Vineland Consortium Membership Announcement
Walker’s dedication to environmental sustainability, innovation and education was reaffirmed on March 22, when Walker became a founding member of the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre’s (Vineland) ‘Greening the Landscape Consortium’; a public-private research consortium bringing together stakeholders to develop and grow Canada’s urban landscapes. The scope of the consortium falls under Vineland’s Greening the Landscape Research Program, which is dedicated to improving the establishment and survival of plants and trees, countering climate change pressures in urban environments and increasing the competitiveness of Ontario’s nursery and landscape sector.
As a founding member of the consortium, Walker has pledged to donate $10,000 per year for the next five years. Strategically, investment in the Consortium will allow Walker to collaborate with Vineland and access critical research which identifies market opportunities for our recovered resources, helping to deliver on our Sustainability Initiatives. In addition, Walker will also help guide the development of the Greening the Landscape Research Program by assisting in research priority setting and participating in the project steering committee.
In the past, Walker has enjoyed a rich collaborative relationship with Vineland. Within the Greening Canada’s Highways project, Vineland worked closely with Walker to develop compost application guidelines for tree planting. This project has improved planting practices resulting in better tree survival and growth in Ontario and Alberta. With the onset of the Consortium, Walker’s objectives are to collaborate with other stakeholders to create evidence-based soil specifications required for long term tree health, develop strategies for improving nursery soil health management, and promote the use of organic amendments to remediated degraded urban soils. These projects will serve to validate the efficacy and importance of our engineered soils, horticultural blends and soil amendments generated from recovered resources and sold by the Gro-Bark and All Treat divisions.
Located in Niagara, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) is an independent not-for-profit organization focused on delivering innovative products and solutions that create a positive impact in Ontario’s horticulture sector.
