Evergreen partners with Beanfield to create new climate-resilient, inclusive public spaces at the Brick Works
Revitalized garden mounds build new places to connect to the land and community
TORONTO, ONTARIO (September 20, 2022) – Evergreen embarks on a revitalization of four demonstration gardens at the Brick Works, creating climate resilient public spaces where the community can learn about urban agriculture and build meaningful connections. In partnership with Beanfield, the revitalization supports the redesign and maintenance of the garden mounds, rejuvenating the areas to be inclusive and welcoming year-round spaces, while restoring the environment, supporting long-term sustainability, and modeling climate change resilience.
“Public space builds a sense of community and fosters a sense of community involvement,” says Lois Lindsay, Chief Program Office at Evergreen. “Connection, sustainability and innovation are key ingredients to every partnership and we are grateful for Beanfield’s support and shared commitment to creating spaces where people can connect to the land and to one another.”
“Our partnership with Evergreen only strengthens Beanfield’s commitment to making positive change within our communities,” says Grant Dyer, Senior VP of People & Culture at Beanfield. “Our shared values are deeply rooted in sustainability and education, and by embarking on this revitalization project at the Brick Works, together we can tell a story about urban agriculture practices rooted in climate resiliency.”
The rejuvenation project of the garden mounds on the front-facing edge of the TD Future Cities Centre and in Koerner Gardens incorporates a participatory design process and deep engagement with Indigenous partners to inform the space, plant selection and land-use practices. The project aims to create culturally sensitive and climate resilient public spaces for urban Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations living in the Toronto area to learn about urban agriculture, gather in ceremony and build meaningful connections.
Earlier this summer, Evergreen hosted a learning and design workshop with Indigenous landscape architect Terence Radford and youth from Native Cultural Centre of Toronto (NCCT), a group which participates in the Regenerative Landscapes program at the Brick Works. During the workshop, NCCT youth learned about the approaches to Indigenous landscape design that are centred around Indigenous cultural perspectives and shared their artistic input for the future site. This collaborative process helped identify various themes for each garden and plant selection. This fall, Evergreen’s Garden Circle volunteer group and Beanfield staff will assist in regrading topography, removing problematic weeds, and improving the soil quality. Next month, the NCCT youth will return to participate in the planting of the front-facing mounds.
The long-term project also includes climate resiliency strategies for the large garden mound in Koerner Gardens. Plans for new infrastructure to enhance sustainability with roof drainage and recycling water run off. These unique design elements, as well as new decorative seating, will make Koerner Gardens a more accessible year-round space. This next phase of the project is scheduled to take place in spring 2023.
Shared spaces can be a powerful lever for connection and change. As part of the Elevate Tech Fest, Todd Hofley, VP, Policy and Communications at Beanfield and Lois Lindsay, Chief Program Officer at Evergreen will participate in the panel discussion Mountain Climbing: The Challenges of Scaling on September 21 at 12:30 p.m., sharing their unique perspectives on the successes and challenges they faced in scaling while staying aligned to their core company values.
Media contact:
Renee Tratch | Sr. Manager, PR & Content | rtratch@evergreen.ca
About Evergreen
Evergreen is dedicated to making cities livable, green and prosperous. Since 1991, the national not-for-profit has been facilitating change in communities through connection, innovation and sustainable actions. We work with community builders across sectors to solve some of the most pressing issues cities face: climate change, housing affordability, and access to nature and public spaces. The Brick Works, located in Toronto’s ravine system, is a year-round destination where the world comes to experience sustainability in action. Once an industrial brick factory, it is an internationally renowned showcase of green design, an award-winning public space and a test site to pilot ideas that can be scaled across the country to shape our cities for the better. www.evergreen.ca
About Beanfield
Beanfield is a telecommunications company, unlike the rest. We recognize the importance of connecting communities and the people within them, and we do this without sacrificing outstanding customer support and superior services. At Beanfield, it’s about building communities, not just networks.
Founded in 1988, Beanfield builds, owns and operates the largest independent fibre-optic network in Toronto and Montreal, with recent expansion into the Greater Vancouver Area. We connect over 3,000 commercial and residential buildings. All of our construction, installation, and customer experience teams are in-house, giving you the most efficient and streamlined experience possible because we believe that’s How it Should Be.
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