Investing in the next generation of environmental leaders
KEEN Footwear helps Waterloo students put environmental knowledge into action.
A University of Waterloo student pauses on the shoulder of a Norfolk County road, records the location of an endangered reptile and moves it safely out of traffic before the next vehicle arrives.
Over four months, Faculty of Environment student Katja Kubasta completed 586 roadside surveys, documenting wildlife and helping identify where future infrastructure could better protect species at risk.
Her work with the Long Point Biosphere Region was made possible through a KEEN Global Citizen Internship. Under the guidance of Waterloo researcher Chantel Markle and road ecologist Kari Gunson, Kubasta monitored roads and habitat used by endangered Eastern Fox Snakes, whose largest Carolinian population in Ontario is found in the Long Point area. Long Point President Brian Craig said the organization would not have been able to undertake the research and monitoring without KEEN's support.
It's one example of a partnership between KEEN Footwear and the Faculty of Environment that has created opportunities for students while extending the capacity of environmental organizations.
KEEN has supported Waterloo students through graduate scholarships, Global Citizen Internships and co-op opportunities. Following its initial commitment, the company renewed its partnership with the Faculty for another five years, extending its support for scholarships and experiential learning.
The partnership reflects KEEN’s broader commitment to using business as a force for environmental and social good. Through the KEEN Effect, the company works across its business to reduce environmental impact, improve how its products are made and create lasting value for people and the planet. In Canada, that commitment includes another priority: inspiring the next generation.
“At KEEN, we have always believed that business has a responsibility bigger than the bottom line,” says Matt Merko, Director, Insights & Engagement Canada. “That responsibility is reflected in how we design our products, operate our business, invest in our communities and engage on the issues that matter.”
The Global Citizen Internship model puts that commitment into practice. Students gain paid, hands-on experience applying what they have learned while non-profit partners gain additional capacity to advance environmental work in their communities.
Environment student Shayne Poleyko removes invasive Phragmites during a 2019 KEEN-supported internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. KEEN-supported internships have connected Waterloo students with hands-on conservation work across Canada.
At Long Point, that meant research to protect species at risk. At the Nature Conservancy of Canada, students have contributed to hands-on conservation work, while at rare Charitable Research Reserve, KEEN’s support has created experiential learning opportunities and contributed to work across more than 1,200 acres of protected land.
KEEN’s support also reaches students before they are in the field, providing financial support as they pursue work on environmental and sustainability challenges.
When KEEN Canada added “inspiring the next generation” to its KEEN Effect values, the company chose Waterloo as one of its primary partners.
“We have been inspired hearing about all the projects and programs that happen each year,” Merko says, pointing to the Faculty’s environmental leadership and teaching as reasons for the partnership.
KEEN’s relationship with the Faculty has grown through campus visits that bring team members face-to-face with the students and researchers their support helps. Merko remembers the company’s first visit in 2018, when the team met students and faculty and learned about projects, programs and research underway across Environment.
“We left the campus that day inspired and amazed that a group of young adults were tackling the world’s most pressing issues,” he says.
For its sustained investment in student learning and its partnership in advancing environmental action, KEEN Footwear is a recipient of the 2026 Friend of the Faculty Impact Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations whose volunteerism, promotion, philanthropic leadership, collaboration or active participation strengthens the Faculty of Environment and its mission.