Staghorn Sumac: A Sentinel of Winter

January 10, 2011

Staghorn Sumac (Photo: Bill Moses)

Holding onto its familiar fuzzy red berries throughout the winter, Rhus typhina is an significant shrub on the winter landscape in Ontario and eastern Canada.  Part of the cashew family, Staghorn Sumac is an important winter food source (high in vitamin C) for foxes, squirrels, cottontail rabbits,white-tailed deer and a number of bird species while being an emergency winter food for about 300 species of songbirds.  This shrub which favours upland sites is drought and salt tolerant and grows in a range of soil types including gravel, reaching up to 8 m high.

To find out more about Staghorn Sumac and other native shrubs in our native plant database.

Comments Off | How to Love Winter, Native Species, Uncategorized | Permalink
Posted by Christine from Volunteering

Getting More Green: Grant Writing Workshop

January 4, 2011

The Evergreen workshop experience (Photo: Evergreen)

Winning a new grant starts with writing a superb proposal. “Getting More Green” is one of Evergreen’s leading workshops with hands-on activities and useful resources to help groups get results from their grant proposals. Join us on Monday, January 17, 6–9pm for this invaluable workshop hosted by Evergreen and University of Toronto Mississauga.

Check out some comments from previous workshop participants:

“The group activities really drove the point home and facilitated good conversation within group conversation.  It was good to look at funding from the funders’ perspective.” —from the 2009 workshop at Black Creek Pioneer Village

“Group activities, [a] list of funding sources and other handouts, and viewpoint of funders looking a potential projects.” —from the 2009 workshop at Black Creek Pioneer Village

“There was a nice mix between presented material and hands-on activities.  Case studies and experience of presenters also helpful.” —from the 2008 workshop at Evergreen Brick Works

Find out more about the workshop and how to register on our Events Calendar!

Comments Off | Events, Funding | Permalink
Posted by Kim from Common Grounds

The Gift of Nature: Not Your Average Fruitcake

December 22, 2010

Give the Gift of Nature this Season

Looking for a last minute gift? We have just the thing for you. The Gift of Nature is a great way to show someone that you care, and to help make important work happen through Evergreen. Order online today and you’ll save time—and your sanity—by avoiding the crowded stores and skipping the checkout line.

We’ll send a special card to your gift recipient letting them know you donated on their behalf, along with a packet of heirloom Sweet Basil seeds that are easy and fun to grow in a sunny spot this winter.

Click here to give the Gift of Nature today »

Comments Off | Gift of Nature | Permalink
Posted by jessicamnagy

Recognizing and Seizing the “Sticky Moments”

December 16, 2010

Evergreen's Executive Director Geoff Cape (Photo: Vito Riccio)

Geoff Cape has earned some great accolades since founding Evergreen almost 20 years ago. You’d never know it, but this humble guy has been named the Schwab Foundation Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year, an International Ashoka Fellow, and one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, to name just a few.

Recently, Geoff had the opportunity to talk about his experience as a social entrepreneur at the MaRS Entrepreneurship 101 series.  Here’s the recap on the MaRS blog.  Here’s the video: http://vimeo.com/17199824

Comments Off | Issues, News | Permalink
Posted by Nate from Public Relations

Snowy Bike Ride for Bike Advocacy

December 13, 2010

By Shah Mohamed, Bike Educator, Evergreen

Bike Advocacy Event, Photos: Brian Liberty

Over 170 attendees braved the first snow in Toronto as they walked, biked or used the Evergreen Shuttle to attend the first Bike Advocacy event at Evergreen Brick Works presented by Toronto Cyclists Union (TCU), 8-80 Cities and Evergreen.  Keynote speaker Gil Peñalosa, executive director of 8-80 Cities, talked about designing cities and redesigns that focus on accessibility for all road users.

“Everyone is a cyclist and a pedestrian at some point in the day,” Gil explained, addressing why building functional systems that ensure the safety of everyone is vital.

The afternoon portion of the workshop led by TCU’s Andrea Garcia, director of advocacy and operations, included a wonderful list of knowledgeable speakers.

Dale Duncan, former assistant to Adam Vaughn, provided helpful tips on how to engage your local councilor and build a relationship with them.

Al Rezoski, manager for City of Toronto, spoke on infrastructure changes and how to effectively engage the city in redesign to support a complete streets view point.

Last but not least, Dave Meslin, founder of the TCU, provided some helpful insight on how to leverage all the good things that our new Mayor wishes to do with bikes and infrastructure inside and out of downtown.

Breakout sessions followed with the main event to map actual changes that each of the attending wards would work on implementing this year. Attendees also participated in a trail evaluation through 8-80 Cities to help make the trails more accessible and safe development of the trail routes and access. Group walks and rides to the site were also arranged by CultureLink Newcomers Program, U for Change, Community Matters and the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office.

Thank you to all who attended and to the partners for making this all come together.

Read more about winter cycling in the Toronto Star.

Comments Off | Events, Evergreen Brick Works, Toronto | Permalink
Posted by Kim from Common Grounds

A Field Trip to Remember

December 9, 2010

By: Aimee Carson, Community Food Project Manager

The Emmett Ave. Community Gardeners with some of the West Mt. Dennis Community Kitchen Group (Photo: Mike Derblich)

The Emmett Ave. Community Gardeners with some of the West Mt. Dennis Community Kitchen Group (Photo: Mike Derblich)

I remember the 45 minute bike ride from my home to our meeting spot at West Mt. Dennis United Church. It was a rainy Saturday morning and chilly for mid-September. We were a group of community gardeners and cooks, taking a field trip to the St. Jacob’s Market in Waterloo and excited to capitalize on all the fresh produce still available from Ontario producers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off | Food, In the Field | Permalink
Posted by jessicamnagy

A big hand for All Hands!

December 7, 2010

Attendees gather around chimney court at Evergreen Brick Works
(Photo: Mike Derblich)

On November 12-13th, Learning Grounds welcomed a keen group of  landscape architects, teachers, outdoor educators, and programmers from all over the world to Evergreen Brick Works to join the team of Learning Grounds Consultants and staff. It was the second annual All Hands in the Dirt forum on the design and programming of children’s outdoor spaces.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off | Evergreen Brick Works, School Ground Greening | Permalink
Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds

Celebrating 10 years of Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds!

December 6, 2010

Sandy di Felice, Director of External Affairs at Toyota Canada (left) receives a worm from Cam Collyer, Program Director at Evergreen while Paul Shaw, Dealer Principal at Ken Shaw Toyota dealership (background) looks on. (Photo: Sarah Deller)

This year marks a milestone in the partnership between Evergreen and Toyota Canada. Together, we created the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program over a decade ago and have since been providing funding and support to Canadian schools for their school ground greening initiatives.

From the beginning of the partnership, we have awarded $2,070,090 in grants to over 2,200 schools and have had a direct impact on almost 900,000 students across the country. This work would not have been possible without the support of Toyota Canada and its numerous dealerships. Thank you.

To commemorate this important anniversary, Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds will soon be unveiling a special logo that will be used over the next year. The logo will serve as a reminder of the strong partnership that Evergreen has created with Toyota Canada.

Evergreen is happy to celebrate this important partnership and we look forward to the continued success of the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program. Stay tuned for more exciting details on other ways we will be celebrating this and the upcoming 20th anniversary of Evergreen!

Comments Off | News, School Ground Greening | Permalink
Posted by Sarah from Learning Grounds

All Hands in the Dirt: Montreal Edition

December 6, 2010

Community taking action in Mount Royal park in 2010 (Photos: Evergreen)

Mount Royal is a beautiful park in the heart of Montreal. It’s host to mature forest habitats and has a unique and varied history, having been carved into being by glaciers tens of thousands of years ago and has played a continuous role in the shaping of the Montreal area as we know it today.

It’s not surprising that Mount Royal has become such a cherished part of the city’s identity. Rising to the task to keep this park beautiful, Les Amis de la Montagne is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1986 and has dedicated itself to the protection and enhancement of Mount Royal though community involvement and environmental education. Evergreen has been fortunate to work with this fantastic group over the last several years!

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off | In the Field | Permalink
Posted by Colin from Common Grounds

Meet Vic: A Veteran Volunteer

December 2, 2010
Cheerful Vic after a day of pulling periwinkle from Mahon Park (Photo: Evergreen)

Cheerful Vic after a day of pulling periwinkle from Mahon Park (Photo: Evergreen)

Vic is without a doubt one of our longest running volunteers. He initially took part in tree planting events in Toronto many years ago when Evergreen had just established itself as a non-profit. After retiring from the financial services industry, Vic moved to Vancouver where Evergreen convinced him to get involved in our Mahon Park Stewardship Project in North Vancouver, which had just begun working in the community in 2003. He has been coming out month after month, rain or shine, ever since.

What do you like about volunteering in Mahon Park? The project managers have consistently provided strong, knowledgeable leadership. And the stewardship work takes place in a relaxed, fun setting. It’s also great to have a sense of participating in something with meaningful impact at the local level.

Read the rest of this entry »

Comments Off | Vancouver, Volunteer | Permalink
Posted by Allison from Evergreen British Columbia

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.