Healthy Planet Program: Connecting People, Place and Planet at RRU
With support from World Wildlife Fund Canada’s Go Wild Grant, Royal Roads University has expanded its Healthy Planet Program, increasing opportunities for hands‑on ecological restoration, outdoor learning, and community connection on campus and beyond.
Strengthening Stewardship Through Action
The Healthy Planet Program offers regular, accessible stewardship activities that support biodiversity while fostering wellbeing and resilience among participants. Grant funding has helped supply materials, expert facilitation, and coordination for activities such as invasive species removal, shoreline and litter clean‑ups, educational forest walks, seed‑bomb making, gardening at the RRU Farm, and guided forest bathing sessions.
By caring for the lands around campus—forests, gardens, shorelines, and waterways—participants contribute to improved ecosystem health while building practical skills and a deeper understanding of place‑based stewardship.
Supporting Wellbeing Through Nature
A core principle of the Healthy Planet Program is that caring for the environment and caring for ourselves are deeply connected. Many sessions emphasize mindfulness, reflection, and gentle engagement with nature, helping participants reduce stress, build resilience, and strengthen a sense of belonging. By creating space to slow down and connect outdoors, the program supports both individual and community wellbeing.
Upcoming events this Spring include an educational forest walk, Earth Day yoga, broom removal, volunteering at The Farm, and forest bathing. More events are being planned through the rest of the year.
Expanding Participation and Learning
World Wildlife Fund Canada’s Go Wild Grant has enabled broader participation by students, staff, faculty, and community members—removing barriers to involvement and ensuring sessions are welcoming and experience‑friendly. Participants gain practical stewardship skills while deepening their understanding of local ecosystems and their connection to place.
In addition to ecological outcomes, the program builds leadership, collaboration, and environmental literacy—aligning with the Go Wild Grant’s goal of empowering people to take meaningful action for nature where they live and learn.
Collective Impact
The Healthy Planet Program is co‑led by RRU’s Climate Action and Sustainability Team and People and Culture’s Healthy U team, reflecting a collaborative approach to sustainability and workplace wellbeing.
World Wildlife Fund Canada’s Go Wild Grants provide financial support to school and campus projects across the country that aim to protect and restore wildlife habitat. Funding supports hands‑on stewardship activities, supplies, and specialized facilitation—helping campus communities take tangible action for nature while building skills and leadership capacity. At RRU, this funding has helped expand Healthy Planet Program activities and deepen opportunities for ecological restoration and learning.
A Living Expression of Climate Action
The Healthy Planet Program demonstrates how climate action can be local, relational, and deeply human. By inviting people outside to work with the land, learn together, and care for the ecosystems that sustain us, RRU is nurturing a culture of shared responsibility—for the planet today and for future generations.