The Unsmoke Canada Cleanups program has awarded $75,000 in grant funding to 19 Canadian charities and not-for-profits in hopes of cleaning up the great outdoors.
This is the second year that The Great Outdoors Fund and Unsmoke Canada have collaborated to put together the Unsmoke Canada Cleanups – a program with the goal of helping make it possible for everyone to work together to keep the country’s precious outdoors clean and pristine.
“We’re delighted to partner with Unsmoke Canada to administer the Unsmoke Canada Cleanups program, created to fund litter cleanups.” said Lori McCullough, Founder of The Great Outdoors Fund. “Litter is a tremendous, yet solvable problem in the world. Given that cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet, our partnership with Unsmoke Canada and this grant-giving campaign are so apropos. Through the Unsmoke Canada Cleanups program, we are enabling people to take part in a collective effort to beautify their natural surroundings and protect the planet from the effects of litter.
Unsmoke Canada Cleanups was established in 2020 and considered an overwhelming success with more than 1,000,000 pounds of trash removed from Canada’s outdoor spaces.
“2021 is only the second year of the Unsmoke Canada Cleanups program. We were overwhelmed by the applications we received in our first year so we increase this year’s funding to support as many groups as possible.” said Vasie Papadopoulos, Communications and Sustainability Manager for Unsmoke Canada. “Through our partnership with The Great Outdoors Fund, we’re able to engage volunteers at a grass-roots level to combat litter in their own community and have a real, tangible impact. We’ve also expanded our efforts to reduce the effect that litter has on people, communities and the environment by teaming with TerraCycle to establish the Unsmoke Cigarette Recycling Program. Together, we can and we will make a difference.”
2021 Unsmoke Canada Cleanups grants were awarded to the following organizations:
- A Greener Future – Oshawa, Ontario
- Avalon Trailway Corp – Conception Bay South, Newfoundland
- Calgary ATV Riders Association – Calgary, Alberta
- Central Lake Ontario Conservation – Oshawa, Ontario
- Central Ontario ATV Club – Stayner, Ontario
- Club Quad Les Deux Phares – Mont St-Pierre, Quebec
- Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad Association – Blairmore, Alberta
- Eastman ATV Association Inc. – Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Fédération Québécoise des Clubs Quads – Bois-des-Filion, Quebec
- Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society – Nelson, British Columbia
- Help Aid Canada – Brampton, Ontario
- Johnstown ATV club – Spencerville, Ontario
- Logan Lake ATV Club – Logan Lake, British Columbia
- PEI ATV Federation – Summerside, Prince Edwards Island
- Pitch In Canada – Campbell River, British Columbia
- Rusagonis ATV Club – Lincoln, New Brunswick
- Siloam Mission – Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Sooke ATV Club – Sooke, British Columbia
- Verona District ATV Club – Verona, Ontario
For more information, please visit thegreatoutdoorsfund.org or unsmoke.ca. You can also visit us on Instagram at @thegreatoutdoorsfund or @unsmoke_ca.
