Live Net Zero

Going Green: Live Net Zero contest winners announced from across the country

Top prizes go to contestants from British Columbia, Northwest Territories, New Brunswick and Ontario

MEDIA RELEASE

OTTAWA, ON – March 8, 2026– Canadian Geographic and OneEarth Living are proud to
announce the successful conclusion of Live Net Zero 2025, a national challenge on sustainable
living and carbon footprint reduction that ran online and in K-12 classrooms. Households across
Canada had the opportunity to win up to $10,000 in cash prizes while joining a growing
community committed to sustainability. Educators engaged students in hands-on classroom
activities.

Household Challenge
Households shared stories online of their high-impact sustainability actions across four themes:
Our Homes, How We Get Around, How We Celebrate and Play, and Our Daily Lives – Food and
Stuff. The Challenge brought forward stories from heritage homes and mini homes, northern
cycling families and urban newcomers, semi-rural retrofits, and households with new thrift-shop
traditions.

Articles about all ten winners are at LiveNetZero.org/Challenges. Together, they reflect the
diversity of Canadian life and the many paths towards reducing emissions in our homes, our
travel, our celebrations and our daily choices. Here are the first place winners:

• Our Homes: James Rowley of Maple Ridge, British Columbia transformed a heritage
  home that once ran on fuel oil into a fully fossil-free household, doing much of the work
  himself alongside his family. From lifting the house and insulating the foundation to air
  sealing, electrifying and installing solar panels, they invested significant sweat equity to
  make it happen. Today, their home and electric vehicles run on renewable energy,
  proving that even older houses can dramatically cut emissions while preserving
  character and comfort.
• How We Get Around: Becca Denley of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and her
  family ride bikes year-round, even in sub-zero temperatures. From school drop-offs to
  groceries, cycling is their default mode of transport. Beyond their own household, Becca
  along with her husband Adam helped launch SHIFT NWT, a free community bike share
  program that lends bikes, e-bikes, e-trikes, and cargo bikes to residents to try for two
  week sessions. Her story challenges assumptions about climate barriers and shows how
  active mobility can strengthen health, community and environmental impacts all at once.
• How We Celebrate and Play: Natalie Foreman of Hanwell, New Brunswick and herfamily have built a circular celebration culture. From homemade Halloween costumes and edible “gifts in a jar” to ski swaps and experience-based birthdays, they reduce waste while strengthening community ties. Across all themes, they also retrofit their home, grow food and advocate locally, showcasing what whole-of-life climate action can look like in a semi-rural setting.
• Our Daily Lives – Food and Stuff: Vicki Tran of Mississauga, Ontario approaches sustainability holistically – focusing on plant-based meals, composting, repair and upcycling while actively participating in her community. As a bike commuter and tinkerer at heart, she connects food, transport and advocacy into their way of living. Her story demonstrates how everyday consumption choices can ripple outward into community change.

Their stories show that climate action is not one-size-fits-all. It’s shaped by where we live, our
stage of life and the resources available to us.

Classroom Challenge
The Live Net Zero Classroom Challenge engaged educators and their students in climate
action. Classes took on one or more of 21 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 challenge is
hands-on, curriculum-linked, and tailored to the age group, with bilingual resources available for
both elementary and secondary levels.

During the Challenge period, 209 classrooms from eight provinces registered and 126
challenges were submitted. 16 primary and secondary classes were randomly selected as
winners – from Markham (Ontario) to Gesgapegiag Mi’gmaq First Nations (Quebec), and from Quesnel (BC) to Coxheath (Nova Scotia) (see (full list of winners). All Classroom Challenge
activities are still available online, so schools can try them at any time!

Footprint Quiz
The partners also launched a 10 minute quiz for Canadians, based on the main footprint drivers
in Canada. The quiz helps Canadians discover which climate actions make the biggest impact
for their household – and celebrates what they’re already doing to live more sustainably. It can
be taken here.

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.