Growing Strong and Greening Cities
In this autumn update we bring you inspiring stories of urban greening in action and info on two current grants—apply now! Plus, Prince Charles came for a sneak peek of Evergreen Brick Works, so be sure to check out our photos.
Read on to find out more...
Our Latest Projects
Greening Corporate Grounds
Evergreen has partnered with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) in an exciting new program called Greening Corporate Grounds. This initiative helps corporations and other institutional landowners enhance their landscape to benefit the environment.
Participants must demonstrate a commitment to adopting ecological landscaping practices with the guidance of experts from Evergreen and CVC.
The dramatic impact of this program is already visible. Manicured expanses of open grass are being replaced with natural habitat and eventually, native ecosystems will thrive. Participants enjoy taking part and look forward to planting days—a chance to get outside and create a healthier work environment.
Learn more about the Greening Corporate Grounds program online or download our brochure.
Vancouver City Hall Community Gardens
Five months ago the lawn of the Vancouver City Hall was just that: a wide expanse of grass. But thanks to hard work of a dedicated team, the space has been transformed into a thriving garden and community hub.
"The willingness of gardeners to volunteer their time is undeniably why the garden has been such a success," says Evergreen's Hilary Davies, regional manager of community development. After a season of planting and tending their plots, the group's members have already enjoyed a bountiful harvest.
Since the very first planting day, the gardens have been a vehicle for community members to come together, interact and share knowledge. "Many of the members are first-time gardeners and it has been wonderful to see them learning together and becoming self-sufficient through local food production," says Hilary.
Visit the Vancouver City Hall Community Garden Facebook page for video, photos and to learn more.
New Native Tree Nursery
"Was it 100? Was it 200? No, it was 700 trees!" wrote Christopher, a grade 6 student, describing his fall planting experience in his school newsletter.
Students from Charles Howitt Public School in Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto, have been involved in Evergreen's restoration projects since 2003. This October they brought their efforts full circle by volunteering to create the new native tree nursery at Phyllis Rawlinson Park. The project aims to create a supply of healthy, local trees for future restoration projects in the region.
Christopher and his peers helped plant the first native tree seedlings. These plants will adapt to local conditions as they grow, and when large enough they will be transplanted to other sites.
In Christopher's article, it was clear that the students enjoyed their day in the field. "By the end of the day everyone was exhausted," he recalled. "'I didn't want to leave, it was hard and fun at the same time,' said Nazanin [another student]. ... Overall, it was a perfect day."
Evergreen Brick Works News
Evergreen Brick Works is LEED-ing the Way
The new Centre for Urban Sustainability is on target for LEED Platinum and we are set for a grand opening in 2010. Follow the Construction Journal and subscribe to the monthly Evergreen Brick Works Newsletter for the latest progress on this exciting project.
Royal Visit and Leadership Forum
See Prince Charles up close in our photo gallery.
On November 6, Evergreen Brick Works was honoured with a visit from His Royal Highness Prince Charles during his 11-day Canadian tour.
An environmentalist and avid organic farmer, Prince Charles was given a tour of the construction site by Geoff Cape and then enjoyed a Harvest Market reception with some of our regular Saturday Farmers' Market vendors and Jamie Kennedy.
In honour of the Royal visit, Evergreen Brick Works together with Minister Flaherty, also convened a forum of thought-leaders to explore how we can collectively encourage the transition of the conventional economy to one that is more sustainable.
Read more about this significant event.
New Children's Programs Coming in 2010
In addition to the return of Sun-Ripened Saturdays family programming and our fabulous farmers' market we will offer a rich suite of new programs in 2010.
Green City Adventure Camp Coming August 2010
This unique and exciting new summer day camp is a two-week adventure into the heart of the green city!
Fall School Program Coming September 2010
Our new, year-round environmental education program offers hands-on, outdoor activities for all classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12, with focus programs for grades 3–5.
New "Eat. Bike. Walk." Partnership at EBW
Evergreen and The Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion have partnered to increase access to biking, walking, and food programs at Evergreen Brick Works in 2010.
Evergreen, the City of Toronto, Toronto Cyclists Union, The Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors, Flemingdon Health Centre and the St. James Town Youth Council are among 17 local community groups that will be working together to get hundreds of children and youth active in bike safety and recreation, food growing and cooking, ravine hikes and more.
Funding Opportunities and Making a Difference
Let Us Grant Your Wish for Green
This fall we have two grant streams waiting for your application!
1. The Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds funding application for 2009/10. Funds tend to run out before our January deadline, so apply soon!
2. On December 1, the Walmart–Evergreen Green Grants application will be available online, with an intake deadline of January 29, 2010. Mark your calendars!
And here are just two of the many inspiring stories that show how Evergreen funding and assistance is making a difference:
Gardening at Eva's Place
Youth at Eva's Place have recently put their garden to bed after a wonderful first season of growing and harvesting in downtown Toronto. Eva's Place is part of Eva's Initiatives, and provides homeless and at-risk youth with shelter and assistance. Thanks to funds from a Walmart–Evergreen Green Grant, participants broke ground this past spring on a new greening project.
Taking unused lawn space and transforming it into a bountiful food garden, youth from Eva's have not only created a new opportunity to learn how to grow and harvest food—they have also supplemented much of their pre-existing programming. Providing a friendly environment for regular programs and a pleasant place to hang out, the garden is also a much-appreciated source of fresh produce such as beans, tomatoes, and peppers to weekly cooking sessions.
With such a successful first year, plans for expansion are already underway, and we can be sure that the garden will only continue to flourish.
Well done, Eva's Place for a great start on this new project!
Transformation in Prince George
Over the past five years, students and staff at Westwood Elementary School in Prince George, B.C., have transformed their school ground with support from Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds and the expertise of Learning Grounds consultant Dolores Altin.
Diane Sales, a teacher and librarian at Westwood, is the heart of the project. (Read her reflections on the first three years of the project.)
The garden thrives in part because maintenance is fun: Students happily search for the longest weed, a garden club uses a giant 300-foot hose to water on their lunch hour and after school, and recently a group of students won $2,000 at the 2009 British Columbia Green Games with a presentation that told the garden's story—with the prize money buying an outdoor chess table. Plans for 2010 include a blessing ceremony for the Aboriginal garden and new plantings.
Congratulations, Westwood, for sustaining your project!
Support Greener Cities
Give a Gift to Evergreen Today
Nature in the city begins with all of us, and there's never been a better time to get involved. From a one-time gift to a monthly donation, a gift to Evergreen is a gift that makes our cities more livable.
Give in British Columbia. For more information on how you can contribute to Evergreen British Columbia, contact Gabriela von Pfetten, Regional Manager, Philanthropic Gifts: 778-995-7792, gvonpfetten@evergreen.ca.
Give across Canada. For more information on how you can contribute to Evergreen, contact Trish Long, Manager, Individual Giving: 416-596-1495 x224, 1-888-426-3138, tlong@evergreen.ca.
All donors will receive a charitable tax receipt by mail or email.
Working Together
Restoring Mount Royal with Fido
This fall, Montreal's beautiful Mount Royal Park got a little bit greener. In partnership with the long-standing local stewardship group, Les Amis de la Montagne, more than fifty staff members from Fido and from Evergreen gathered for a day of hard work, planting 240 native trees and shrubs in total.
The event was part of a national partnership announced earlier this year by Fido and Evergreen, which supports the Evergreen Common Grounds Stewardship and Restoration program. Similar events took place this fall in Toronto and Vancouver this fall to help celebrate the partnership.
Fido is also encouraging its customers across Canada to adopt paperless billing. Proceeds from this program will support Evergreen's greening projects and the planting of 25,000 trees across Canada.
Local Harvest with Help from Hellmann's
Since 2007, Hellmann's has been supporting Evergreen's food gardening programs across Canada. In 2009, our Toronto gardens were animated with work parties, harvest celebrations and workshops ranging from veggies 101 to soap-making.
More than 165 community members participated across three sites: Historic Fort York, Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment and Training Centre, and Emmett Avenue. An average of 74 different vegetables and native plant species were grown, which made for some delicious potluck suppers.
By bringing together people of diverse backgrounds, ages and abilities—including youth—these gardens made a significant contribution to improving the health of the neighbourhoods and individuals involved.
Conserving Energy with peaksaver
Evergreen and PowerStream have teamed up to encourage Ontarians to reduce electricity demand. Until December, PowerStream is offering customers free installation of a peaksaver thermostat. Plus, for every peaksaver thermostat installed in 2009, PowerStream will donate $25 to Evergreen in support of greening school grounds and public spaces in Simcoe County and York Region.
