Environment and Sustainability

Forest and stream with trees, water, ferns and other plants.

Safeguarding our shared environment

A healthy environment is vital to our quality of life. Our region’s stunning coastlines, forests and wildlife are connected to our identity, offering recreational opportunities, spaces for relaxation, support for mental health and a deeper connection to nature. But climate change and biodiversity loss threaten these natural treasures. That’s why many local charitable organizations are stepping up through conservation, climate action and education.

Visit Victoria’s Vital Signs Digital Report to explore local environment and sustainability data

Sustainable development goals

12 - Responsible consumption and production

Support Environment and Sustainability

There are a number of ways you can support local environmental organizations in our community.

Donate to the Environment and Sustainability Community Action Fund to pool your funds with other donors’ gifts. The funds are then granted strategically to many organizations within the cause area through the Community Grants Program and other equitable granting initiatives.
Set up a Donor Advised Fund to support a cause of your choice.
Support a Hosted Organization Fund.

Stewards of the Salish Sea

The call came into Cetus Research & Conservation Society on a calm July morning, a humpback whale was in trouble. Spotted thrashing at the surface and dragging a buoy behind it, the whale was entangled and in distress. It was a race against time…

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Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary: A living classroom

Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary is a place of learning and connection. With programming that weaves together Indigenous knowledge, intergenerational learning and a variety of neurological and cultural perspectives, the sanctuary creates space for people of all ages to deepen their relationship with the natural world.

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A legacy of nature, for nature

Nancy Grant created a legacy of nature. In her own way of being on this earth, she left quiet markers of her dedication to social justice issues and their relationship to ecological justice. She did this during her lifetime and through gifts in her Will.

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Reclaiming and Reviving W̱SÁNEĆ Cultural Lands

The W̱SÁNEĆ Lands Trust Society is restoring a 49-acre peat bog, rich with vital plant species like native cranberries and willows used for traditional reef nets. This “not only restores ecological balance but also reawakens a sense of responsibility and connection to the land that was historically embedded in W̱SÁNEĆ laws and culture,” shares Joni Olsen, Policy/Negotiations Manager for the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council.

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