Go Green at Saugeen

September 23, 2009

Community Foundation Grey Bruce presents the 2009 Environmental Forum – Go Green at Saugeen – to bring together interested parties to address environmental challenges and issues in our area.

The Community Foundation has been challenged by Community Foundations of Canada to create an Environmental Endowed Fund and facilitate a local forum, the Foundation appealed to the community for ideas on what issues were most timely.

With input from individuals, organizations and business, Community Foundation Grey Bruce partnered with Bayshore Broadcasting to organize the Forum which is open to everyone to attend. The Forum has attracted interest from sponsors and noted environmental speakers. It promises to be en event not to be missed.

The Go Green at Saugeen Environmental Form is being held October 23 and 24, 2009 at the CAW Family Conference Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario.

Saturday: all day workshops in the following streams:

* Living Naturally… Preserving Our Land & Our Food
* Greening Our Homes Economically & Efficiently
* Our Precious Water
* Lessons from Nature – An Aboriginal Perspective
* The Green Act and You & Greeen Access Through Technology

Trade Show

Go Green at Saugeen Environmental Forum provides an opportunity for environmentally aware organizations to highlight their products and services. Approximately 200 people are expected to attend and the trade show booths are limited to just 20 participants.

If you have a green business and would like to be a part of the Trade Show, you can find the booth regulations and application form here.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Roberta Brignell
Community Foundation Grey Bruce
519-371-7203
e-mail: cfgreybruce@brucetelecom.com

Written by Deb · Filed Under Business, Conservation, Port Elgin, The Environment, theOwen Features

Strawberries and Asparagus… a summer harvest celebration on its way

May 15, 2009

The following is cross posted from the Sustainability blog/podcast I also publish. You can see the original article + a bunch of other sustainably themed audio/video here www.besustainable.com

In addition to being a generally interesting topic, this post I hope will serve as the jumping off point for our own local festival this year. Read the article below/listen for some more details but the long story short…. Downtown Owen Sound, June 20th we are going to have a festival. So open call to those that would like to lend a hand or have something to contribute… We will keep everyone up to date here, on FinditGreyBruce.com and on the @owensound twitter feed…

June 20th , 2009 marks the date of this year’s Strawberries and Asparagus Festival in Cedarvale Park in Toronto. The event which has run for a number of years (having been re dubbed S&A 2 years back) brings together Toronto residents to celebrate the first harvests of the season and to learn/share/talk green/gardening/food and more.

After attending the festival for the past few years (even after moving away form Toronto) we have made the decision this year to not make the trip. Instead of renting the car and carbon… we have decided to spin off our own homegrown version of Strawberries and Asparagus here in Owen Sound Ontario. When I mentioned to Chris Chopik of Evolution Green that we would rather start our own festival than travel to his this June it took about a third of a second to agree it was the right thing to do.

In the following interview/conversation Chris and I discuss the details of the Cedarvale Park event and I get some practical background and organizational details needed to make our own festival a success. If others are interested in holding a Strawberries and Asparagus of their own this audio should serve as good place to get started and as Chris mentions… we should likely get around to publishing some guidelines and resources to see if we can’t get a few more community festivals to bloom next spring!

Written by Ryan · Filed Under Community, Features, Food, Gardening, Owen Sound, Participation, The Area, The Environment, fun, theOwen, theOwen Features

Energy Conservation Week May 17-23, 2009

May 11, 2009

2009 marks the 2nd year for Energy Conservation Week in Ontario. Throughout the week, Ontarians in towns and cities across the province will takes steps to conserve energy, saving them money and helping to reduce greenhouse gases through a var4iety of ways. This week is about us and what we can do.

There’s many ways each and every one of us can take part.

On April 7th, 2009, the City of Owen Sound issued a press release stating their intent to take part in this year’s event.

What are some of things we can do to take part?

As parents, we can teach our children good energy conservation habits and perhaps even reward our kids for good conservation habits. Turn off those lights! If you’re not in the room, you don’t need the lights on. Decide what to eat before opening the fridge. Turn off tv’s and computers when they’re not in use. These are just a few things… there’s so much more.

While travelling, we can put our water heater on the vacation setting. Choose a motel that is green-rated. So many things, we can do, but these a just a couple.

Schools, students and teachers… make energy conservation a classroom committment, take advantage of daylight, encourage to be good role models. Turn off those lights when they aren’t needed!

In the workplace, we can replace incandescent or fluorescent exit signs with Led Exit signs. Turn off those lights!! Especially at night when everyone has gone home for the day. Perhaps you can train employees to be Energy Conservation Officers.

At home we can do so much to help out. We can schedule an energy audit and act on the results. Have your furnace and A/C units serviced. Clean and replace furnace filters. Install a programmable thermostat. Invest in energy star windows and appliances. Oh yes, don’t forget… Turn off the lights!

We can all do our part to cut down and conserve energy. It should be part of our every day life.

Written by Deb · Filed Under Owen Sound, Participation, Sustainability, The Area, The Environment

Earth Day

April 14, 2009

Earth Day was first introduced in 1970, by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. Nelson, along with millions of other people, lead protests and rallies to raise awareness of environmental issues. Nelson wanted to “shake up the political establishment and force this issue on the national agenda”. Today, millions of people around the world continue to participate in Earth Day to help promote a healthier, more sustainable environment. The more that communities become involved, the more the message will spread. On April 19, at 1:00 pm, Grey Roots is giving away free pine seedlings in honour of Earth Day. Locally, we need to get more involved and organize Earth Day events in our community. Celebrating Earth Day as a community will show our support for a great cause. Together we can make a difference.