NEW – Project Canoe Environmental Education and Reclamation Project

Offering over 2,400 kilometres of canoe routes, the Temagami area is renowned for its wild, rugged landscape and has been a canoeing destination for over a century. Project Canoe, a non-profit charitable organization that uses outdoor activities, such as wilderness canoeing, to create an environment where young people can develop life and social skills, gives staff and participants an opportunity to learn a number of environmental principles.

TD FEF was proud to provide funding needed for cleaning and construction materials to support the educational efforts of Project Canoe. Staff and program participants are assigned various tasks related to the maintenance of the Temagami area, including: building and installing outhouses for use by all campers, and helping with a trail maintenance initiative, where the goal was to remove more than 500 pounds of garbage by summer's end.

All Things Food SDG Community Food Network

Many schools and community institutions do not compost waste generated by food from students and staff and the food waste that is produced by cafeterias. This project addresses this issue and will also educate children and adults on the importance of composting and reducing waste.

Worm hotels will be a permanent fixture in schools and community institutions to help reduce waste. The hotels will ensure sustainability in schools and community institutions, increase awareness of the importance of worms in our food system, provide meaningful projects for Woodworking/Shop classes and allow schools and community institutions to reduce their waste. (Worms eat twice their weight in matter daily!) The worm hotels are a unique, fun way for students to learn about reducing waste.

TD FEF funding was used to purchase worms and the materials required.

Alternative Energy - Green Energy for Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority

As part of their outdoor education programming, Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority wanted students to join in their commitment to find alternative forms of energy to reduce their carbon footprint. In a day-long workshop in the Ganaraska Forest, classes of students used hands-on methods to harness energy by building and testing wind turbines, a micro-hydro turbine, and a solar oven, learning how one form of energy can be transformed into another. The program ended with a tasty treat cooked by students in the solar oven.

This program provided great educational value and learning to the students and will benefit their school community and the environment.  This program has the capacity to help turn students into the needed future stewards of our natural world.

TD FEF funds were used to purchase a solar oven, wind turbine, Micro hydro turbine and promotional costs.

NEW – New School, new trees

With their new school open just last year, Sir Adam Beck Public School students and staff are eager to get trees into the ground and show their environmental leadership in the community. With funding support from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, the school will build an outdoor classroom, which will include new trees and stone seating. Through their involvement in this project, students will learn about the environment amidst nature itself.

High School Wind Energy Design Competition

WindENG is a unique High School Wind Energy Design Competition in Guelph that promotes interest for environmentally sound alternative energy solutions and fosters engineering design skills in High School students.

Thanks to funding support from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, WindENG will once again run the only wind energy competition available to students in Canada.

Students who participate in this program not only benefit from learning about alternative energy but will focus on sustainable environment through the use of environmentally friendly products that can also be recycled.

Safari Science at Holy Cross School in Brantford

Holy Cross School students in Brantford went wild on a Safari thanks to the support from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation! 

Safari Science is a program that brings the Animal Habitat science unit to life, and allows grade 4 students to connect in class learning with a real world setting.  The class travelled to a local Wetland where students had the opportunity to learn about various animal species that live there, through the Ducks Unlimited program.  By having students recognize that every individual, regardless of age, can make a difference in the environment through small actions, Holy Cross, with support from TD FEF, is helping create future environmental leaders.

NEW – Planting For Change

A wonderful organization that educates and engages 'citizen scientists', ACER works with schools across Central Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area to plant and measure trees and shrubs in climate change evaluation plots along the edges of local streams. The species planted will be indicator species, or species which have proven to be sensitive to shifts in local climate. Data will be collected each year by students and local community members to track the long-term success of each area and will be shared online. TD FEF is proud to provide funding to help purchase the trees, shrubs and planting equipment for this project.

Redevelopment and Beautification of Greenwood Park

The Town of Shelburne was looking to redevelop and beautify the entrance to its Greenwood Park, a multiuse 7.3 hectare open space area in north east Shelburne. It is the largest and most popular park in the Town and is used for sports tournaments and family gatherings.

The Town of Shelburne felt that the rehabilitation of Greenwood Park was an extremely important milestone in the beautification of the Town as a whole. Their hope is that this project will encourage the Town's residents and businesses to beautify their land as well.

TD FEF funding went towards the design, construction and materials needed to restore the entrance to Greenwood Park.

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority inventories small mammals on Conservation lands

This issue of biodiversity is important to ensure local wildlife and their habitats are adequately protected for more a healthy environment and ecosystem stability. FEF funding went to help the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority inventory and update small mammal species information on Conservation Areas in Ontario, as the authority helps to address the environmental issues and wildlife species/habitat protection.

Trained staff with some volunteer assistance will determine the local species and identify habitat needs for use in species protection and recovery. This project will be multiyear, spanning a minimum of 3 consecutive years per site. In 2011, the Authority focused on three sites, including Wainfleet Wetlands Conservation Area, Cave Springs Conservation Area and Woodend Conservation Area.

NEW– Redevelopment of the Bois de l'Équerre forest.

By restoring hiking trails and organizing interpretation tours, the Corporation pour la mise en valeur du Bois de l'Équerre (Bois de l'Équerre development association) hopes to raise public awareness about the abundance of flora and fauna that can be found in this urban forest.

Supported in part by the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, the project aims to build and restore the woodlot's infrastructure, as well as put up some trailside signage and nature interpretation panels. By making it safer and easier for people to get around in the woods, the association is hoping to incite hikers to make full use of this natural setting and make it their own. The signage will also inform people about the forest's ecological wealth and serve as an important teaching tool for school groups.

From the garden to the table for the mobility-impaired

The LaSalle Nutri-Centre is a drop-in centre for education and support on the subject of nutrition.

The aim of the project is to provide organizations and citizens with an adapted environment in which organizers can set up activities to promote food security and foster the development of knowledge and expertise on vegetable gardening and nutrition. The existing space will be adapted to make vegetable gardening accessible and user-friendly for people confined to a wheelchair or some other orthopedic apparatus.

Entre l'arbre et l'école (from the schoolhouse to the treehouse)

Financing from the TD FEF will enable the organization to create a welcome patch of shade in this schoolyard.

A little grove of a dozen trees will be planted. Each of the classes will be able to adopt a tree. Teaching activities will be organized in this new, accessible green space. Grade school kids will be sensitized to how important natural settings are to their well-being. There will also be a vegetable garden and a composter.

NEW – SLUGS (Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening Skills) for Youth

By teaching youth the ins and outs of city farming, SLUGS (Sustainable Living and Urban Gardening Skills) for Youth works to create a new generation of backyard farmers by guiding youth through a full growing season of urban agriculture in a community garden. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is proud to support this project which provides 120 youth participants the skills and experience to grow food in an urban setting, increase awareness of food systems, empower youth in food security issues and involve the community in urban food production.

YWCA Rooftop Garden: A Productive Farm Garden

In 2006, The YWCA transformed an ornamental garden into a fruitful community garden, which yielded over 150 kilograms of produce in its first summer. Committed to sustainability, the YWCA wanted to participate in edible landscaping and grow produce in the Rooftop Garden. As the YWCA increases its focus on the environment, the Rooftop Garden promotes awareness about sustainability and community health while helping to reduce the YWCA's ecological footprint.

The garden is an ongoing project to grow high-quality, organic fruits and vegetables, which are harvested and taken to YWCA's community kitchen and early learning and care centre in Vancouver's downtown eastside. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is proud to support the YWCA's Rooftop Garden as it grows high-quality, organic fruits and vegetables for local organizations, supporting the nutritional needs of women and their families who would otherwise have little opportunity for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Medical Care for Orphaned and Injured Wild Animals

As the only rehabilitation centre on Southern Vancouver Island, Wild ARC works to maintain the natural ecosystem by rehabilitating wildlife that have suffered because of human interference. More than 80% of the animals treated at Wild ARC have been injured or displaced by human activity.

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is pleased to support the SPCA as they provide local care to injured animals. The focus is not only on the physical rehabilitation of wild animals but also ensuring that these animals are able to be released back into their natural habitats, undomesticated by their experiences in our care. Wild ARC reintroduces animals into their natural territories, thereby conserving the natural balance. 

NEW – Getting Youth into Nature through the Grizzly Bears Forever Program

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is proud to support Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's Grizzly Bears Forever program, which encourages students in grades 7-12 to learn more about the plight of the Alberta grizzly bear. As part of this program, students learn about conservation biology, ecology, population studies and grizzly bear genetics. They get to play games, build maps and analyze real grizzly bear data collected from researchers in the Eastern Slopes Grizzly Bear Project. Ultimately, this program encourages thoughtful discussion about conservation and offers possible stewardship actions that students can take to assist in grizzly bear recovery.

A Visit with the Wolves - An afternoon with the Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf

The Waskasoo Environmental Education Society's mandate is to enhance the quality of life in their community by fostering awareness, concern and involvement in their natural and cultural heritage through interpretation and environmental education. Central Alberta is largely an agricultural region that is rapidly developing and the pressure on all wildlife is increasing. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is proud to support the Kerry Wood Nature Centre as it supports The Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Rehabilitation Centre for a day of public programs. Introducing people to a rehabilitated wolf increases knowledge and decreases the fear people have of these animals.

St. Thomas More Spirit Team

St. Thomas More Elementary school is in an economically disadvantaged neighbourhood located in NE Calgary. After a juice box recycling program, in which students in grade six collected and counted empty juice boxes and funds were used to support local school initiatives, students are even more driven to reduce their environmental footprint.

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is pleased to support a paper and cardboard recycling program. Setting up a paper and cardboard recycling program at St. Thomas More School provides students, teachers and parents an opportunity to turn their 'words' into action and do their part to make the world a greener place.

NEW - Little Green Thumbs - providing classroom learning gardens

Working in partnership with educators, agribusinesses and agriculture organizations, Agriculture in the Classroom helps Saskatchewan students (K - 12 ) understanding the complexities and importance of agriculture. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is proud to support Little Green Thumbs which helps young people value their own health, the health of environment, and that of their community through active participation in classroom gardens. The project addresses the need to connect kids to food and the environment, and strongly promotes teamwork and the importance of environmental sustainability.

Prairie Harvest Employment Program "Green Sweep"

The "Green Sweep" project consists of five main advertising and educational strategies to promote recycling which will divert significant materials from the landfill in the community of Yorkton.   This project will give everyone in the community the tools and information to make a positive environmental choice.  The funding from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation will be used to help with a city wide program to provide 4 clear recycling bags and an information card to every residence in Yorkton.  The program will be promoted though the newspaper and digital media including the City of Yorkton website.

Centennial Park Forestry Enhancement Project

In 2005, the Allan Parks & Recreation Committee created a green space known today as Allan Centennial Park. The park is in the interior of the town and offers enjoyment to the whole community.  With help in part from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, this year The Town of Allan will be creating a trail into the park using native trees & shrubs to define an entryway.  Having trees in this area will absorb water in low lying areas and provide a windbreak and sound barrier.  They will also be encouraging recycling and better garbage collection by providing appropriate receptacles.

NEW – Waste Management and Water Conservation at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival

The Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival has been using biodegradable cutlery, plates and cups for several years and this causes confusion with patrons who think they are using plastic. For this reason, festival organizers considered purchasing wooden utensils and wood-fibre food containers in addition to keeping the biodegradable cups. While the plan would resolve any confusion, this solution resulted in much higher costs (compostable cups cost about 10 times that of styrofoam). With these new measures, festival organizers hope to set an example for guests and the residents of Lunenburg.

TD FEF funding went towards the purchase of recycling and compost bags, new bins required for the Festival grounds and the wooden cutlery, wood fibre food containers and compostable cups.

Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival goes green

The Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival (HJBF) is more than just a music festival that happens in Fredericton every year. According to organizers, Harvest produced an average of 32 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2008 HJBF started a “Harvest Goes Green" Initiative and began making positive changes towards becoming a more environmentally conscious festival with the goal of reducing emissions by 80% over the next three years. With this initiative, HJBF organizers aim to protect their community and help preserve the beauty of the Capital City.

Some of the initiatives undertaken at the festival included a Mobile Renewable Energy Trailer at the Mojo Tent, green electricity provided by Bullfrog, and a dedicated volunteer committee to keep the festival clean and manage the recycling and waste separation program. Last year, the festival also featured a Harvest Park ‘n Ride Program, introduced in 2008 as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles traveling to the festival as well as reducing the amount of vehicle traffic in the downtown.

TD FEF funding was used to purchase biodegradable cups and went towards the Park ‘n Ride program.

Reusable Travel Mugs

The TD Friends of the Environment Foundation is supporting waste reduction initiatives of the Environment Office at St. Francis Xavier University with the purchase of reusable mugs for students. Students receive a 25 percent discount on beverage purchases on campus with the use of the mugs, which has encouraged a high adoption rate. This initiative is helping St. Francis Xavier to reduce waste and promote the use of reusable items, which is helping to foster a greener campus and more environmentally conscious students.