MEDIA RELEASE
OTTAWA, ON – September 23, 2025 – Canadian Geographic and OneEarth Living are proud to announce the launch of Live Net Zero 2025, a national challenge on sustainable living and carbon footprint reduction that runs online and in K-12 classrooms until November 15, 2025. Households across Canada can win up to $10,000 in cash prizes while joining a growing community committed to sustainability. Educators can engage students in hands-on classroom activities with a chance to win cash for their schools. Canadians are ready!
Household Challenge
In the Household Challenge, participants take high-impact sustainability actions, share their stories online and spark momentum nationwide. From single-person homes to roommates to multi-generational families, from renters to owners, Live Net Zero welcomes every type of household in Canada.
Participants select actions in one or more of the four challenge areas:
- Our Homes: Energy efficiency and home retrofits. From sealing drafts to switching appliances, these
changes cut emissions and costs. Grand prize $10,000, runner-up prize $500. - How We Get Around: Commuting, public transit, active transport and low-carbon travel. Replace
short car trips, try transit, bike or walk more often. Grand prize $5,000, runner-up prize $500. - How We Celebrate & Play: Leisure, entertainment, holidays and traditions. Rethink what brings joy
and connection with a lighter footprint. Grand prize $5,000, runner-up prize $500. - Our Daily Lives – Food and Stuff: What we buy, repair and share, how we eat, and how much we
waste. Small changes can have big ripple effects. Grand prize $5,000, runner-up prize $500.
Households enter by sharing their actions on social media before November 15, 2025 (see How to Enter). Posting early gives them the chance to win $1,000 as “Post of the Month” in September or October, along with a spot on the shortlist. Follow #LiveNetZero2025 or #VivreNetZéro2025 to see how households are taking action and inspiring change.
Classroom Challenge
The Live Net Zero Classroom Challenge helps educators engage their students in climate action. Students take on one or more real-world sustainability challenges, from reducing food waste to rethinking how they get to school; from upcycling everyday items to creating costumes for Halloween; from restoring nature to exploring plant-rich recipes.
Each of the 21 challenges is hands-on and tailored to students at two levels (K-6 and 7-12). Educators across Canada can access bilingual resources aligned with curriculum goals in science, geography, social studies, civics and more. Before the November 15 deadline, classrooms submit their work to show the impact they’ve made, share their creativity, and celebrate their progress for a chance to win cash prizes.
Learn more about the Challenges and enter by November 15, 2025 at LiveNetZero.org.
Canadian Geographic and OneEarth Living thank the North Family Foundation and others for their critical and generous support in ensuring that Live Net Zero continues to grow and inspire Canadians in 2025. Across the country, people are taking action to reduce their carbon footprints, live more sustainably, and improve the environment. Imagine the impact when we all join together to take this further!
Quotes
“What excites me is seeing how low-cost and accessible many of these solutions are – both big and
small! By telling their stories, people are showing that we can all make a difference. When shared online
and across communities, these actions can spark a national conversation that drives the broader
changes we need from business and government.”
– John Hovland, Executive Vice President, Canadian Geographic
“When we make changes in our daily lives, we encourage others to do the same. Polls show that many
of us want to live more sustainably but don’t always know which actions matter most. Live Net Zero puts
it together: showing how our choices add up and help enable societal changes. Individual and systemic
change go hand in hand.”
– Dagmar Timmer, Managing Director – Strategic Initiatives, OneEarth Living
“The Classroom Challenge is designed with a message: when the problems facing our planet feel
overwhelming, remember that change has always started with people who act. Your choices, big or
small, add up and ripple outward, inspiring friends, families and communities. You don’t have to do
everything; you can do something, and it matters.”
– Michelle Chaput, Director of Research & Education, Canadian Geographic Education
“You don’t need to be a climate expert to take part. The Classroom Challenge gives teachers ready-
to-use materials, supports all kinds of classrooms, and helps students connect learning to real-world
action.”
– Eric Nadeau, Education Program Coordinator, Canadian Geographic Education
About Canadian Geographic
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1929 with the goal of
making Canada better known to Canadians and the world. The Society publishes Canadian Geographic
and Géographica magazines (read by over 4 million Canadians) and shares its educational program,
Canadian Geographic Education, with more than 28,000 educator-members across Canada.
CanadianGeographic.ca | CanGeoEducation.ca
About OneEarth Living
OneEarth Living is a non-profit ‘think and do tank’ advancing sustainable ways of living around the world.
We partner across sectors to transform how people live their lives – what they need and what they
consume and produce, and what they aspire to. Our vision is a world where everyone is able to live
thriving, healthy lives within the ecological means of our one Earth. We build the sustainable living field,
connect research and practice, equip key actors with strategies and tools, and craft narratives and
innovative programs that inspire change at scale.
Media Contact:
Rosemary Thompson, Vice President, External
Canadian Geographic
[email protected] | (613) 240-6739
