Pictured above: Last year’s Greener Tomorrow cheque presentation in Buffalo Narrows, SK. Buffalo Narrows Northern Store Manager, Calvin Daigneault (right) presented the 2020 Greener Tomorrow funds to Twin Lakes Community School Principal Ronelda McCallum (left) and School Coordinator Zena Fraser. 

Northern communities have reduced the use of plastic bags by 70 per cent and raised more than $3 million for local programs through the Greener Tomorrow program, now in its 10th year operating in Northern and NorthMart stores.

Every year, Northern and NorthMart stores run Greener Tomorrow with the ongoing support of community leaders and the environmental commitment of residents who shop at the stores. The program aims to reduce plastic bag use in participating communities by collecting a single bag fee for plastic grocery bags at Northern and NorthMart store checkouts, then donates the funds collected over the course of each year to support community programs.

2021 marks ten years since the program was launched. Since then, Greener Tomorrow has expanded to Northern and NorthMart locations, raising $3.1 million for community-led initiatives and reducing plastic bag use by nearly 70 per cent, while keeping millions of plastic bags from landfills. Thanks to their efforts to protect their land and the environment, 28 of the participating communities have gone completely plastic bag-free over the past decade.

This year's Greener Tomorrow program will be disbursing over $414,000 to 52 participating communities. All funds stay in the community in which they were raised and reinvested into initiatives chosen by their local leadership, supporting environmental and social programs such as community clean-ups, recycling programs, on-the-land programs, greenhouse programs and outdoor space improvements.