Canon Australia has announced the winners of its 2014 Environmental Grants Program, selected according to on their environmental merits, sought across two categories, including community and school. The winning projects from Australia include:
- COMMUNITY: Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland (QLD) – engaging local communities in the protection of local Platypus populations
- SCHOOL: Bentleigh Secondary College (VIC) – committed to encouraging students to care and protect the indigenous flora and fauna surrounding the school grounds.
“This year, there was an outstanding line-up of applicants, and the winners stood out in terms of their strong commitment in making a difference to our environment. We are impressed with the quality of work by local schools and community groups, and want to reward their efforts for dedicating their time and energy to making positive changes to their local environment,” said Janet Leslie, Sustainability Manager, Canon Oceania.
“These awards allow us to support the efforts of school and community groups who are working to help their local environment. We are inspired by their passion and dedication and want to reward these unique projects with the right tools to achieve their own environmental aims,” said Taz Nakamasu, Managing Director, Canon Oceania.
“‘Working together for the common good’ is woven into our corporate philosophy, Kyosei, and these community groups inspire our people, customers and fellow businesses to enhance the environment we live and work in,” added Mr Nakamasu.
$15,000 worth of grants in-kind will also be awarded to New Zealand based projects, providing a total of $25,000 in grants across both Australia and New Zealand.
Community Award Winner – Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland
The PlatypusWatch Project is run by Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland, a not for profit organisation advocating the protection of Queensland’s native flora and fauna in their natural landscapes, by educating and engaging local communities in wildlife conservation.
The project aims to actively engage local communities in the protection and conservation of their local Platypus populations. Currently, the distribution and abundance of Platypus is not well known in Queensland, and better education is needed to make more-informed conservation decisions from a local perspective.
The survey teams will use the Canon equipment to assist with capturing and recording the behaviour of the Platypus and other native animals, as well as to help with marketing materials for further education and awareness, in the form of events, website and social media.
“To-date, the volunteers have used their own smartphones to capture images out on the field. Having quality video and photography is critical for species identification, and as a not for profit organisation, this grant is a big milestone for us in terms of achieving greater results,” said Des Boyland, Policies and Campaign Manager, Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.
For more information on Canon Environmental Grants please visit: www.canon.com.au/Environmental-Grants
