Meet Akasha – Program Assistant, Common Grounds

March 31, 2010
Akasha

Akasha Allen, Common Grounds’ new Program Assistant

A recent graduate in Environmental Studies, with a minor in Technology, Society and Environment Studies, Akasha Allen joined the Common Grounds staff team in February.

What’s your passion? Inspiring young people to care for the environment and to make more sustainable choices. It’s exciting to see how they learn so quickly.

Inspiration: I love how one plus one equals knowledge – put environmentally-conscious people together and–just like in a blender–you whiz up a wonderful environmental explosion of knowledge and creativity that has no limits! At the end of the day, I always learn something new!

Memorable moment: Getting re-inspired and regaining a new perspective when I watched the story of Wangari Maathai at a Roots & Shoots event we participated in. I went home and told my mother all I had learned! Maathai is a Nobel Peace Prize winner who started the Greenbelt Movement to restore the devastated forests in Kenya. The documentary is called “Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai.”

Challenge so far: Keeping track of everything that’s going on at Evergreen!

About me: I’m a city girl who cares about the environment and loves people.  I love to travel and get as much sleep as possible!

What’s ahead: I’m the kind of person who takes every day as it comes. Some day I hope to go back to school for event planning so I’ll be able to help create large-scale events with a small carbon footprint.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

Spotlight on Sharp-Lobed Liver Leaf

March 31, 2010

Beautiful blooms and liver-shaped leaves. (Photos L–R: Linda Read, Alex Hume)

Get set for spring by brushing up on your native plant knowledge!

Introducing Anemone acutiloba (formerly Hepatica nobilis var. acuta). This showy woodland wildflower is a great addition to the urban garden and produces white/cream or pink flowers when it blooms in the spring. It gets its liver leaf name because the shape of the leaves resemble a mammalian liver. It does not cure liver ailments as some early herbalogists thought!

You can find this member of the buttercup family in woodland habitats in Quebec and Ontario in normal to moist soil conditions.

For more information about this and other native species, check out Evergreen’s online Native Plant Database.

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Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds

Raising Time

March 22, 2010

Becky Lamb & Christine Martin, Volunteer Development Department

This past weekend Evergreen went speed-dating for volunteerism.  Timeraiser matches would-be volunteers with positions at local organizations, including Evergreen, who successfully found 50 volunteers at the 7th annual Timeraiser auction.  Over 600 young professionals looking to give back to the community packed themselves into the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District to bid their time, not money, on artwork created by local artists.  People can give up to a maximum of 125 hours to secure their piece, and the winning recipient has to fulfill their hours over the course of 12 months before they can begin positioning the artwork in their homes.

Out of almost 40 agencies, Evergreen is one of the few environmental organizations that participates in Timeraiser. Lots of people were fascinated by the broad mandate, programs and opportunities, particularly with Evergreen Brick Works set to open this spring.

Said Christine Martin, Manager, Volunteer Development; “Timeraiser is an opportunity to connect with people who haven’t thought about volunteering.  We give them a chance to get outside, away from their desks.”

The positions promoted would indeed suit just that – from urban greening opportunities, to helping out at the seasonal farmers’ market; there’s something for everyone.

The season is just beginning, and the phone has already been ringing!

You can donate your time and energy too — check out our list of current volunteer opportunities!

Comments Off | Events, Staff, Toronto, Volunteer | Permalink
Posted by Aurelia from Operations

Did We Waste a Crisis?

March 12, 2010

In this short video, Geoff Cape, Evergreen’s executive director, reflects on his experience at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Did the world waste the opportunity presented by the economic crisis to make a radical shift toward sustainability? The moment isn’t lost, says Geoff. And Evergreen Brick Works is a step in the right direction.
Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted by Aurelia from Operations

Going for Green at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games

March 11, 2010

Olympic rings Vancouver 2010 (Photo: Miss Barabanov on Flickr (used under Creative Commons license))

As residents of Vancouver, we staffers at Evergreen BC’s office have been first-hand witnesses to some dramatic changes in the year leading up to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. I, myself have been overwhelmed by some of the transformations the City’s infrastructure and the national unity and identity the Games have helped to further.

But are they sustainable?

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Issues, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia

Craft Corner: Making a Simple Bird Feeder

March 11, 2010

The finished product, waiting for visitors! (Photo: Evergreen)

Watching the birds come and go from a backyard feeder can be fun and stress relieving. Enticing them to your lawn or shared space doesn’t have to be complicated either. With a few simple steps, you can create a low-cost feeder using found materials and a few other basic household items.

This is a great activity to do with children, or to bring out the child within!

Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment | Craft Corner, Gardening, How to Love Winter | Permalink
Posted by Jenn from Communications

No Plot is Too Small: Community Workshop March 31

March 10, 2010

Come find out how you can green your community! (Photo: Lisa Fisk)

No Plot is Too Small: Community Stewardship 101
In partnership with the Town of Richmond Hill, Evergreen invites you to participate in our upcoming workshop!

Wednesday, March 31  6–9pm
Rouge Woods Community Centre, Aspen Room
110 Shirley Drive, Richmond Hill

This workshop will offer inspiring examples, tips and tricks, and practical strategies to help you get involved in local greening projects—or even start your own! Individuals and community groups will benefit from sharing ideas about community greening initiatives and advice to ensure project success.

Topics include:

  • Where Do We Start? A step-by-step advice for undertaking stewardship projects.
  • Learn From Experience: Inspiring case studies of stewardship activities from across Canada.
  • Cost: Free!

Sandwiches and refreshments will be provided and space is limited. Reserve your space by Monday, March 22 by contacting Lisa Fisk via email (lfisk@evergreen.ca) or by phone at 416-596-1495 x226.

Visit Evergreen’s online calendar of events to learn what’s happening in your area.

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Posted by Colin from Common Grounds

Meet Renato – Community Greening Volunteer Leader

March 2, 2010

Renato in action at Downsview Park (Photo: Evergreen)

There are many inspiring people working to make cities more livable across Canada. Meet Renato Gabaldon, a community greening volunteer leader.

When and where? I started volunteering with Evergreen in September 2009 at Parc Downsview Park. Before this, I worked for nearly a decade in Baguio City – the summer capital of the Philippines and a sister city of Vaughan, Ontario – to protect Camp John Hay watershed reserve, a 640-hectare watershed in the middle of the city.

What’s your inspiration? Seeing people enjoy and respect the green space inside a busy city is the greatest motivation for me.

What else do you do? I am a participant in M2P, the Mentoring for Placement for Environmental Professionals program at the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. I also make time to volunteer with other great organizations like the Institute of Canadian Citizenship – WILD Canada Project, an environment educational awareness program for new citizens of Canada.

What’s getting you through the winter? I’m looking forward to spring opening at Evergreen Brick Works!

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Posted by Erin from Communications

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