(CALGARY) 6 March 2017– In an effort to divert waste from Canadian landfills, students from Mount Royal University created Unravelled, an initiative that repurposes textile waste into high-quality, zero-waste yarn.
At Simon Fraser University, Enactus students sought to address the 300 used coasters local restaurants discard each night. Their solution was Coast Cards, a social enterprise that employs people who have overcome addiction to upcycle used coasters into greeting cards.
Thanks to these initiatives, Enactus Mount Royal University and Enactus Simon Fraser University have been named 2017 Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge Regional Champions. The teams were picked by Canada’s largest experiential learning platform, Enactus Canada, and program supporter Scotiabank.
“We are continually inspired by the creativity and commitment our students exhibit towards environmental education and awareness,” said Nicole Almond, President of Enactus Canada. “They are a perfect example of how socially-conscious student leaders can and will build a greener Canada.”
In only four months, through project Unravelled, Enactus Mount Royal University has collected and transformed 480 pounds in t-shirt waste into zero-waste yarn, simultaneously conserving more than 3.2 million litres of water.
Through Coast Cards, Enactus Simon Fraser University has sold 560 cards, diverting 25 pounds of waste from landfills.
“Congratulations to the winners of the Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge,” said Laurie Stang, Senior Vice President, Prairie Region at Scotiabank. “We continue to be amazed by the talent, drive and ingenuity of the students in this competition as they work to make our world a little greener. These young people are our future leaders and we look forward to seeing how much they will achieve in Canada and internationally.”
The Scotiabank EcoLiving Green Challenge empowers post-secondary students to develop and deliver projects that teach viable solutions to relevant environmental issues. Since 2010, 6,518 students have helped conserve 24,405,251 litres of water, diverted 168,653,116 pounds of waste and introduced 3,322 organizations to green business practices.
On March 3, student teams demonstrated the impact of their environmental initiatives to panels of business executives as part of the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition – Western Canada, held in Calgary.
Enactus Mount Royal University and Enactus Simon Fraser University will now move on to the national level of competition taking place May 9-11 at the 2017 Enactus Canada National Exposition, taking place in Vancouver.
ABOUT ENACTUS CANADA: Enactus Canada, the country’s largest post-secondary experiential learning platform, is shaping entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate about advancing the economic, social and environmental health of Canada. Guided by academic advisors and business experts, more than 2,734 entrepreneurial post-secondary students led 280 community empowerment projects and business ventures last year in communities coast to coast. As a global network of 36 countries, Enactus uses the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. For more information, visit enactus.ca.
ABOUT SCOTIABANK: At Scotiabank, we aim to support organizations that are committed to helping young people reach their full potential. Young people are our future leaders and Scotiabank’s goal is to help ensure that they have the necessary skills and resources they need to support their success. Together with our employees, the Bank supports causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2016, Scotiabank contributed more than $70 million to help our communities around the world.
Scotiabank is Canada’s international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $887 billion (as at January 31, 2017), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.
Media Inquiries:
Jennifer Falzon
Director, Marketing & Strategic Growth, Enactus Canada
jen@enactus.ca | 416.304.1566 x222 | 416.315.2099