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

How to Love Winter : Gardening

January 20, 2010

It’s cold. It’s grey. It’s slushy. It’s winter in the city.

But if you find some spicy tea and curl up in a big woolen scarf, there is lots to love about this cozy, reflective time of year. There are plenty of ways to connect to nature too.

We’ll help out by posting tips and tricks for surviving winter, starting with some of Evergreen’s most avid gardeners and how they get their fix during these long, cold months.

Leave a comment and share your strategies!

Winter kale. (Photo: Rebekka Hutton)

Tip #1 Keep Gardening
I asked Evergreen’s Rebekka Hutton, an avid urban gardener who runs community gardens around Toronto, how she makes it through. Not surprisingly, she is still gardening. “I’m still eating kale, thyme, sage and oregano from outside,” she says. “If the leaves look good, I just brush off the snow and bring them in.”

She says that these hardy species just pull through on their own, without much help. Just leave them in the fall and let them be. She has even used a pickaxe to liberate carrots from the frozen ground. “They thaw out at room temperature and taste great.”

Tip #2 Read and Learn More
Rebekka also says that winter is a great time to read all the great gardening books she doesn’t have time to read during the growing season. “Right now I’m reading Eliot Coleman’s Winter Harvest Handbook. It’s really inspiring and is giving me lots of ideas for next season.”

Tip #3 Reflect and Plan
Doing a seed inventory in preparation for seed exchanges is another way Rebekka connects to her garden and plans for the season.

And with the new year just beginning, Rebekka says it is the perfect time to start a fresh garden journal. When the season begins she’ll be ready to jot down her thoughts and experiences to review this time next year.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

Join us for a Winter Walk on January 17

January 13, 2010

Come walking in our winter wonderland! (Photo: Annie MacLeod)

Join Evergreen and Lost Rivers this Sunday, January 17 at 2 pm for a free guided tour around the Don Valley Brick Works Park. Learn about the lost rivers in the area, Yellow Creek and Mud Creek. Explore the history and future of this inspiring site, and get the latest information on the Evergreen Brick Works project.

Meet at the Glen Road exit from the Sherbourne subway station.

Route: We will follow Milkmen’s Lane to Park Drive Reservation, Moore Park ravine and the Don Valley Brick Works for warm drinks, winter tales and rambles through the Brick Works Park.

Led by Annie MacLeod, Evergreen, and John Wilson, Bring Back the Don.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

Sustaining the Greenbelt

January 4, 2010

The challenge: balance farming with conservation. (Photo: Erin Elliott)

Happy New Year! The blog is back after a holiday break, and today we bring you some thoughts on Ontario’s Greenbelt, from Geoff Cape, Evergreen’s executive director:

After eating too much over the Christmas holiday I am looking to the new year, thinking about food, and recalling a recent article by Jessica Leeder, published in the Globe and Mail on Tuesday, December 22, 2009: Farmers Fleeing Ontario’s Greenbelt. Her article explored the challenges we face in balancing environmental conservation and farmland on the Greenbelt. The challenge is real.
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3 Comments | Food, Issues, Notes from Geoff, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Erin from Communications

Happy Holidays from Evergreen

December 22, 2009

Designed by Communications Volunteer Houtina Chim

1 Comment | Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Erin from Communications

Common Grounds Funding Now Available

December 8, 2009

Green your community! (Photo: Michelle Scrivener)

Evergreen Common Grounds is now accepting applications for the Walmart – Evergreen Green Grants program supporting community groups initiating environmental stewardship and restoration projects across Canada.

The application deadline is January 29, 2010, so apply quickly!

Comments Off | Funding, Gardening, News, Stewardship and Planting | Permalink
Posted by Erin from Communications

Harvest Party at the Chefs’ Market

September 30, 2009
Chefs' Market Harvest Party Photo: Ed Rek

Chefs' Market Harvest Party (Photo: Ed Rek)

Yesterday I was lucky enough to sneak out of the office and visit Evergreen Brick Works for a harvest party at the weekly Chefs’ Market. The event was a celebration of the first season of this market, which connects local farmers with chefs and retailers who are looking to buy in bulk.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

Spotlight on Volunteer James Boutiler

August 27, 2009
James Boutiler at Doors Open 2009. Photo: Kourosh Javidi

James embraces face painting at Doors Open 2009. (Photo: Kourosh Javidi)

On a warm Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market, James Boutiler is standing behind three labeled waste bins, moving his gloved hands at lightning pace. He helps guide a plastic cup and lid into the compost.

The woman standing in front of him looks puzzled.

“They are actually made of compostable corn,” he says, simultaneously directing a paper coffee cup out of the recycling.

“It’s made of multiple layers of plastic on paper fibre,” he says to a man passing by. “But at most facilities they can’t be separated for either composting or recycling. It goes in the garbage.”

A third year environmental science and biology student at University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), James is one of forty dedicated volunteers who donate their enthusiasm and energy to ensure the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers’ Market is the place to be each Saturday.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

Vote Evergreen Brick Works for Ashoka Award

July 22, 2009

worm

Evergreen needs your help to win an international award for tourism and the environment!  Every vote counts as we try to collect enough votes to be place first. An international judging panel recently selected Evergreen Brick Works as one of 10 finalists from 600+ international entrants in the Ashoka Changemakers Geotourism Challenge 2009.

The winners (three in total) are determined through an international vote online that ends August 12!

Each finalist is judged on the solutions it creates to meet global challenges like poverty, climate change, health, etc. Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, an organization that focuses on the rapidly growing world of social innovation. In total, 1,368 nominations came from 113 countries.

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Posted by Erin from Communications

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