Our 2025 Holiday Contributions: Empowering Women and Girls and Protecting Nature
Our clients and partners play an important role in advancing sustainability through their leadership, innovation, and long-term commitments. Their work supports healthier ecosystems, stronger communities, and meaningful climate action.
In recognition of this collective effort, GreenStep makes annual charitable contributions on behalf of the organizations we work with. This year’s support is directed toward empowering women and girls in developing countries and protecting critical ecosystems in Canada.
Empowering Women and Girls in Developing Countries
Gender equality is a foundational element of sustainable development. Communities are stronger, healthier, and more resilient when women and girls have access to education, economic opportunity, leadership, and safety.
Through Plan International’s Gifts of Hope programs, support was directed toward initiatives that advance these outcomes and reflect the social sustainability priorities shared by many of our partners.
The Mom Shop
This initiative supports women as they build small businesses, develop new marketable skills, and generate independent income. By fostering entrepreneurship, women can create long-lasting economic stability for themselves and their families.
Grow Green Business
This program helps women launch or grow environmentally responsible enterprises. It supports both local economic development and greener production models, contributing to healthier communities and more sustainable livelihoods.
Equality for Girls Bundle
This bundle improves girls’ access to education, safety, and leadership opportunities. It helps ensure girls can learn, grow, and contribute fully to their communities, breaking down barriers that limit their potential.
Savings Groups for Women
Women’s savings groups provide financial inclusion, access to small loans, and a strong network of peer support. These groups build community resilience and help families overcome cycles of poverty.
The Dad Club
This program engages men and boys in supporting gender equality by promoting positive norms, healthier behaviours, and stronger advocacy for women and girls. It fosters safer, more equitable communities by encouraging shared responsibility.
Protecting Nature in Canada
Canada’s natural landscapes play a critical role in biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, climate resilience, and community well-being. Many of our partners operate in close connection with these landscapes and are actively engaged in protecting the natural systems their communities and industries depend on.
In support of this work, contributions were made through the Nature Conservancy of Canada to advance conservation in two priority areas.
Protecting Grasslands
Grasslands are one of the most at-risk ecosystems on the planet. In Canada, native prairies have been dramatically reduced, making their protection a national conservation priority.
Support for grassland conservation helps advance efforts to:
- Restore and steward threatened grassland landscapes for the long term
- Protect essential habitat for species at risk
- Safeguard carbon-rich soils that contribute significantly to climate mitigation
- Maintain healthy watersheds and diverse prairie ecosystems
These actions support ecological integrity across the prairies and contribute to Canada’s broader climate and biodiversity goals.
Protecting Forests in British Columbia
British Columbia’s forests represent some of the most iconic and ecologically important landscapes in the country. They store immense amounts of carbon, support old-growth biodiversity, and provide critical wildlife corridors
Contributions to forest conservation support initiatives that:
- Conserve ecologically significant forested areas
- Protect and connect wildlife habitat
- Restore degraded or impacted forest ecosystems
- Strengthen nature-based climate solutions that benefit both people and the planet
These efforts help ensure BC’s forests remain resilient, healthy, and protected for generations.
Thank You
These contributions reflect our shared commitment to environmental protection, gender equality, and meaningful climate action. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue this important work alongside our clients and partners, and we are honoured to support these initiatives on behalf of the organizations we work with.
Thank you for another year of collaboration, leadership, and shared dedication to a sustainable future. From all of us at GreenStep, we wish you a peaceful holiday season and a bright year ahead.
