The wild splendor of Canada’s national parks

The cover of the book entitled Canada's National Parks: A Celebration

Looking for a perfect gift for someone special? Parks Canada has just released a beautiful book entitiled ‘Canada’s National Parks: A Celebration’, right on time for holiday giving. Released to commemorate the 125th anniversary of national parks in Canada, the 256-page hardcover book showcases the wild splendor of Canada’s 44 national parks in the artistry of nearly 40 of the country’s most respected landscape photographers.

“This commemorative book is a celebration of our national parks, which inspire us and move us emotionally, intellectually and spiritually,” says Parks Canada CEO Alan Latourelle. “Our parks are not just ecological landscapes; they are part and parcel of our Canadian existence. Each of our national parks is part of Canada’s collective soul and a part of our nation’s promise to future generations.”

A unique collaboration with Canopy, a company which works to help publishers, printers and paper producers adopt green practices, the book was produced to have the smallest possible impact on our planet’s species, forests and climate.

The paper is acid-free and contains post-consumer recycled content. Environmentally responsible packing material has been used and shipping by a selection of vendors reduces the need for additional transportation. The inks are vegetable-based and glues and adhesives are water-based and renewable.

In the production of the book, Canopy and Parks Canada preserved:

• 187 trees
• 1,200,000 litres of water (roughly the amount required to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool)
• 15,270 kg of solid waste (the weight of 67 male grizzly bears)
• 45,608 kg of greenhouse gases (roughly the equivalent of the exhaust produced from traveling 34 times from coast to coast in an average car)
• 570,000,000 BTUs of electricity (enough to power the average North American home for 520 years).

The inside back cover contains a 1-day family pass worth $44 in any of Canada’s National Parks. The book retails for $29.99 in book stores around the country. You may just decide to purchase a copy for yourself too.