F O R   I M M E D I A T E   R E L E A S E

Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund Awards $378 000 to Ontario Environmental Projects
22 organizations and schools to benefit from grants funded by Sobeys Ontario

(Mississauga, ON). Ontario will become a little greener thanks to funding from the Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund. Earth Day Canada (EDC) and Sobeys Ontario are pleased to announce the first grant recipients of the Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund. Twenty-two organizations, ranging from grass roots community groups to local schools, will receive funding totaling $378 000 to support environmental initiatives in their community.

“We are delighted by the number and breadth of projects which will be implemented as a result of this funding commitment from Sobeys,” said Jed Goldberg, President of Earth Day Canada. “These organizations will benefit the environment and thousands of Ontarians. Hopefully they will inspire and encourage others toward action as well.”

Projects receiving funding include environmental education programs for children and youth, the development and expansion of community gardens, and native tree planting and reforestation of conservation areas. Nineteen communities stretching from South Western Ontario, north to Parry Sound and east to Ottawa will benefit from the funding. A complete list of organizations and their projects is available from the web site link below.

“It is a privilege to award the EDC Community Environment Fund grants to these very worthy organizations and we are indeed inspired by the projects they are about to undertake,” said David Jeffs, President Operations, Sobeys Ontario. “When we embarked on this partnership with Earth Day Canada it was with the intent to make a sustained and meaningful difference in our communities and we look forward to working with all these organizations towards this goal.”

The Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund was launched in June of this year to provide financial support to community-based environmental initiatives and create opportunities for grassroots not-for-profit organizations and local schools to develop sustainable projects to foster environmental education and action across Ontario. In just three months, 140 applications for funding were received and evaluated based on predetermined criteria by committees consisting of representatives of Earth Day Canada and Sobeys. The Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund will begin accepting applications for the next round of grants November 2 with a February 28, 2010 deadline. For full details, visit www.earthday.ca/envirofund/recipients.aspx.

- 30 -

For media inquiries, please contact:

Keith Treffry
Director, Communications
Earth Day Canada
416.599.1991 x 107
keith@earthday.ca

Tracy Chisholm
Director, Communications and Corporate Affairs
Sobeys Ontario
905-671-5308
Tracy.chisholm@sobeys.com

©2009 Earth Day Canada. To unsubscribe from our mailing list click here.

The word mark “Earth Day” and the Earth Day logo are registered trademarks of Earth Day Canada (1991) Inc. Charitable registration # 13195 1378RR0001. Use of either of these trademarks for mercantile, promotional and communication purpose is strictly forbidden without the written approval of Earth Day Canada.