Greenest City
220 Cowan Avenue M6K2N6 Toronto, ON, Canada

Hi Friends, We wanted to take a moment to share a virtual fundraiser that we're hosting with you. Well, actually - four of them! Each week during the month of May, Greenest City staff will be hosting an online virtual workshop to raise money for our Growing The Future youth program. Ever wanted to learn the ins & outs of homemade sourdough bread? What about naturally fermented hot sauce? Or perhaps you'd like to join staff member Joce TwoCrow on a virtual ReStorying tour of... High Park? If so, please join us for an evening (or afternoon) and support Growing The Future. So what is Growing The Future? It is a free program offered by Greenest City - and recently featured in https://www.globalheroes.com/eat-grow-share-growing-a-gree/ that teaches local youth about food, cooking, the environment and nutrition. From seeds to table - the class is hands-on, engaging and does its best to instil a sense of curiosity about food and where it comes from. Tickets for each workshop are 35$ with optional add-ons like sourdough starter & pre-measured ingredients. All proceeds go to supporting Growing The Future. To Register for a workshop, you can go to https://greenestcity.ca/fundraising and click on one of the virtual workshops to sign up. We're looking forward to sharing some screen time with you!

It’s way past time to #UnfloodOntario, and a province-wide natural infrastructure movement is how. Join us at https://unfloodontario.ca. Discover programs that will help you... Unflood your home, see what your region is doing, and start the momentum by sharing this video and flooding Ontario with the good news that we can change this together, naturally. @TorontoConservation @InsuranceBureau See more

Have sunny land but don't want to grow food? Want to grow food, but have no land? Perhaps there is a way to match you two! Learn about Garden Sharing and perhaps meet your match...

Milky Way Clean up is going strong! . Come Sunday from 1-5 if u want mulch or a rain barrel.

It's Earth Day!!! And we have the chance to make our year long Earth Day goals today. A community member texted me today with their family's Earth Day goals for the year: 1) For the adult child living on their own, they are turning off the lights more - even though they are a bit afraid of the dark! 2) For the 14 year old they are going to stop buying drinks that are in plastic bottles, single serve at the corner store... 3) And for the community member they are going to drive less or get a hybrid bicycle to support their commute around the city. AND in that spirit - Tru Earth is partnering with Greenest City to donate 20% of their sales to us JUST OFF THIS LINK. Please forward this link to your friends and family. The shipping is free! https://fundraising.tru.earth/greenestcity #truearth

3pm-5pm Saturday, April 24, 2021 Kairos Blanket Exercise Teaching & Sharing Circle: The Importance of Growing Gardens presented by Mary-Anne Kechego $25, pre-register... https://www.kairoscanada.org//kairos-teaching-sharing-circ See more

Heard on Cowan Ave, just North of King in Parkdale My first Red-Wing Black Bird of the the season. They have begun their migration back!!! Listen/watch the youtube video below if you don't know what it sounds/looks like. I have only heard red-wing blackbirds by water (South Parkdale - close to Lake Ontario!!) ... I did not grow up by water. I grew up by killdeers, robins and barn swallows, with vultures and hawks spiralling over the fields. Red-wing black birds I met while I was camping with my family by Lake Erie. Today I got the same leap of delight as I felt growing up when hearing the red-wing blackbird. A moment of deep feeling of contentment. I have found that being present to urban birds, can mean moments of delight for me. This is migratory season. While the redwing black bird is here to stay for the next three seasons, other birds are just traveling through. You don't have to travel, other than with your own way of getting out your door and traveling up your street and around the corner. For those who are birders in Parkdale - what birds have you seen/heard fly through? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3QicOAiBXk

Imagine if we had an urban farm in Parkdale.

Thank you to Joce Two Crows and Katherine Yee for leading our sharing circle and holding the space for Righting Relations.

Local Black Food Growing Heroes! The Roots & Culture Gardening Club's primary goal is to engage Black students in Parkdale with activities that promote environmental stewardship and climate action through grassroots engagement and black leadership in the sustainable food system movement, hands on food and native plant growing in green spaces at Queen Victoria Public School. This newly created Club is led by Naiomi Joseph and is an initiative of the Black Student Success Committee at Queen Victoria.

Hi everyone, Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have to cancel the Good Food Market for today. Everyone here is safe and healthy. We will update everyone soon regarding future markets. ... We were gearing up for a brisk afternoon of talking fresh fruits and veggies! Wishing everyone and safe and warm week and weekend. GC

Hi Friends & Neighbours, One of Greenest City's longest running programs has been the 'Growing The Future' cooking classes for kids. Obviously - we are not doing in-person classes at the moment, but we've finally decided to re-launch the class as an online program. Growing the Future is a free after school program that teaches kids about food and cooking. ... When we talk about food it might mean talking about health and nutrition, or cooking techniques, or how we can reduce and deal with food waste, or discussing where our food actually comes from.... there's a lot to talk about, but are always trying to instil a sense of curiosity about food that is deeper than just memorizing a recipe (though, we'll also practice reading recipes!). The program is best suited for children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. You can go to the Greenest City(https://greenestcity.ca/growing-the-future) site and you will find a link for a signup form. The signup form has an introduction to Growing the Future Online that includes more details. You are also free to message [email protected] if you have any questions.

We will be hosting The Good Food Market outdoors this Thursday - yes, it might be a little cold, but we prefer to think of it as brisk! As the regulations surrounding Covid-19 and this Lock-down are fine-tuned, food markets can no longer be held indoors. We are looking at different models for how to continue the market in a different format while maintaining the safety of our staff, volunteers and customers. This Thursday December 3rd : 3:00 - 7:00pm... Outside 201 Cowan Avenue. See more

The Good Food Market is open today. We're taking as many precautions as possible and adhering to the city's protocols to maintain a safe market space for community members and staff at the market. Today - 3:00pm - 7:00pm 201 Cowan - Main Doors... The photo below is from last summer. Obviously different than our late November/indoor - in the midst of a pandemic - market. But we sometimes like to reminisce about the past and remember that gardens, markets, parks and other community spaces are active! Its different right now, but we're still seeing a resilient Parkdale adapt to the challenges and creating new means to continue building community.

We have a spare Worm Composter Bin Tower System! Anyone interested - its free (but you have to come to pick it up)! Give us a call at 647 438 0038 today if you'd like to start turning your kitchen scraps into garden gold! UPDATE: Our compost machine has been adopted and no longer available. It took about 4 minutes.... Thank you !!!

The Parkdale Food Network has put together this amazing map and timetable of food resources in the community. If you want to learn more, please contact [email protected]

Annnnnd we're back. This Thursday, same time (3:00 - 7:00pm) and across the street on the main floor of Epiphany & St Mark's Church @ 201 Cowan Ave.

Hello Everyone, As winter descends upon Parkdale, we're taking a week off from the Good Food Market to ready our new indoor/winter location. We'll have the final location details shortly and let you know ASAP. We'll be starting up again on Thursday November 12, 2020 @ 3:00pm If you haven't been to our Good Food Market yet, please come by for a visit and to pick up some affordable fresh Fruits and Vegetables. ... Keep in touch and see you soon!

The days are winding on our outdoor Good Food Market so stop by while you can! Tomorrow, October 22, from 3-7PM.

Perhaps you'd like to plant some bulbs this fall? Check out the event below!