We were pleased to lead an Ontario Nature Youth Council Our Special Spaces event at Whitby Hospital in conjunction with Lakeirdge Health Volunteer Services last month. It was a joy to bring our community together to enrich the hospital’s garden and support local wildlife We planted several types of pollinator plants, such as Canada anemone, black-eyed Susan, wild bergamot, thimbleweed, great blue lobelia, heart-leaved aster, pale purple coneflower, common milkweed, and Joe Pye weed.

Our Special Spaces are youth-led conservation volunteering events driven by the needs of the local communities. A focus has been restoring natural spaces, such as creating pollinator habitats by planting native pollinator plants, bringing attention to the fundamental role pollinators play in sustaining our ecosystems and economy.

This event was generously sponsored by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Founded by TD Bank Group, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is a national charity that funds a wide range of environmental initiatives, with a primary focus on education and green space programs.
This event was also supported by Ontario Nature and Transport Canada’s Youth Environmentalist Award. This award honours the vibrant spirits of several environmental leaders, including remarkable young Canadians, who lost their lives en route to the United Nations Environment Assembly on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302. In engaging in this community activity, we hoped to carry forward their legacy of safeguarding our planet for future generations.
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A heartfelt thank you to TD Friends of the Environment Foundation @td_canada, Ontario Nature @ontarionature, Lakeridge Health @lakeridge.health, our mentors Christine Ambre and Maya Davidson at Ontario Nature Youth Council @on_youthcouncil, and all the amazing participants for supporting this initiative Your contributions made a significant impact!
#tdfrriendsoftheenvironment

Kicking off 2024 with a green vibe! Dropping off used writing instruments with the next generation of Operation EcoPen @staplescanada for recycling at @terracycleca ​

In this season of gratitude, a heartfelt thank you to all the eco-heroes who participate collecting writing instruments with Operation EcoPen! Your commitment to recycling and sustainability is helping us create a cleaner world Special thanks to Township of Uxbridge, Dr. Carlos DeSousa, and UHN for their enthusiastic participation this past fall Writing instruments go to @staplescanada to get recycled into awesome products at @terracycleca ​

​Mealworms and veggies help each other grow Mealworm frass helps our veggie production and veggies are nutritious for our mealworms. Here’s one lucky guy who gets to enjoy the brussel sprouts (a cool weather crop) still growing in our urban garden
So pleased to provide TWC @torontowildlifecentre with ~40,000 mealworms this fall! To cap off the season, we’ve also rounded up our last bit of kale for TWC patients
TWC does so much to help preserve wildlife, which is why we think they are awesome! Please support wildlife rescue in your area!

Our pollinator plant project was rewarding because we got to support mental health by improving green spaces and to preserve natural ecosystems at the same timeMany thanks to Nature Canada @naturecanada_ for their support via a Young Nature Leader Grant to provide beautiful native Ontario pollinator plants for schools, long-term care homes, and communities organizations serving vulnerable populations
We have harvested seeds from several pollinator plants, such as black-eyed Susan, milkweed, and wild bergamot. We look forward to wintersowing these seeds to help keep this project going!

With the recent freezing temps, another growing season has ended for us! What a busy year it has been!
With our Seeds That Feed urban farming initiative, we were happy to have to put together 600 lbs of vegetables for Feed the Need in Durham @ftndurham
At a time when reliance on food banks in the GTA has increased by over 50%, the work of organizations like FTND has become increasingly vital. We appreciate all their efforts.
Our Seeds That Feed initiative was made possible by our Sprout Ideas Fellow Grants by TakingITGlobal. Check out www.sproutideas.org for more details on the program and ways you can get involved in supporting youth-led social innovation.
Many thanks to @TIGSproutIdeas generously supporting our vegetable gardening project to support vulnerable community members
@TIGSproutIdeas @LeadersToday #CanadaServiceCorps #LeadersToday

​Did you know that you can grow kalanchoe just by taking cuttings and sticking them in soil? And you can propagate snake plants is by dividing the root clump?🪴🙂🌱

With our Green Greetings initiative, we are pleased to support long-term care homes, shelters, and schools in Durham Region, York Region, and beyond! 😀

Made possible by our Sprout Ideas Fellowship Grants by TakingITGlobal. Check out www.sproutideas.org for more details on the program and ways you can get involved in supporting youth-led social innovation.

Many thanks to @TIGSproutIdeas generously supporting our project to support vulnerable community members

@TIGSproutIdeas @LeadersToday #CanadaServiceCorps #LeadersToday