Ottawa, ON – This Wednesday, June 26th, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and Habitat for Humanity National Capital Region will help change the lives of an Ottawa-area family through the first-of-its-kind SFI® “Women in Wood” Build Day. This special day will involve a “Wall Raising,” in which the house will progress from a basic foundation into a framework of a brand-new home.

The “Women in Wood” team will be led by SFI President and CEO Kathy Abusow and will include a number of high profile, prominent women hailing from the Ottawa area in government, business, environmental and social sectors: Joanne Laskoski, Editor-in-Chief, Capital Woman magazine; Kirsten Vice, Vice President, Canadian Operations, National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, and Tracey Clark, managing director of Bridgehead, leading in fair-trade organic coffee, are confirmed to participate with Abusow on the build. Despite being from different fields, all of these women share the common passion of making a difference in their communities.

This project will have a transformational effect in the lives of Ida Kakekagumick and her three grandchildren. As members of the Ojibwa-Cree First Nation, they are one of the first Ontario Aboriginal families to be helped through a Habitat for Humanity project.

Much of the wood being used for this Build Day is certified to the SFI Standard, including a significant donation from LP Building Products; this means the lumber comes from responsibly managed forests. Irving Tissue division has also generously donated a six-month supply of tissue and bathroom products certified to the SFI Standard to the family of this home. The home will also be the first in the Ottawa area to be certified as a Built Green Canada home.

As an organization dedicated not only to promoting responsible forestry, but also to community building and on-the-ground collaboration, the SFI team is incredibly excited to be involved in this project.

EVENT: “Women in Wood” Build Day

LOCATION: 2125 Nantes Street, Orleans, Ontario (map)

DATE: Wednesday, June 26th, 2013

TIME: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. EDT

*NOTE FOR MEDIA: A special presentation will be made to the recipient family at 12:30 p.m.

Since 2008, SFI has partnered with more than a dozen various Habitat for Humanity builds across Canada and the U.S. Through these partnerships, more than 4,000 volunteer hours and significant supplies of certified building materials (panel products, lumber, and engineered wood products) have been donated.

About Sustainable Forestry Initiative: SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program. Across Canada and the United States, nearly 100 million hectares are certified to the SFI forest management standard. In addition, the SFI program's unique fiber sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands. SFI chain-of-custody (COC) certification tracks the percentage of fiber from certified forests, certified sourcing and post-consumer recycled content. SFI on-product labels identify both certified sourcing and COC claims to help consumers make responsible purchasing decisions. SFI Inc. is governed by a three-chamber board of directors representing environmental, social and economic sectors equally. SFI board members include Chief David Walkem of the Cooks Ferry Indian Band, the former Dean of Forestry at University of Toronto, the COO of Habitat for Humanity Canada, the President of Bird Studies Canada, the President & CEO of Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the Executive Chairman of West Fraser. Learn more at http://www.sfiprogram.org/ and http://sfiprogram.org/BuySFI.

About Habitat for Humanity NCR: Founded in 1993, Habitat for Humanity National Capital Region (NCR) is a volunteer, non-profit organization that builds simple, decent, affordable homes and sells them with long-tern, no-interest mortgages to hard-working, low-income families seeking an affordable home in which to raise their children. People of all faiths and cultures are warmly welcomed by Habitat for Humanity NCR. To learn more, visit www.habitatncr.com.

About Built Green Canada: Founded in 2003, this national industry-driven organization is committed to working with builders interested in responsible sustainability practices in the residential building sector. Committed to the integrity of its programs—Single Family, High Density and Renovations—Built Green Canada provides learning opportunities that encourage continuous improvements to building practices, participation affordability and third-party certification, which requires builders to contract Certified Energy Advisors to assess the effectiveness of the systems in the home. While energy efficiency is a fundamental component of these programs, integrating the EnerGuide label through Natural Resources Canada, Built Green Canada goes beyond energy efficiency toward a more holistic approach to sustainable building practices. For more information, visit www.builtgreencanada.ca.