ride to Newfoundland to promote green jobs. Chad Hipolito/CNW Group
PLT Canada’s Zac Wagman, Green Jobs Manager, will begin theGreen Ride in Victoria, B.C., and will travel more than 8,750 km over four months to St. John’s, Nfld on a Montreal-made Picolo Vélo wooden bicycle. Wagman will visit up to 50 PLT Canada Green Jobs employers in 30 different communities across nine provinces, profiling over 25 youth, and sharing stories of their Green Jobs experiences over social media.
Launched in 2018 with support from the Government of Canada, The Green Jobs initiative is administered by PLT Canada, working closely with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Canadian Parks Council, to instill a passion for the outdoors and provide youth with the knowledge, skills and experience that will help them pursue careers in the forest and conservation sectors.
Since then, PLT Canada has funded and committed to fund over 1,600 outdoor jobs in forestry, ecosystem and wildlife management, silviculture and forest health, indigenous forest based programs, recreation and interpretation, conservation and research, education, and jobs within provincial and territorial parks.
“Mosaic Forest Management is proud to partner with Project Learning Tree Canada – a program that brings us seven talented, passionate young leaders eager to work in the forest sector and make a positive impact on our communities, our forests and our business,” said Mosaic President and CEO Jeff Zweig. “Our thanks to the Government of Canada and the team at Project Learning Tree Canada for highlighting the many diverse and rewarding career paths available in our sector.”
“We thank the government of Canada for supporting the Green Jobs initiative and are excited to be placing youth in a variety of experiences across Canada through our unique and diverse networks that include non-profits, academia, industry and conservation organizations. Since the Green Jobs initiative began, PLT Canada has achieved gender balance in its job placements, and has provided jobs for over 90 indigenous youth – accounting for over 12% of its job placements. Together, we can grow the next generation of forest and conservation leaders,” said Kathy Abusow, Project Learning Tree Canada CEO.
“I’m excited to be travelling across Canada to meet youth working in innovative and high-quality jobs in the forest and conservation sectors,” Wagman said. “There are so many different outdoor jobs out there, and the Green Ride will help raise awareness of them so that other youth might get inspired to participate in the initiative. These meaningful work experiences not only encourage a passion for the outdoors, they also constitute important building blocks that allow youth to acquire valuable knowledge and skills they can take with them should they choose to pursue green careers.”
ABOUT SFI
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) advances sustainability through forest-focused collaborations. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that leverages four interconnected pillars of work: standards, conservation, community, and education. SFI works with the forest sector, conservation groups, academics, researchers, brand owners, resource professionals, landowners, educators, local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and governments. Collaborating with our network, we leverage SFI-certified forests and products as powerful tools to help solve sustainability challenges such as climate action, conservation of biodiversity, education of future generations, and sustainable economic development.
MEDIA CONTACT
Christine Leduc
VP, Communications and Government Relations
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
613-706-1114
media@forests.org
About Project Learning Tree Canada
Project Learning Tree Canada fosters community interest in the benefits of environmental education and responsible management of Canada’s natural resources. We are committed to using the outdoors to engage youth in learning about the world around them—in urban, suburban, rural, and Indigenous communities, and using trees and forests as windows on the world to inspire action. Project Learning Tree is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
