Lessons from Office Laundry

June 17, 2010

What's a green and leak-free way to 500 gardening gloves on a budget? (Photos: Laura Smit)

Everyone is welcome to take part in Evergreen’s stewardship and planting events. You bring the cheery attitude and we’ll bring everything you need, from the trees and tools to the gloves. And here in Evergreen BC, sometimes this means bringing up to 500 gloves, so all of our volunteers can get their hands in the dirt and keep their fingernails clean. It makes it easy for everyone to take part, but it also means we have a lot of laundry.

We knew there had to be a greener way than sending the soiled gloves out for dry-cleaning. It seemed to fit into Evergreen BC’s green office policy (and budget) to just wash them ourselves in the office.

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8 Comments | Events, Green Tips, Issues, Stewardship and Planting, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Laura from Common Grounds Vancouver

Environment is On Fire at UofT. Literally.

May 27, 2010

A prescribed burn in progress at UTM campus (Photo: Kim Sellers)

The environmental community is so hot at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus that it actually set the campus on fire!

Well, sort of.

On Sunday, April 18, UTM and Evergreen held a very exciting and very safe prescribed burn led by consultants Lands and Forests, as part of the Old Field Habitat Restoration Project.
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1 Comment | In the Field, Issues, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Colin from Common Grounds

Don’t Fence Us In! Video Saves B.C. School Garden

May 19, 2010

How does your garden grow? (Photo: Evergreen)

Creating a school ground garden is no walk in the park. Here in in Evergreen’s Learning Grounds program we are inspired by ways that students take it upon themselves to overcome obstacles and green their grounds. In the case of one Vancouver school, determination and an inspiring student-made video had the power to change board policy and bring a veggie garden to life.

Prince of Wales School in Vancouver hit a roadblock in their garden project when they learned about a Vancouver School Board (VSB) policy that required the school to construct a chain-link fence around their small vegetable garden. The cost: thousands of dollars. The garden budget: $300. Having to build a fence became an huge barrier.

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1 Comment | Issues, School Ground Greening, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds

In the Field for Planet Releaf

April 29, 2010

Youth taking action today for the forests of tomorrow. (Photo: Evergreen)

A dispatch from Evergreen Common Grounds’ Caitlin Langois:

I was recently reminded that Canadians are stewards to 10% of the world’s forests. I still grapple with the great responsibility and immense gift this represents to us.

This important fact came up during a recent workshop during which I met the world renown Dr. Jane Goodall, heard her infamous chimp call, and witnessed 50 enthusiastic youth from the Jane Goodall Institue’s Roots and Shoots program come together for a day of learning about forest issues and how to take action today for the forests of tomorrow.

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Comments Off | In the Field, Issues, Stewardship and Planting, Toronto, Vancouver | Permalink
Posted by Colin from Common Grounds

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.
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Comments Off | Issues, Notes from Geoff | Permalink
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?

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

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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Comments Off | Issues, News, Notes from Geoff | Permalink
Posted by Erin from Communications

Geoff Cape’s Winter Adventures

January 28, 2010

Geoff Cape is blogging from Davos.

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

This is going to be a big year for Evergreen. It is hard to know how to put it into context this early, but I am optimistic for the adventure ahead.

Over the next 15 days I will be attending three special events.  My first stop is the mountain village of Davos, Switzerland for the 40th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. It will be my second visit to this unique gathering of 2,000 people from around the world.

After this, I will return home to Toronto just long enough to change before heading to Washington to accept a National Geographic award for Evergreen Brick Works.  From there, I will check in with my dear family and the growing pile on my desk before heading to Vancouver to participate in a Sustainability Forum hosted by Walmart.

My head is spinning just thinking of it all.

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1 Comment | Issues, News, Notes from Geoff | Permalink
Posted by Aurelia from Operations

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

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