A deeply rooted partnership between Niagara College and Walker Industries branched out into a new era with a formalized two-year agreement designed to cultivate real-world expertise in sustainable horticulture and drive circular economy innovation.
The collaboration brings premium, sustainable growing media into the hands of students from NC’s School of Environment and Horticulture while enhancing the College grounds. As part of the agreement, Walker Industries is contributing approximately 500 cubic yards of high-performance soil, mulch and growing media annually to the College. The donation enriches campus beautification, greenhouse production and hands-on learning opportunities for students across several academic programs.
By streamlining the College’s supply with a single, environmentally leading local partner, the initiative helps reduce the College’s footprint. The premium growing media will be used in greenhouse trials before plants are transferred across campus for environmental remediation work, including erosion control and invasive phragmites prevention.
Plans are also underway for formal product validation trials at the College’s Horticultural and Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) – part of NC’s trailblazing Research and Innovation division.
Representatives from Niagara College and Walker Industries celebrate their shared commitment to sustainability, hands-on-learning and innovation through their latest partnership, by digging into high-performance soil, mulch and growing media Walker has donated to the College. Pictured from left: Evan DiValentino (Dean, Business and Environment, NC), Geordie Walker (President and CEO, Walker Industries), Sean Kennedy (President, NC), Maddie Fullerton (Horticulture Technician student, NC), Gord Arbeau, (Vice President, External Relations, NC), and Navia Sharma (Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Walker Industries).
NC President Sean Kennedy thanked Walker Industries, for its decades of support – from generous equipment gifts to foundational support for the College’s Walker Advanced Innovation Centre and more. He noted that the collaboration aligns with NC’s sustainability plan and their shared ethos as stewards of the land, providing students with access to an industry leader in the community.
“Niagara College’s partnership with Walker Industries runs deep and, with this agreement, our shared commitment to environmental stewardship is quite literally woven into the very soil of our campus,” said NC President Sean Kennedy.
“This collaboration is a powerful example of how industry and academia can co-create solutions for a more resilient future. By integrating Walker’s sustainable innovations into our learning environments, we are advancing our sustainability goals while providing our students with unparalleled exposure to the cutting edge of a green economy.”
“At Walker, we believe that strong partnerships and hands-on learning opportunities help prepare the next generation of industry leaders. Through our partnership with Niagara College, students are gaining practical experience with sustainable growing practices and learning how innovative products can help produce healthy, nutrient-rich plants while minimizing environmental impact,” said Geordie Walker, President and CEO, Walker Industries.
“Meaningful progress happens when industry, education, and community partners come together with a shared purpose. We are proud to work alongside Niagara College to support experiential learning, advance awareness of sustainable growing solutions, and help raise the standard for environmental stewardship together.”
Dean of Business and Environment Evan DiValentino applauded the partnership and its positive impacts on campus sustainability and student learning.
“While Walker’s generous contributions allow our College to reinvest more into great student learning opportunities, the true value goes way beyond physical product,” said DiValentino. “This collaboration impacts students across the entire School of Environment and Horticulture who have the opportunity to work with advanced real-world formulas, ensuring they have hands-on, ‘boots-on’ experience needed to hit the ground running in the workforce.”
Second-year Horticulture Technician student Hayley Rempel, who is currently completing her co-op at the Teaching Greenhouse, noted how students reap the benefits of the partnership. She and her classmates have been able to work with Walker soil, mulch and growing media products in the NC Teaching Greenhouse and apply Walker’s mulch and topsoil throughout the campus gardens.
“One of the most valuable parts of my education here at NC has been the opportunity to connect what we learn in the classroom with real-world horticultural practices,” said Rempel. “Rather than just learning about topics such as soil structure, water retention, and drainage in textbooks, we get to see these concepts in action every day. Working directly with these products has helped me better understand how growing media and soil can influence plant performance and overall landscape success.”
Rempel added that the collaboration demonstrates a meaningful investment in the next generation of professionals.
“Knowing that companies like Walker are contributing to our learning makes us feel connected to the industry and hopeful for the future,” she said. 
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Media inquiries, please contact:
Julie Greco
Niagara College Communications Consultant
905-328-2532
Cody Cabral
Walker Industries Communications Lead
289-257-0528
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