Current Partners
Cadbury Canada
LSF has joined with Cadbury Canada to bring EcoLeague Youth Forums to elementary schools across Canada, equipping and inspiring kids to take action to save our planet. Cadbury Canada employees also work with local classes to implement sustainability action plans.
Cadbury Canada is an international confectionery company that is committed to making sustainability a part of the communities in which they live and work. They have undertaken a number of initiatives to address sustainability and climate change in its operations that include: reducing packaging used per tonne of product by 10%, using more environmentally sustainable forms of packaging, and implementing water reduction programs at all 'water scarce' sites.
Environment Canada
LSF has partnered with Environment Canada for the implementation of activities in support of Canada’s commitment to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. These included: the establishment of ten Provincial/Territorial Education for Sustainable Development Working Groups, the establishment of a National ESD Expert Council, the creation of an on-line ESD Resource Database (Resources for Rethinking) for teachers, the implementation of a Sustainability Curriculum Review Initiative, and the delivery of ESD Youth Forums.
Environment Canada undertakes a wide variety of initiatives to provide Canadians with environmental information and encourage the institution of practices and conduct leading to the better preservation and enhancement of environmental quality. As well, the Ministry cooperates with provincial governments and organizations. By exploring ways to empower Canadians to make sustainable choices, and supporting various educations for sustainable development initiatives, Environment Canada is helping to Canada reach its environmental goals.
Hewlett Packard (Canada) Co.
LSF collaborates with Hewlett-Packard Canada to bring dynamic, cross-curricular, skill-building teaching resources to educators across the country. In addition to funding support for the resources4rethinking.ca database, HP employees volunteer to visit local schools to demonstrate the database to teachers. LSF and HP have also collaborated on the development of the TechLoop.ca resource on technological waste.
Hewlett-Packard Canada is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions around the world, delivering solutions that span IT infrastructure; personal computing and access devices; and imaging and printing. Our world leading track record in environmental sustainability stretches back for decades giving us experience and expertise that enable us to make it easier for our customers to make smart choices for the environment. As part of our Eco Solutions program, select HP products now include an eco highlights label describing their key environmental features as well as HP's environmental programs.
Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (MECY)
LSF partners with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth on a number of ESD initiatives in support for the Decade of ESD. MECY, LSF and Environment Canada have formed a Steering Committee to oversee the implementation ESD Canada (formerly the National Education for Sustainable Development Expert Council) and the Provincial/Territorial ESD Working Groups. MECY has also partnered with LSF to train Manitoba teachers to review educational resources for the Resource4rethinking.ca database of peer reviewed ESD resources.
MECY is responsible for setting priorities and allocating funds for the province's public and independent kindergarten to senior 4 (K-S4) school system and for citizenship and youth initiatives. MECY has identified Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as one of the top five emerging and developing priorities.
RBC Financial
LSF partners with RBC on Project FLOW: For the Love of Water, receiving funding from the RBC Blue Water Project. This program offers hands-on experiential projects that address water issues, done by elementary and secondary students with their class at their school or in their community. As a class, the students choose a water-related issue that is important to them, and then their teacher finds a relevant resource on the Resources for Rethinking (R4R) database, or the class would create their own project. Regardless, Action Projects involve visioning, researching, acting, reflecting and celebrating.
York Region District School Board
LSF has partnered with York Region District School Board, in support of the United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development. Each year, YRDSB and LSF collaborate on the delivery of a Youth Taking Action forum engaging teachers and students in implementing action projects. LSF and YRDSB also collaborate in the design and implementation of a Lighthouse Sustainability School at Stouffville District Secondary School.
The mission of YRDSB is "to unite in our purpose to inspire and prepare learners for life in our changing world community." This public school system includes more than 179 schools with an enrolment of more than 110,000 students served by more than 10,000 staff memebers.
York University Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS)
LSF has developed a strategic alliance with York University’s Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS) to promote formal, non-formal and informal education that will advance the understanding and adoption of the skills, attitudes and values essential to a sustainable future. LSF’s Executive Director sits on the IRIS Executive as the External Learning Lead to address the promotion of external learning opportunities and to oversee the promotion of internal learning resources to various stakeholders. The SEdA (Sustainability and Education Academy) Summit was the first joint research and program activity. A number of other joint research and program activities are being reviewed.
IRIS is an interdisciplinary university-wide research institute that is a focal point for the sustainability-related activities of all eleven faculties at York. IRIS supports the sustainability-related research of York faculty and brings academics together, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. IRIS is governed by an executive drawn from across the University.