NCC marks 30 years of holiday Green Gifts program
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is marking 30 years of its Green Gifts program, which offers symbolic adoptions as a holiday gift.
The program allows people to adopt one of 13 species or support conservation work in several regions across the country, including East Coast habitats.
Andrew Holland, NCC’s national media relations director, said the program appeals to people who want to give something meaningful while supporting conservation close to home.
“It’s a win‑win‑win in the sense that the person buying the Christmas gift gets a charitable tax receipt,” Holland said.
“The person receiving the gift gets a calendar, a species booklet, and a certificate in their name … and then the Nature Conservancy of Canada, we use the funds to do important conservation work in the region.”
Holland said the program has raised more than $3 million over the past three decades.
He said the money supports projects that protect forests, wetlands, grasslands and shorelines, which provide benefits such as clean air, improved water quality and natural protection from flooding and erosion.
He said people can choose species with local ties, including the Canada lynx, Blanding’s turtle and Atlantic puffin, or they can support the conservation of East Coast landscapes.
Holland said the funds also help NCC work toward its national goal of conserving an additional one million hectares by 2030.
NCC has protected more than 20 million hectares across Canada since 1962, according to Holland.
Holland said the Green Gifts program continues to play a role in that work by helping fund land purchases, land donations and the costs associated with conservation projects.
