Swooning for Spring

February 26, 2010

Radishes peeking out of the ground in the Community Garden at Eva's Place (Photo: Evergreen)

Royal Burgundy beans, atomic red carrots, bull’s blood beets and dinosaur kale are among the scrumptious seeds our community gardens will plant this spring thanks to a successful Seedy Saturday (on a Sunday) this past weekend. We purchased an assortment of heritage varieties including strawberry spinach and Callalloo – a leaf vegetable used for a popular Caribbean dish and a favorite among many of our community gardeners.
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1 Comment | Events, Gardening | Permalink
Posted by Mel from Development

How to Love Winter: Colour

February 23, 2010

Colourful blooms can brighten up your February. (Photos: Erin Elliott)

This week, I asked Evergreen Learning Grounds’ Debby Morton how she is surviving the drab winter months without her garden. She takes her inspiration from colour, colour, colour!
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5 Comments | Gardening, Green Tips, How to Love Winter | Permalink
Posted by Erin from Communications

Seedy Saturday Sunday

February 17, 2010

Come join us at Toronto’s Seedy Saturday this Sunday, February 21 from 12:30pm to 6pm at the Artscape Wychwood Barns!

This event, organized by the Toronto Community Garden Network, will include gardening workshops, delicious food and activities for youth. You’ll also have the opportunity to buy and trade heirloom seeds in preparation for the spring!

Evergreen will join some great organizations including Seeds of Diversity Canada, The North American Native Plant Society and FoodShare.

The Artscape Wychwood Barns is located at 601 Christie Street, just south of St. Clair. For more information, please visit the Toronto Community Green Network website.

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Posted by Mel from Development

Hunger Awareness Event

February 9, 2010

On Wednesday, February 10 the Youth Challenge International (YCI) is presenting “The Ties that Bind,” an event planned to bring awareness to food security and hunger issues globally and locally. The event will feature a number of guest speakers (including staff from Evergreen), live music, refreshments and raffle prizes.

Come join us and other organizations as we share our experiences in addressing issues of hunger and poverty through our work in Urban Agriculture and Community Food Programs.

Evergreen’s Aimee Carson and Becky Idems will introduce our spectrum of programs and focus on our work as it relates to food security, community development as well as programs for youth.

This should be a great evening and also a great opportunity for sharing and learning. To find out more click here.

Comments Off | Events, Food, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Colin from Common Grounds

“I Really Felt That I Had Helped The World”

February 2, 2010

For children, nature is a hands-on experience rich with the possibilities of engagement and learning. “Ask any of the Grade 5/6 class at St. Mark Separate School what a white pine looks like and they’ll tell you,” says Emily Adams, stewardship co-ordinator for Evergreen’s Common Grounds Program.

“They might even introduce you by name to a white pine they’ve planted at Sawmill Creek Park in Mississauga. They’ll surely tell you that white pine is easily identified by their needles in bundles of five, and be able to estimate the age of this provincial tree.”

When the class wrote letters to Evergreen, recounting their experience at a recent planting they attended, we were all glad to take a break from our regular routine and read their joyful accounts.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

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2 Comments | School Ground Greening | Permalink
Posted by Jenn from Communications

Optimism from the “Greener Davos”

February 1, 2010

Geoff Cape in Davos.

Evergreen’s executive director Geoff Cape is blogging from The World Economic Forum.

If Davos 2009 was dominated by the financial crisis, 2010 is dominated by ideas around sustainability. After two days here in at the World Economic Forum, I can report with confidence that the green agenda is fully represented. I am impressed so far.

It begins with the front-of-program positioning of the “Greener Davos,” which involves elaborate public transit services for all participants (rather than the usual black Mercedes), pedometers for all and recycling programs for all waste. There is a very long list of sessions on topics such as green design, the state of the oceans, climate change, energy, transportation, water and waste management. Others are related to shifting consumer behaviour, the environmental challenge of short-term profit motives and the protection of our global commons: air, water and soil.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

Meet Colin – Development Intern

February 1, 2010

Colin aims to help corporations leave a lighter footprint. (Photo: Becky Lamb)

There are many inspiring people working to make cities more livable across Canada. Meet Colin Campbell, a project intern in our development department.

When and where: I’ve been volunteering in Evergreen’s downtown Toronto office since November 2009.

What’s your passion? Assisting businesses to efficiently operate with respect for people and the environment is the job for me.

Why volunteer? At Evergreen I am able to learn more about large non-profit organizations and their methods of influencing corporate responsibility and sustainability. I want to make a positive impact on the environment and the communities within it, in the best way I can.

Most memorable moment: Once, before leaving for an important meeting, I grabbed a travel mug to take water with me. One sip and I realized that a coffee-lover had prior use of the mug, and the taste lingered in my water. All I could do was try to take small sips and not cringe in front of a potential sponsor!

What else do you do? I co-direct a youth sports camp during the week, but spend a lot of time training as a triathlete. I will be participating in four competitions this season. I love the outdoors, being active, and riding my bike whenever I can!

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Posted by Erin from Communications

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