ALUS receives grant from Coca-Cola to support watershed health in communities across Canada

TORONTO — ALUS, a charitable organization supporting nature-based solutions in local communities, has announced a $162,500 grant from The Coca-Cola Company in Canada to bolster community-based efforts around nature-based solutions for water in the regions in which the company operates. This funding is critical to helping farmers and ranchers carry out projects to improve watershed health, supporting Canadian water systems.

“ALUS is thrilled to receive this support from The Coca-Cola Company,” says Jill Weaver, Director of Partnerships, ALUS. “Stakeholder engagement and shared governance are central to the ALUS program. The community-led activities and the network of farmers and ranchers that benefit from the ALUS program are an excellent fit with The Coca Cola Company’s approach to initiatives that help contribute to watershed health.”

The funding will support three ALUS communities where Coca-Cola operates; ALUS Rocky View, Alberta, ALUS Peel, Ontario, ALUS Laurentides, Quebec. The funding will help these communities extend their reach and help continue to provide environmental benefits, such as clean water, to neighboring municipalities.

“Water is a priority for our company because it is essential to the communities we serve and helps create the iconic brands we know and love,” said Avi Yufest, Senior Director of Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, The Coca-Cola Company in Canada. “Canada has one of the largest reserves of freshwater in the world and it’s important we are responsible stewards of this critical resource. We’re proud to support Canadian farmers that protect local watersheds through our investment in ALUS.”

Farmers and ranchers participating in ALUS manage nearly 42,000 acres of wetland ecosystems in Canada and the United States. Local partnership advisory committees (PACs) ensure that local ecological and economic priorities are of foremost concern during project implementation. Communities and corporations alike depend on the health and availability of water resources.

Since 2020, as a non-profit member of the CEO Water Mandate and the Alliance for Water Stewardship, ALUS has focused on demonstrating how valuable farmers, ranchers and ALUS Partnership Advisory Committees are in achieving water replenishment, restoration and community engagement on water issues.

ALUS is a leader in activating rural communities to address local environmental challenges. To that end, ALUS and its communities have undertaken innovative projects to understand the impacts of community-led, nature-based solutions to watershed health.