We Sent Teachers to Summer School

August 30, 2010

Edmonton participants creating a "Land Art" installation by outlining their shadows with leaves. (Photo: Claudia Bolli)

“I realized that most of the [school] day could be spent outdoors with students doing various curriculum strands …and enjoying them!”  This was the glowing feedback from a participant at our recent teacher-training summer institute in Edmonton. Exactly what we were hoping to hear.

At the Teaching in the Outdoor Classroom summer institute we show teachers how to weave environmental education into their provincial curriculum. This helps not only the students who will benefit from experiential outdoor activities, but inspires the teachers as well. Another Edmonton teacher noted, “I’ve made pages and pages of connections for my class, my school Eco Kids Club, my school, my family, my life.”

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Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds

Turning over a new L.E.A.F.

August 26, 2010

Tree Tenders ecard, Photo: L.E.A.F

Are you interested in looking after your trees but not sure where to start? Trees are a great way to beautify a neighbourhood and a little care will go a long way. Our friends at L.E.A.F. are hosting their Tree Tenders Training Course in Markham, September 2, 5, 7, and 11. Many Evergreen staff and dedicated volunteers have attended and successfully completed the course.

“I have taken the course myself and highly recommend it. We are pleased to be a partner in such a great learning opportunity!” – Lisa Fisk, Program Manager, Richmond Hill Stewardship.

“Informative, practical, great instructors and I am consistently using the information and resources I received in the course.” – Kim Sellers, Program Manager, Mississauga Stewardship.

Learn more and register for the Tree Tenders Training course at L.E.A.F!

Comments Off | Events, Green Tips, In the Field, Native Species, Stewardship and Planting, Uncategorized, Volunteer | Permalink
Posted by Kim from Common Grounds

FALL into planting season early!

August 26, 2010

Fall tree planting event Photo: Evergreen

Get a jump on plating in your local area and join Evergreen and our community partners at fall events!  We have many early autumn events planned for the first week of September and many more to come throughout the season across the GTA.

Join us to plant trees, shrubs and wildflowers on Saturday September 11, 10 am-12 noon in Mississauga at Shelby Park and in Scarborough at Morningside Park .  Check out our online event calendar for more on event details.

Comments Off | Events, Green Tips, In the Field, Native Species, Staff, Stewardship and Planting, Toronto, Uncategorized, Volunteer | Permalink
Posted by Kim from Common Grounds

Take BAC: And the Winner Is…

August 19, 2010

The team at Malvern was one of three winning TakeBAC neighbourhoods. (Photo: Sarah Midanik)

Toronto’s annual TakeBAC program wrapped up on Tuesday after six exciting weeks of hard work.  An unusually hot and humid summer made the program especially challenging this year, but the 200 youth involved were undeterred from their goal to create beautiful, vibrant garden spaces in communities around Toronto.

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Posted by Stefan from Common Grounds

Community Gardening and the Law of Supply and Demand

August 19, 2010

A lush community garden plot. (Photo: Evergreen)

Over the past three years, the number of community gardens in Vancouver has more than doubled, yet the wait lists show no signs of getting any shorter. Green thumbs rose to the City’s challenge of creating 2,010 gardens by 2010 to serve as a legacy of the recent Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Despite this huge increase in availability, Andrew Pask of the City’s Social Policy Division, estimates that the wait list for garden plots across the city is “at least in the thousands.”

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2 Comments | Gardening, In the Field, Issues, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia

Community Tree Nurseries Taking Root

August 19, 2010

Evergreen staff and volunteers building seed beds in Richmond Hill. (Photos: Evergreen)

More than 3,000 tiny trees and shrubs from staghorn sumac to white spruce are holding strong in Evergreen’s first native tree nursery, launched in Richmond Hill’s Phyllis Rawlinson Park last fall. Our second nursery, launched this spring at Downsview Park has 800 thriving seedlings of Ontario’s official tree.

Evergreen created these nurseries to improve the hardiness and genetic diversity of the native plants we use across the GTA. It’s also a chance for us to learn how to grow various native species from seeds and seedlings.

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Posted by Colin from Common Grounds

School Ground Greening Grant Applications for 2010/2011 Now Available!

August 18, 2010

Students using their outdoor classroom at Cassandra PS, Toronto. (Photo: Cam Collyer)

With summer almost behind us (*sniff*) and September fast approaching, let’s look to the school year ahead. Have you been giving some thought to your school ground? Does it need a little green?

The Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds grant applications are now available online and will be accepted starting September 7. We are excited to say that we have been offering this program with Toyota’s support for over a decade! Since 2000, the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program has distributed $2.1 million to over 1,700 schools across Canada. In 2009/2010 alone, we awarded $260,000 in grants to 158 schools.

Join the hundreds of schools across Canada who have taken part in this program and start filling out your application today!

For more information on deadlines, eligibility and to access your application, click here.

Comments Off | Funding, Green Tips, School Ground Greening, Toronto, Transformations, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds

On the Ground: Emmett Ave Community Garden

August 17, 2010

Summer is in full swing and community gardens across the country are bursting with fresh produce. The Emmett Avenue Community Garden in Eglinton Flats Park is a unique green space where community members from the Weston-Mount Dennis community join together to grow, learn and share the fruits (and vegetables!) of their labour.

Gardeners getting their hands in the dirt. (Photo Credit: Aimee Carson)

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Posted by Laura from Communications

Canada Goldenrod: A Native Plant We Love

August 15, 2010
Dense yellow flowers of Canada goldenrod. (Photo: Copyright (c) by Al Schneider. Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. USAD @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database)

Dense yellow flowers of Canada goldenrod. (Photo: Copyright (c) by Al Schneider. Southwest Colorado Wildflowers. USAD @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database)

Commonly known as Canada goldenrod, Solidago canadensis is a perennial herb that blooms from July to October with dense yellow flowers. As a drought tolerant plant, it enjoys sandy soils and lots of sun, and when it’s happy can grow to a meter and a half tall. It is native to most of Canada, and can be found in meadows, woodlands and roadsides, predominantly at low to middle elevations.

It gains its name “solidago” as it was believed to have medicinal qualities; solidus meaning “whole” and ago meaning “to make,” referencing that it could “make whole again.” The plant can be used to make tea, and was a popular alternative to costly English tea during the American Revolution.

Learn more about Canada goldenrod and other native wildflowers from Evergreen’s Native Plant Database.

4 Comments | Native Species, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia

Friday the Thirteenth Scare: Giant Hogweed

August 13, 2010

Giant Hogweed (Photo: Joe Ferreira, IPM Specialist, City of Brampton)

You may have heard a lot of panic in the news lately about this plant. Even though today is Friday the Thirteenth, we wanted to bring you just the facts:

This towering plant with large, white, umbrella-like flowers may look harmless–or even inviting–but the reality is quite the opposite.  The giant hogweed is an invasive species that produces up to 120,000 seeds that spread by wind and water.  The seeds typically sprout in the first two years but can remain in the ground more than five years, eventually dominating a habitat.  The pesky plant also has natural defenses that can cause various skin irritations.

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Posted by Kim from Common Grounds

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