Sharon browsing at the Evergreen Brick Works Farmers' Market (Photo: Evergreen)
Sharon Brown started off at Evergreen Brick Works this spring volunteering at Doors Open and hasn’t stopped since. Although not a morning person at heart, Sharon now looks forward to sunrise on Saturday mornings, when she can be a Weekend Program Assistant and help with set-up, greeting visitors, waste education and even traffic.
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Posted by Christine from Volunteering
Evergreen Brick Works Pavilions are transformed every weekend. (Photo 1: Rob Greatrix, Photo 2: Anfernee Chansamooth)
Early on Saturday mornings at Evergreen Brick Works, as the sun comes up, the pavilions are peaceful, the ponds are still and you can hear the birds singing. It’s time for the Weekend Program team to arrive. Slowly at first and then in a rush, volunteers swing into action. Tables are set-up, signs are made, coffee is brewed and the farmers start to come.
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Posted by Christine from Volunteering
Black-Eyed Susan pops up at Evergreen Brick Works (photo: Geoff Cape)
A note from Geoff Cape, Evergreen’s executive director.
In an urban environment, nature can be found in the most unusual places. Artist Ferruccio Sardella has toyed with this concept in his 15 years of work with Evergreen and made a big statement during this past Doors Open weekend. His installation, a particularly large Black-Eyed Susan, bursts from an abandoned warehouse. Measuring 16 feet across and facing south across the lower Don River, this native plant smiles upon downtown Toronto. It is the first in a series of nearly 20 window installations that will populate the site later this year.
Sardella’s work brilliantly celebrates the idea of nature in the city and speaks playfully about how it will find its way through cracks in the pavement, and in third story windows. Stop by the site any time to see it for yourself.
Learn more about art at Evergreen Brick Works.
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Posted by Aurelia from Operations
Hope to see you there!
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Posted by Erin from Communications
First customer of Evergreen Gardens. (Photo credit: Nancy MacPhee)
There’s something going on down in the valley – the native plants have been organized and are now on sale at Evergreen Gardens, a new retail garden centre at Evergreen Brick Works. Pictured here is Evergreen’s Board Member and Evergreen Brick Works Committee member Leith Moore, our very first customer!
The shop opened on Friday, May 7, with eight staff members who battled the wind, rain and cold all weekend and did well in spite of it all. Come out and pick up your native plants and edibles at Evergreen Brick Works, located at 550 Bayview Road, Toronto, ON, M4W 3X8.
Evergreen Gardens is open every day from 10am–7pm and is a social enterprise benefiting Evergreen, an environmental charity. All revenues will be re-invested to support Evergreen’s programs and mission-based activities.
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Posted by Aurelia from Operations
Ryan Wheeler is a busy guy. He is is an environmental emergencies officer with Environment Canada and about to be a first-time dad. Despite his full plate he still finds time to make his city a greener place.
How it all began: A few years ago, a friend of mine in the environmental sector asked me, “Where do you volunteer?” I didn’t have an answer. I realized I was missing something, so signed up to be a Farmers’ Market Assistant at Evergreen Brick Works I’ve been hooked ever since.
Why volunteer? It is a wonderful escape from work. I’m learning all the time and I especially like the people – my network has expanded, I’ve made new friends and feel like a real part of the team.
Inspiration: I loved helping out with the children’s garden in 2008 – harvesting vegetables and watching children learn where their food really comes from. I’m actually growing some purple beans I collected from the garden two years ago!
My other life: As an environmental emergencies officer I help research, prepare for and respond to incidents. I love the outdoors and going up north, playing hockey and riding my bike.
Sound like fun? Join Ryan and volunteer to make your city more livable. Learn how you can get involved.
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Posted by Erin from Communications
We’re counting down the days until the new season begins at Evergreen Brick Works, the new community environmental centre in Toronto’s Don Valley, and as we gear up for spring we’ve also been tuning up the brand new Evergreen Brick Works website. You may also have noticed that our national site, evergreen.ca, got a major overhaul in December. So we thought it might be fun to dig through the archives to see where we’ve been…
1996 – Ah, the Nineties. We were still known as the Evergreen Foundation back then, and on the web, bevelled buttons and textured backgrounds were all the rage. (Click the image to view the site at archive.org.) Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Eli from Communications
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
Furtle the Turtle is born! (Photo: Morgan Zigler)
What do turtles, bread and art all have in common?
The new and improved “Furtle” the Turtle Bread Oven, of course! This summer, I worked with Sketch, a working arts organization for street-involved youth, to complete the beautiful bread oven we had started last year.
Led by Evergreen’s Artists in Residence Shannon Crossman and Morgan Zigler along with the Sketch Artist Co-ordinators Kerry Boileau and Sue Cohen, youth participants learned about sustainable shelter, and together we experimented with cob to insulate and decorate the wood-fired oven.
Finding a home for our oven was the next phase. We decided a mobile cart would enable us to roll the oven around the site. After taking into consideration the weight of our oven – more than half a tonne! – we had to order a custom built metal chassis to support it.
Youth artists from Sketch also designed and installed a shingled roof with green roof panels, a rain water collection system, mosaic work surfaces as well as storage for wood and utensils.
The finished product was toasted with a community celebration when we fired up the oven and made bread together. All season long the oven played a part in Sun-Ripened Saturdays activities at Evergreen Brick Works, when families and children would make and share delicious edible creations together.
Please feel free to visit Furtle next time you’re down at the site.
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Posted by Lisa from Evergreen Brick Works
Prince Charles touring the kilns (Photo: A. Newhouse)
Check out the photo gallery of our visit with Prince Charles.
Last month His Royal Highness came for a tour of the Evergreen Brick Works construction site. The project impressed him because it encompasses urban agriculture, sustainability and the preservation of heritage architecture–three issues close to his heart.
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Posted by Aurelia from Operations
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