BOZEMAN, MONTANA—October 30, 2025—The nonprofit Squamish CAN of Squamish, British Columbia, is the recipient of the 2025 Edible Communities Sustainability Award, a recognition given by Edible Communities to a person or group for outstanding sustainability efforts and resulting community impacts.
Each year, the publishers of Edible Communities, a network of over 75 hyper local food and drink publications in the United States and Canada, nominate an individual, business or organization within their local Edible community to receive the annual Sustainability Award. Nominations are vetted by Edible Communities and ranked based on scope of work, community impact, and how their work relates to sustainability. This year’s winner was nominated by Edible Sea to Sky.
Terra Gaddes, Publisher of Edible Sea to Sky accepting the Edible Communities Sustainability Award on behalf of Squamish CAN
Squamish CAN (Climate Action Network) is dedicated to strengthening local food systems, reducing waste, and nurturing a more sustainable and connected community. Under the leadership of Executive Director Krystle tenBrink, Squamish CAN has woven sustainability into the daily fabric of community life through education, hands-on collaboration, and policy advocacy.
Their food security initiatives demonstrate an integrated approach to creating systemic change. The Downtown School Farm has become financially self-sustaining while distributing veggie boxes throughout the community and giving students real responsibility for every aspect of farm operations, from crop planning to sales. The Edible School Gardens program extends this learning to multiple schools in the area, while the Indigenous Plant Garden collaboration with Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw Elders creates a living classroom where ecological knowledge, language preservation, and cultural traditions converge.
Squamish CAN also supports food production at every level through three community gardens, a community farm that provides affordable land leases for aspiring farmers, and their annual Seedy Saturday event and Seed Library Program that continue to preserve biodiversity and build local food resilience.
Their waste-reduction initiatives have engaged thousands of community members. A Reusable Mug Library at a local coffee shop has proven so successful that community members keep it stocked themselves, while Repair Cafés and swap events have kept hundreds of items out of landfills. At the policy level, Squamish CAN’s Food Policy Council leadership has shaped food security strategies from Squamish to Lillooet and secured funding for shared cold storage infrastructure.
By integrating Indigenous knowledge systems, ensuring that underfunded schools have access to agricultural education, and creating opportunities for new farmers, Squamish CAN has built a sustainability movement that is cultivating a generation of environmental leaders who understand that creating a sustainable future means building something better together.
Read more about Squamish CAN in the Edible Sea to Sky Autumn 2024 issue article titled “Climate Solutions from the Ground Up” by Jennifer Cole.