FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 25, 2020 Unceded Algonquin - Anishinaabe Territory (Ottawa, ON) - The Foundation for Environmental Stewardship (FES) and Climate Action Network - Réseau action climat Canada (CAN-Rac) are pleased to announce our…
We are thrilled to share The Future of Food in Canada: The Role of Young Agricultural Producers as Environmental Stewards. During the 3% Project, we heard from numerous agricultural producers across the country. They shared…
We are thrilled to share the Opportunity Report: 22 Ideas for a Sustainable Future from 3% Project! We recommend that you read the Introduction on page 13 first, and then the Table of Contents to…
We are extremely excited to share our flagship publication: Lessons Learned Report from 3% Project! We recommend that you read the Key Lessons Learned on page 14 to identify areas of your interest to read more.…
Skill Up Summit is a national event designed to bring together youth from Canada in celebration of the students’ work inspired by the message 3% Project delivered to over 400 schools. At Skill Up, school…
One student came up to me after the presentation and asked, “What skills do you think I should practice?” “Well, that’s up to you. What do you want to practice?” He then replied with his…
Tuktoyaktuk - which is literally now in the Artic Ocean - should be a living example to Canadians as the frontline community impacted by climate change. And it serves as a reminder of why our vote…
Dawson City in the Yukon used to be the largest city in North America. At one point during the Gold Rush, Dawson City housed over 30,000 people: the population of Whitehorse today. The population declined…
Before I left, a teacher introduced me to Florence, a local elder that works with the students. Florence is a 66-year-old woman, born and raised in the Whitehorse area. She is a calm, stoic, poised…
An introduction to the Heartbeat Prophecy and (allegedly) an Indigenous people’s version of climate denial theory. Ross River was established with the discovery of a smaller lead-zinc mine like the Faro mine. Ross River is…
An update from the first two schools of our final tour. Let's take a look at a community (in Canada's True North!) that's ready to take the lead on climate action. I was extremely nervous. It…
The Issue. According to the UN, a third of the food produced in the world –1.3 billion tonnes— is lost or wasted each year. Canada isn’t an exception. In fact, 58% of all food produced…
How our mentor, Kat challenged her students to think about the impact in their action projects. And her final challenge to us. The next step is impact analysis. Students are expected to weigh the costs…
“Do you have a community that stands behind what you stand for? And if you do, you’ll have more power. And if you don’t, you won’t.” – Barack Obama The second step of mentorship is…
How our mentor, Kat taught the adults in the room the importance of taking a step back and allowing our young people to lead. Before we get into the second step of mentorship, let me share another…
How our mentor, Kat taught students the importance of rooting work in something you love to really make a lasting impact. The first step of mentorship is research. Students begin searching for a project idea and…
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Hi readers, my name is Kat and I’m a mentor for the 3% Project! After the assembly, Steve leads a workshop with a…
Ever wonder what I do as a UN policy advocate? Read my speech from last year’s UN High-level Political Forum. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. My name is Steve Lee from Foundation for Environmental…
“Once we start to act, hope is everywhere.” - Greta Thunberg, 15 year old activist. Lion's Head is halfway between Owen Sound and Tobermory. It's a tourism town for canoeing, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing, among…
How a group of youth on Campobello Island are leading the way on climate solutions, and why we need a focus on solutions. Campobello Island is southwest of New Brunswick. There are only two ways…
“We want our dignity back,” says an Indigenous educator in Whitedog, Manitoba. I visited the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations (“Whitedog”) in Northern Ontario in early May. Once I arrived at the school, the parking lot was…
“There's no such thing as a morality project, or an ethics project; everything is supposed to be moral and ethical. Same thing with sustainability; everything is supposed to be sustainable.” I want to highlight a…
“Do you have a community that stands behind what you stand for? And if you do, you'll have more power. And if you don't, you won't.” - Barack Obama Disclaimer: This reflection is a little…
"Once I came back and saw the situation and the students, I could not leave them and go back. My bones will be buried here in Nelson House raising the next generation." Nelson House is…
Why feel-good, low-impact ‘gold star’ student projects will result in a more cynical, jaded, indifferent generation. In a rural town in Manitoba, I discussed a student-led volleyball tournament fundraiser for the local children's hospital with…
"What's the life of a farmer like?" I asked. "How much time have you got?" he replied, taking a deep breath. A conversation with two elderly farmers from a rural town in Saskatchewan. "When you’re…
“What is our community, and how might that community be reconciled with our freedom? How far do our obligations reach? How do we transform mere power into justice, mere sentiment into love?” - Barack Obama,…
166 residents live in Lomond, a farming town: one of the smallest towns I’ve visited. So, moment of truth: What were the students like? Well, they were beyond my wildest dreams. The depth of their…
Diamond Jenness is a rural school located in Hay River, a town of three thousand residents whose main industries are hunting and diamond mining. Despite being a small school, the principal and vice principal care…
At four in the morning, I started driving from Fort River, Alberta to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. An hour before arriving in Yellowknife, my car slipped on ice and fell into a snowbank. I stopped my…
igenou First, meet Warren Lake. He’s an environmental science educator at the school. He’s received international awards, given TED talks on pedagogical approaches to nature education, and published articles and studies on environmental education. Mr.…
igenou Ahousat is an island accessible only by water or air, off the coast of Vancouver Island. It's an island with a predominantly Indigenous Nuu-chah-nulth Nation population of 2,100. After six hours of driving, a…
Hello, Prince of Wales Secondary! “How do we move away from fossil fuel? How is it fair that climate change disproportionately affects developing states who did the least to cause it? What is the structure…
Hello again, Kumsheen Secondary! What is an action project? At every school, we challenge students to solve their community’s biggest sustainability challenge. We help students analyze and develop solutions to the identified challenge. This is…
Mamma mia, here we go again: Hello, Brookswood Secondary! An Indigenous teacher opened the assembly. I had 70 minutes. Students signed up to be at the assembly. It was exam season for them. They were…
After the assembly, I talked with some student leaders. They’ve run a successful e-waste drive and have a water walk coming up for the school’s Water Week. “What is the expected impact of your water…
Visiting the town’s local high school, I witnessed tremendous potential for youth action. Over the last six years, teachers and students have started environmental initiatives that are unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else in Canada.…
A letter to future generations - Steve Lee Dear Future Canada, If you are reading this letter, my generation has succeeded in solving climate change. You see, back in 2017, the human race was on…