Greystone Books has made a $15,000 contribution toward the establishment of the Greystone Books Award in Indigenous Land Stewardship at the University of British Columbia.

The award, an annual scholarship of $3,000 over five years, will support students in the UBC Forestry’s Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship program “who demonstrate a strong commitment to holistic and sustainable natural resource management.”

“We are proud to partner with UBC to support students who are passionate about stewarding the land in ways that honour cultural traditions and promote sustainability,” said Rob Sanders, founding publisher and CEO of Greystone Books in the press release. “By investing in Indigenous-led approaches to environmental stewardship, we hope to empower students to create meaningful change for communities and ecosystems alike.”

“With contributions like this from Greystone Books, students in the Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship program will have the opportunity to further their studies and develop the skills needed to lead in sustainable land management,” said Robert Kozak, Dean of UBC’s Faculty of Forestry in the press release.

“We are in the business of using trees as the paper which become our books, and I wanted to support the practice of sustainable management of forests,” said Sanders, explaining the impetus for the award. “We live on the land of Indigenous people who have stewarded these forested lands for centuries. They have a lot to teach all of us. And together we can bring shared wisdom to help benefit forests around the world.”

Greystone Books, a Vancouver-based independent trade book publisher, has supported environmental stewardship through its production practices and the contents of its published works that focus on the environment, nature, science, and social issues. The publisher is also working to reduce its ecological footprint through sustainable practices.

The inaugural award will be available for the 2025/2026 winter session.