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DonateHere are 10 highlights from our incredible 2022 partnerships at Evergreen Brick Works.
Published on February 8, 2023
Public places are powerful tools for bringing people together, shaping the way we live, celebrate, grieve, interact and connect with one another.
Evergreen’s leadership role in placemaking and urban sustainability continues to be a focus. Our mission is being led by our new CEO, Jen Angel. Jen hails from Halifax, where she was most recently CEO of Develop Nova Scotia.
Partnerships are an important part of how we deliver our work. Not one actor can solve the challenges we face in cities alone. Working with corporations who share similar values and a vision for a better future has been integral to our financial sustainability, and to the restoration, accessibility, and vitality of the Brick Works site for all to enjoy.
Thank you for joining us! Are you curious about what these great partners helped us achieve in 2022, check out 10 highlights and the impacts:
In 2022, Evergreen launched a new partnership with Beanfield to transform garden mounds at the Brick Works into a beautiful and welcoming green space — restoring the environment, and modeling climate change resilience.
Manulife and Wilder Climate Solutions partnered to custom grow American elm trees from the mother tree at Manulife’s headquarters. From May 21 – 23, 2022, Evergreen gave out 400 of these American Elm seedlings for free at the Evergreen Garden Market at the Brick Works. The giveaway program provided tips, tools, and information on the importance and value of trees for sustainability and climate resilience. It gave people an easy way to participate in and support the growth of Toronto’s urban tree canopy to be enjoyed for generations.
In partnership with Foresters Financial, Evergreen expanded our urban food and container gardens through multiple locations across the Brick Works site. This partnership included more than 100 Foresters Financial staff members helping to build and plant the gardens. In 2023, as part of the next phase of this partnership, work will begin to build a demonstration garden on the east side of the TD Future Cities Centre.
A point-of-sale cause marketing campaign with Roots provided funding to help support hands-on environmental education in our urban food gardens on site.
The Ignite Speaker Series, brought to you by TD Ready Commitment, featured a series of experiential talks and exploratory conversations, to showcase how public space can be used to build community and connection to one’s city. The series included a facilitated panel conversation about public space and a live performance by Fall for Dance North; and a walking tour, called The Black Experience, Art & Public Space, with Jacqueline Scott from Black Outdoors.
For the fourth year in a row, Evergreen has partnered with Brickworks Ciderhouse to showcase our shared commitment to environmental sustainability, creating community and thriving public spaces. Sponsorships help support and offset costs to make festivals and events at Evergreen Brick Works — such as Summer Wednesdays, Day of the Dead and the Winter Market — free and accessible to all. This partnership and others has helped make the Brick Works a welcoming place.
For the past 5 years, Evergreen’s Cultural Performing Arts Series, presented by Bank of America, has featured free music and dance performances designed to spark joy, inspire creativity, and deepen connections between our communities. This series included Family Pride Night, a celebration of self-expression, theatre and queer culture, featuring incredible drag performances; Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead featured traditional Mexican and Latin America celebrations with live performances by the Mexicans Folk Ballet and Mexico Amigos Mariachi band; and an intimate performance by Tafelmusik artist Geneviu00e8ve Gilardeau (violin) and Lucas Harris (lute/guitar) at our Winter Market in December.
Flexible funding from Suncor Energy Foundation has supported areas of greatest need at the Brick Works. Great places need to be exceptional at providing the basics. This year we’ve expanded seating options across the site. Visitors now have more places to rest, sit, and converse while they enjoy the site. An improved visitor experience with new welcome desk infrastructure ensures guests are greeted by Evergreen ambassadors when they arrive on site. We’ve undertaken a wide variety of improvements and upgrades to site infrastructure to make it more accessible. Paving has been repaired to reduce trip hazards, improve accessibility, and fix damage from being exposed to the elements. Washrooms are better maintained and equipped with new hand dryers and faucets. And critical behind-the-scenes systems such as fire alarms and fire suppression technology are keeping visitors safe.
An in-kind donation from IKEA Canada helped transform our kitchen into a beautiful and functional community space that will support onsite programs, including school groups, camps, cooking workshops and special events. This work included new cupboards, countertops, tables and greatly needed kitchen supplies. Stay tuned for contest details to name the kitchen.
Our long-standing partners at Bullfrog Power, Less Mess and Mulmer Services have provided support since the Brick Works opened in 2010. Their donations provide critical materials and services that improve our site and provide free transportation to help people get here. Their support helps ensure Evergreen Brick Works remains a sustainable place.
Public space builds a sense of community and fosters a sense of community involvement. Connection, sustainability and innovation are key ingredients to every partnership, and we are grateful for our partners’ support and shared commitment to creating spaces where people can connect to the land and to one another.
– Lois Lindsay, Chief Program Office at Evergreen
If you’re interested in learning more about partnership opportunities with Evergreen, contact Pamela Wilson, Manager, Corporate Partnerships at pwilson@evergreen.ca.
