Empowered by a commitment from the RBC Foundation to support new ideas, technologies, and partnerships, RBC Tech for Nature is focused on preserving the planet’s greatest wealth: our natural ecosystem. Launched in late 2019, the program invited environment and community-focused organizations to submit their application to join the ongoing commitment to advancing sustainability through technology-driven solutions.

Our approach is based on the belief that innovative usage of data and technology can fundamentally transform and improve the world we live in. RBC Tech for Nature brings together charitable partners, technology experts, the public and private sector, as well as RBC’s own unique capabilities to build the multi-partner coalitions needed to work towards solving our shared environmental challenges.

“The effects of climate change connect us all. The actions we take today can prepare us with the solutions needed to protect our shared future,” said Valerie Chort, Vice-President of Corporate Citizenship for RBC and Executive Chair of the RBC Foundation. “At RBC, we believe climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. That’s why we continue to invest in a diverse set of partners and technologies solving environmental challenges - and support innovative ideas that move us towards a sustainable economy.”

There has never been a greater opportunity for leadership, collaboration, ingenuity, and vision as it relates to the environment. Through the support of RBC Tech for Nature, our partners will be enabled to accelerate and scale the solutions needed to address our most pressing environmental challenges. Below are examples of our partners and their innovative solutions:

Canadian Red Cross: The Canadian arm of the largest global humanitarian network is collaborating with RBC to integrate data science into their emergency management framework. This innovative, enhanced approach to assessing disaster risk and improving beneficiary support will make milestone improvements for aiding individuals facing environmental crises.

Earth Rangers: The largest program of its kind globally, engaging over 200,000 Canadian children in environmental education and activities. RBC Tech for Nature supports the Earth Rangers app, a platform that encourages youth to participate in a wide range of real-world environmental actions as well as track participation and calculate the resulting impact.

Energy Futures Lab: An award-winning multi-sectoral collaboration platform that enables innovators to explore and shape Canada’s energy future. The initiative explores and tests how digital innovations can help solve the climate challenge, while accelerating the transition to a sustainable energy system.

Second Harvest: An innovative online platform that connects food businesses with surplus food to local social service agencies to supply hunger relief or meal programs. The surplus food can be offered and rescued on-demand, and ultimately reduces the amount of food destined for landfill.

SIKU: An online platform and mobile app managed by the Arctic Eider Society that enables Indigenous communities to document their knowledge and observations in real time, while maintaining intellectual property rights. Their aggregated insights - including centralized Inuktitut language/terminology data and systems for tracking sea ice conditions, wildlife, climate changes, and location names - are used for the benefit of Indigenous communities and their regions as a whole.

Swim Drink Fish: An organization that envisions a world with swimmable, drinkable, fishable water for everyone. Using technology to educate and build a movement of citizen-scientists dedicated to protecting local waters, Swim Drink Fish crowdsources its water conditions data through its mobile app. Using that data, it then distributes water safety information for beaches, lakes, rivers, and swimming holes to millions of people each year.

Thames21: An environmental charity educating and engaging people in practical volunteering activities to care for rivers, streams and ponds across London, UK. Building an innovative, new education program using digital visualization tools, Thames21 is helping secondary students better understand water issues and provide the tools needed to take action. Their visualization tools will bring together several computer models, including from the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute and the University of Reading’s Integrated Catchment Model, to help bring water issues to life.

In addition to accelerating and scaling technology innovations, RBC Tech for Nature also supports projects that improve the availability and accuracy of environmental data, influence positive behavior change as it relates to environmental conservation, and result in tangible outcomes for more sustainable communities.

RBC Tech for Nature is a core pillar of RBC’s Climate Blueprint - our enterprise approach to accelerating clean economic growth and supporting clients in the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable economy - and contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.