May's Newsletter

May showers bring June flowers. Here's the link to May's newsletter

School Garden Day!

So I'm really excited about School Garden Day tomorrow! We've ordered all the compost and I've picked up all the plants, seeds, and seedlings. I've got all my tools charged, packed up and ready to go for tomorrow. It feels like I'm getting ready for the first day of school... I actually had a hard time sleeping last night because I was running through everything in my head. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds out for us!

I've picked up some serviceberry, black-eyed susans, and a can butterfly seed mix for the flower bed out front the school. With all these beauties and some weeding the flower bed should look great, plus I'll be picking up some milkweed on Sunday courtesy of our school community purchased through the David Suzuki Foundation & #gotmilkweed. I really want to transform the flower bed out front the school from decorative flowers (which sadly no longer bloom) into a pollinator garden so classes will be able to observe more wildlife.

For the garden beds I picked up some asparagus, basil, pumpkin, corn, and scotch bonnets in addition to the garlic, kale, and herbs that we already have growing. I hope that we can have a small three sisters section to our garden with some pole bean seeds that I have from last year. I also took a trip to the local lumber yard and got some new cedar boards to expand on our three and a half planting beds by adding two more.

My dream is to have a bountiful harvest in the fall of this year, have a pumpkin for each class, and be able to make pesto and hot sauces with students to raise funds for next year's crops.

I'd really like to thank Fiesta Gardens for giving us a discount on plants & tools and the Metro Green Apple Grant for the funds that have helped to make all this possible.

Seed Exchange

After getting at taste of the warm weather over the March break I can't help but think of getting seeds started and getting my hand dirty in the garden with the students. 

I managed to save several seeds from what we grew last year, but I also can't wait to get my hands on some new fun and interesting plants. I know that potatoes did well last year and garlic has done well every year as well as the kale, we've had difficulty growing most root veggies. My dream is have pumpkins so each class can have at least one, maybe this will be our year!

I usually get seeds from one of the many seed exchanges going on around the city. There are still a few left, so don't fret if you missed Seedy Saturday/Sunday at the Brickworks. Here is a link to some seed exchange events coming up in the future. For me gardening is about helping to build community, whether it's a community working together to grow food or you sharing from what you've grown in your own garden. You can always collect your own seeds and set up a seed/bulb exchange with fellow gardeners in your area or just trade with friends. 

Please feel free to contact me through twitter or the blog if you'd like to exchange some seeds with me. 

Water: Burtynsky & Ecological Literacy

At our school this year we have decided to take on the theme of water across the curriculum and the entire school as a way of promoting ecological literacy among our students. 

Recently in Toronto I was able to attend the opening of Edward Burtynsky's new photo exhibition, Water. It was a great conincidence that this exhibit happened to be displayed at the same time that I've been trying to wrap my head around activities that students from kindergarten to grade 8 could do around this massive theme, while at the same time linking it back to the Ontario curriculum in a meaningful way. 

Not only are these photographs massive, but I felt like they moved me in a massive way. It was increadible to see what an impact water has not only had on shaping our way of life, but also how we have shaped water. As well, to accompany this major photo exhibition Burtynsky and documentary film maker Jennifer Baichwal have released their second film, Watermark, which is currently in theatres. 

Looking forward to seeing this theme take shape in our school and really exploring the impact of water!

I've also included a few photographs from the Burtynsky exhibition below, but please check out his website for more of his amazing work from this show.

Sweater Day

WWF Canada has put together a great event that we'll be taking part in at school, SWEATER DAY!!!

The idea is that you pledge to turn down your home thermostat by 3 degrees and wear a sweater around the house... Hey, it's winter, it's supposed to be cold!

WWF-Canada is calling for change!
Climate change is the biggest environmental threat to life on Earth, wreaking havoc with the natural systems that regulate the earth’s climate: melting glaciers and ice caps on every continent, creating heat waves, dehydrating forests and wetlands, and affecting the lives and communities of everyone on the planet.

On average, each of us has a footprint 50% more than what the planet actually produces per person, per year. In other words, it would take 1.5 planets of productivity to support humanity each year. Half our footprint is carbon from fossil fuel emissions. Canada is one of the top 10 nations contributing to global climate change. While other leading countries of the world are pioneering green energy technologies and solutions, we are holding on to an old strategy based on developing increasingly carbon-intensive forms of energy in the Arctic and the tar sands.

Fortunately, we’ve got plenty of reasons to believe we can succeed. There is a solution to climate change – we caused it and we can solve it. We must value carbon more, consume less, insulate better, and hasten the switch to alternative fuels like wind, solar, tidal and hydropower. WWF Canada is calling on business and political leaders to drive this fundamental shift. Our success will ensure that Canada is on the right path for future generations, our economy and the planet.

Why should you participate?
Sweater Day is an accessible and simple way to get involved in the fight against climate change. By getting leaders like you on board, we can begin to make a real difference in our conservation efforts. Turning down the thermostat by a couple of degrees can make a big difference in fighting climate change, and save money. If every Canadian turned down their thermostat by two degrees in the winter, 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved per year – the equivalent of taking about 350,000 cars off the road.

So, I'm now putting the challenge out to you. Check out the WWF website to register for your chance to win great prizes!!!

Seedy Sunday pt2

[ just a taste of how busy it was ]

I can't tell you what a great time I had today at Seedy Sunday. I really wanted to stay there all afternoon and not come home. It was great to see and talk with a lot of familiar faces. I was also able to make some good contacts today regarding field trips for the garden/eco club and for volunteers in the garden. Dare I say that I'm becoming part of the urban agriculture community?

First things first. I got an awesome haul of seeds today. I would have gotten more, but thankfully I ran into a fellow teacher, who is also a parent at the school, and she let me in on some deals from Urban Harvest if I order through the school. Her and I are going to be in touch and put an order together and share some seeds and save some money too!

[ crappy photo = awesome haul ]

One of the faces that I always love to run into is Garden Jane. She's totally awesome and put on great workshops for community gardeners and anyone else who wants to learn about permeculture. She gave me some free bean seeds and some great ideas for activities to do with them. I felt bad taking all this stuff and knowledge without giving her anything in return, so I bought a seed ball kit from her. I'm planning on giving it away as a prize for some sort of event at the school.

[ seed ball kit ]

If you don't know what a seed ball/bomb is you need to go look that up. I think that we'll do something for International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day (May 1st 2011). I don't know if we'll do sunflowers, but we'll definetly do some kind of hardy, flowering, native plant.

In talking with people today I realized that there are a lot of people who want to volunteer in our little school garden to help the students grow food. There are also a lot of people who want community garden space and aren't able to get it. I know that I'd have to clear this with the administration, but I was thinking this could be an awesome trade off for some help watering in the summer and getting some people with more know-how than myself to really get our garden going. Volunteers may have to get a police check (more than likely they would) but it would be a small price to pay for some space to grow some veggies of their own.

For those of you interested in volunteering please email me or leave a comment with your email address (don't worry all comments need to be approved before they're posted so I'll copy and delete your email address so you don't get any random spam).

Seedy Sunday (Today)

Sorry for getting this info out so late, but today is Seedy Sunday at Heart House UoT. From 12:30-6pm you can bring seeds from trading or you can just buy some yummy heirlooms for you garden.

If you can't make it out today don't worry there will be another Seedy Sunday in March 27th @ Lawrence Heights Community Centre (1-5pm). AND not to worry my Scarborough friends on March 12th @ Heron Park Community Centre (12-4pm) is where your Seedy Sunday will be.

I'll be at UoT today so if you want to meet up leave a comment and let me know that you're coming so I can keep an eye out for you. I may also try to get out to the Lawrence Heights event as well.

This year Seedy Sunday is a joint venture between Food Share, Toronto Public Health, Green Thumbs Growing Kids

Movie Screening - pay what you can

If you didn't get a chance to see this documentary last summer I strongly suggest that you see it now. If you're not able to make it out to Hillside Outdoor Education Centre (HOEC) you can rent this film at most video stores, but why not get out and support Friends of the Rouge with a great screening.




This documentary is about to be released in Japan, but there have been many threats to theatre owners not to screen this film. It seem like there are some people out there who don't want the Japanese public to find out about what is going on in this quiet little community.

Event Info
Documentary Screening of the Movie The Cove and discussion hosted by Friends of the Rouge Watershed at Hillside Outdoor Education School

Wednesday June 9th, 2010 @ 7:00 p.m.

Join us at Hillside School, 2259 Meadowvale Rd, one block north of the Toronto Zoo.

RSVP at 416 208 0252 or email laurencbarrett@gmail.com

Pay what you can - popcorn and drinks provided

THE COVE
Flipper was one of the most beloved television characters of all time. But ironically, the fascination with dolphins that he caused created a tragic epidemic that has threatened their existence and become a multibillion dollar industry. The largest supplier of dolphins in the world is located in the picturesque town of Taijii, Japan. But the town has a dark, horrifying secret that it doesn't want the rest of the world to know. There are guards patrolling the cove, where the dolphin capturing takes place, who prevent any photography. The only way to stop the evil acts of this company and the town that protects it is to expose them....and that's exactly what the brave group of activists in The Cove intend to do. Armed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, the members of the small group, led by the most famous dolphin trainer in the world, devise a covert plan to infiltrate the cove to document the horrifying events that happen there. Along the way, they uncover what may be the largest health crisis facing our planet— the poisoning of our seas. Part environmental documentary, part horror film, part spy thriller, The Cove is as suspenseful as it is enlightening. The final result is a heart-wrenching, but inspirational, story that shows the true power of film in the hands of people who aren't afraid to risk everything for a vital cause.

Bike Month pt2

Looks like Bike Month got off to a great start! There were quite a few people at the CBC this morning and City Hall was packed!
It was good to see some familiar faces. I hope everyone can check out some of the events going on this month. Check out the City's webpage for more info on all the events.

Matt G. interviewing cycling activists and a driving instructor about what drivers and cyclists can do to keep the roads safe for everyone.

The Toronto Cyclist Union all set up at City Hall.

Just a small glimps of the hoards of cyclists at City Hall this morning.

Bike Month

Toronto's Bike Month is starts on Tuesday, but there are plenty of pre-events going on too (I plan on going to the Brick Works this weekend and getting that free bike wash).
Download the pdf or visit your local bike shop (LBS) and pick up a brochure filled with all the events going on. There is a lot of stuff going on from group rides to workshops, so check it out!

It all kicks off on Monday (May 31st) with a group ride down to city hall for a free pancake breakfast and a free t-shirt (while supplies last). Here are some pics of some sweet custom rides that showed up at last year's group ride. You can also stop by the CBC between 5:30-8:30am for coffee, muffins, and watch a live broadcast of CBC's Metro Morning, click here for more info.

I'm going to try to hit up one of these events before making my way to work. Hope to see some of you there too!

Pin It for the Planet

Sorry for totally slacking off with the updates, but here is a quick one to let you know about an event that starts on Monday (May 31st)

I know that I mentioned this event in an earlier post about the Green Living Show, but now there is a little more going on.
The WWF has created a website where you can sign up and track how many kilometres you've travelled with out your car.

Now when you see someone with car keys pinned to their shirt you'll know what it's all about and you can give them a high 5 for being car free.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention that bike month will be starting on Monday too. If you're working downtown don't forget to take advantage of a free breakfast outside the CBC on Front St. if you're on your bike

How To Eat Fried Worms

Okay, so I won't be eating these little critters, but I'm hoping that they'll eat all of my food refuse and leave me with some top notch worm castings (poo) for the garden.

The workshop was put on by Food Share and I only had to shell out $10 bucks. I feel really bad that I can't remember the name of the man who ran the workshop, aside from being a wealth of knowledge and giving up his time for cost he was also full of awesome teacher/dad jokes.

I had no idea how easy a tower system vermicomposter would be to build. The only hard part would be getting the worms. There are a few people who sell them online (Cathy's Crawly Composters), but if you know someone with a manure pile there should be some wiggling around in there just remember to take a deep breath before digging in.

The materials:

* 5 plastic shoe boxes - they come in a 5 pack at Canadian Tire

* A small piece of landscaping fabric to cover holes in the bottom lid - this stops the castings from falling through the holes and still allows you to collect the liquid (compost tea) at the bottom.

[That's it!]

The plastic shoe boxes that we used had these three circles on the top of the lids that were perfect for marking the spots for drilling the large holes. We put the lid under the box to make sure the holes would line up when they were all stacked. The heat from the drill will melt the two piece together so we had to carefully pull them apart so as to not break them. We used a smaller drill bit (1/8") to drill some ventilation holes in the top lid.

Once all the drilling was done it was time to fill them up with bedding (damp shredded newspaper), worms, and a little top soil.

[Red wigglers and some melon rind]

[Inside the finished product]

Right now I only have the first level of my tower working, but in about 3 months it the other four levels should be operational and I'll have double the worms I started with. The fifth bottom box is for collecting the compost tea (it does not have holes in the bottom of it). Once the box I'm filling with organic food scraps becomes full I'll add the next box to the top and so on.

This is totally going to be a project for Eco-Club next year. I had considered doing it this year, but I'd like to make sure it works and become a bit of an expert at it before I go sharing my knowledge.

Green Living Follow Up

On Sunday I decided to take advantage of the crummy weather and take in the Green Living Show. I ended up not checking out the 4hr wine tasting because the description was to vague to justify spending $40 bucks to learn about growing grapes organically in Southern Australia. At any rate I was happy to recycle my old cell phone for free admission, guess I'll have to find a new paper weight.

I was impressed with this year's show. I'm not sure if it was any larger than in previous years, but there seemed to be a bigger focus on food and if you know me you know that I love food.
I was able to check out some interesting booths and get some great information on community eco-events coming up in the future, which I'll be sure to share with you. The World Wild Life Fund was promoting Pin It For The Planet (May 30th - June 5th), going a week without your car and pinning your car keys to your shirt to show your support. I'll be sure to remind you closer to the date about this one, but if you see someone with car keys pinned to their shirt give them a thumbs up and know that it's not the newest fashion trend.

Okay, I've got to make a stop at a hardware store tonight! I slacked off this weekend and didn't get a drop sheet for solarizing the garden. I'm also going to a workshop tonight put on by Food Share where we will be building our own vermicomposters!!! I'll take some pictures and share them with you.

Still waiting to hear from Metro about getting our grant money, what a pain this has turned out to be, grrr!

Solar Over Pics

I know it has been a long time coming, but here are some of the photos from our Earth Hour event.

ummm, pizza

yummy and messy, s'mores!

our solar oven array

building our solar ovens

Upcomming Events

Here are some upcoming eco-events for ward 21. I tried to find a list of all these events on Joe Mihevc's webpage but they don't seem to be listed yet. Anyway, here are a few highlights:

Sunday, April 18th (noon to 4pm) Solar Energy Fair at the barns

Saturday, April 24th (9am to 11am) Community Clean-up Day
9:00-10:00 @ Cedarvale Park (meet under the footbridge)
10:00-11:00 @ Kay Gardner Beltline Trail and Old Park Road

Free Compost Days:
April 30th 5-7pm @ McMurrich P.S.
May 3rd 4-6pm @ St. Bruno Catholic School
May 4th 4-7pm @ St. Alphonsus Cathlock School
May 5th 4-6pm @ Cedarvale Community School
May 7th 4-6pm @ Humewood Community School
May 13th 4-6pm @ Wychwood Barns
May 14th 4-7pm @ J.R. Wilcox P.S.

Saturday, June 12th (11am to 5pm) Strawberries and Asparagus Festival (Cedarvale Park)... Bring a blanket, some picnic food, and stick around for one of my favourite movies screening in the park at 8:30pm



Sunday, June 13th (10am to 2pm) Community Environment Day (Wychwood Barns Park)

Solar Ovens

Today we're going to try out all of our solar ovens and have the Eco-Clubs talk to the students in the school about thermal heat and how our solar ovens work.
We will be on the field from 2-3pm, so please feel free to come by and check it out.
I'll post some pictures later.

Earth Hour & Solar Ovens

The TDSB will be taking part in Earth Hour on Friday March 26th from 2pm-3pm. Eco-Schools has put out an Earth Hour challenge to all schools to create solar ovens or do some sort of electricity free activity.
After school our Eco-Club will be making solar ovens for Friday's Earth Hour. The ones we will be making are made from pizza boxes, aluminium foil, oven bags, black construction paper, news print, and a little tape.

I built one the other day so I would have a finished product to show the students and was surprised at how easy they are to make. Unfortunately it has been over cast and rainy so I haven't had a chance to test it out and see how hot it can get. I'm sure that we'll be able to melt cheese, but would we be able to boil water or cook an egg?
If Friday is a sunny day you're welcome to come and check out our Earth Hour Solar Oven Event!!!!

Toronto will be participating in Earth Hour on Saturday March 27th from 8:30pm-9:30pm

Bottled Water Free Week Warp-up

March 11th was Bottled Water Free Day. I challenged all the students at our school to not bring bottled water for the whole week. We also added the challenge of using a reusable container for all their drinks. I went around at lunch time giving out prizes to students that were able to meet this challenge.
I have to say that the students at our school did really well with this challenge. I nearly went broke giving out prizes! The primary students (and their parents) are doing an amazing job not only with re-usable drinking containers, but also with waste-free lunches. Now it's just getting them to bring anything that is waste home so it can be disposed of properly. The junior students on the other hand are another story. Though many of the students are good about re-usable water bottles their lunches are another story. This got me to thinking that each week students should be given a challenge to make their lunches more environmentally friendly. I'm also looking into what we can do for next year to make sure students are doing their best to bring waste-free lunches everyday. Maybe on curriculum night we can set up a waste-free lunch display and sell some inexpensive, re-usable containers.

Hope everyone has a great March break!

Bottled Water Free Day

Bottle Water Free Day will be March 11th, 2010. I encourage everyone look at the website and read the information they have. Lets see how many people can make the pledge to be free of bottled water on March 11th.
On Monday I will make the challenge to all students at our school to go without bottled water for the whole week. I will also extend this challenge to include juice boxes, terra packs (Kool Aid Jammers), and other on non-reusable drink containers. Not only are non-reusable containers wasteful in the long run they will end up costing you more money!!!

Here is a fun video about Bottled Water Free Day.


Why are you paying for water when it is already hardwired into your house?

Seedy Saturday... ON SUNDAY!!!

I was reminded to post this after I heard about it again on Metro Morning. I hope that it has doesn't get too busy after being on the CBC.
Seedy Sunday will be taking place this Sunday (Feb. 21st) at the Wychwood Barns, barn #2. Aside from a great chance to get native and heirloom seeds there will also be interesting workshops and presentations.
The day starts at 12:30pm, with the workshops starting at 1pm, and runs until 6pm. Looks like that will give me a half hour to get the seeds I want before spending the rest of the afternoon attending workshops. There is a suggested donation of $2 and they are still looking for volunteers.

I guess this means that I'll have to finalize a list of the plants to grow at the school this year. Any suggestions of plants you'd like to see?