Brampton Environmental Alliance
This past Wednesday Dayle and I participated in the first of two Gentle Stretching in Nature classes hosted by Sierra Club. Earlier predictions were for showers but the morning dawned partly sunny, perfect temperature for a light jacket. We brought along sunscreen and non-DEET, environmentally friendly bug repellant that was appreciated by the participants to keep the mosquitoes at bay.
Continue reading “Gentle Stretching in Nature”
Three more Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature events are now in the history books as the project bids farewell to May. The last five events have experienced spectacular dry sunny weather which helps draw the crowds.
Continue reading “Three more events completed as the Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature Project bids adieu to May”The Friends and Stewards of Dorchester Park, this past week, hosted two events as part of the Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature, GATCWN, Project supported by the Government of Canada and coordinated by the Brampton Environmental Alliance.
“Spring Birding in the Park” was this past Saturday May 20th. Cold and rain, discouraged picture taking but the event was still attended by 7 hardy souls, 5 of whom were seniors. With the aid of “Birding Kits” courtesy of the Brampton Library and Bird Studies Canada. the group learned some useful tips for using binoculars, and learned about the importance of growing native species and removing invasives to support bird habitat. They also learned tips for birding success and where to find additional resources to be even more successful bird-watchers. And, of course they saw a number of bird species including: Downey Woodpecker, American Robin, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Red Eyed Vireo, Northern Cardinal, Common Grackles, Red Winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, Mallard Duck and even a Swanson Thrush. Good spotting!
Participants received prizes to build their own birding kits for future outings.
Did you know that outdoor household cats are responsible for killing an estimated 2.5 Billion birds every year? They are one of the leading causes of bird mortality, according researchers at the University of Guelph. Keep your cats indoors to protect birds from predation!
“Discovering Dorchester Park through Plein Air Painting”, the second GATCWN event of the week, was held on Tuesday evening May 23rd.
Stephanie Schirm, a local artist and art educator, led the class in landscape painting on a beautiful spring evening.
The group had a wonderful time and did a fine job of capturing the beauty of the local park landscape!
Two more GATCWN events are scheduled for this weekend. Discover Native Flowers in Dorchester Park tomorrow from 10-11:30am. Click here to register. On Sunday attend a Park Cleanup event hosted by People Against Littering. Register here. Meet at Creditview Park 10-11:30am
The Board of the Centre for Community Energy Transformation (CCET), is pleased to announce that Tony Iacobelli is assuming the position of Executive Director, effective June 5th.
The Centre for Community Energy Transformation is a community-based, not-for-profit organisation supported by Peel and its municipal partners to lead energy transformation in the Region and help the transition to a low-carbon future.
Initially referred to as the Institute for Sustainable Brampton, the creation of the CCET was called for as part of Brampton’s 2040 vision project.
It is designed to be an organization that will advocate for energy investments, secure both private and public funding opportunities and be a hub for municipal energy excellence. It will assist residents, businesses and commercial property owners with improving energy efficiency and lowering carbon emissions.
Tony Iacobelli is an ecologist, award-winning planner, and green building advocate. While at City of Markham, he secured Council endorsement for a pathway to net zero energy buildings by 2030. He also launched the City’s first comprehensive natural assets study. Previously, at City of Vaughan, Tony developed and implemented, Sustainability Performance Metrics, an innovative, award-winning program for reviewing development applications that was created collaboratively with Brampton and Richmond Hill.
“We are delighted to welcome Tony as our first full-time Executive Director”, says Peter Love, CCET Board Chair. “His combination of experience, background and enthusiasm is exactly what we need to ensure that our new organization realizes its full potential of impacting the energy transformation in Peel Region.”
Tony says, “I am thrilled to be joining the Centre for Community Energy Transformation as its founding Executive Director”. “Working together with our Board, the communities of Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon, and our partners, we will scale up climate action in Peel Region with the goal of dramatically reducing carbon emissions and shifting to a sustainable energy future. I am excited to be a part of this momentum for change and honoured to be leading this important initiative.”
Stay tuned for more exciting news, soon to come from the Centre for Community Energy Transformation.
I admit that I didn’t know where Peelton Hills Park was when I started out this past Saturday morning for the Sierra Club/CVC tree-planting event. It’s not a park I’ve frequented before. It was a beautiful spring day and Google Maps said it would take me less than 40 minutes to travel the 11.5km by bike.
Continue reading “Planting trees at Peelton Hills”The Friends & Stewards of Dorchester Park launched their 2023 season this past Saturday April 29th, with a park stewardship startup event. This involved clearing out invasive species, making it easier for native, “pollinator friendly” plants to flourish. Funds from the Graceful Aging Through Connecting with Nature project, (GATCWN), helped the group purchase a tent to help promote the event and protect participants from the wet .
Continue reading “Dorchester Park Gets a Spring Cleanup from its Friends & Stewards”It was like déja vu all over again! Earth Day, Saturday April 22, 2023 dawned almost identically to the same day last year, cold, rain and, wind. Perhaps not quite as cold, but almost. As one of the exhibitors expressed, “It’s the Earth crying about all the horrible things we’ve done to her in the last year.”
Continue reading “Great turnout at the 2023 Earth Day Festival despite the Wet!”
Ah April! With longer days, the cloak of winter darkness rests lighter on our shoulders. The warmer sun thaws our blood and makes our spirits rise. April is a month of rebirth and awakening; a time to give thanks for the joy of seasons, the laughter of children playing outside, the birds singing and the plants greening, April is also Earth Month, a time to celebrate nature’s bounty and to give thanks for the ecosystem services provided to us by the plants, animals, water and air that surrounds us and supports us. Earth Day on April 22nd, is a time to honour the achievements of the environmental movement and raise awareness of the need to protect the Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
Some would argue the environmental movement merely slows down progress and adds costs to development projects. History shows, however, that unbridled progress often leads to unintended environmental consequences and the potential for human catastrophe. Let me offer a few examples.
Continue reading “It’s April 2023, How Should You Recognize Earth Month, Day, Hour”
[Updated version March 22, 2023 correcting statements made regarding historical landowner compensation]
The topless streaker at Sunday March 12th’s Juno awards ceremonies garnered more news attention for the potty-mouthed reaction from music award presenter Avril Lavigne than it did to the messages the streaker displayed on her body, “Land-back” and “Save the Greenbelt”. That’s unfortunate. We need more adult conversations about how we are using the precious land resources contained within our borders, including and maybe especially the, (as yet), undeveloped land that surrounds our major Canadian cities.
Continue reading “Coles Notes on the Greenbelt”
The Brampton Environmental Alliance is pleased to announce that it has received grant funding from Employment and Social Development Canada to implement a “New Horizons for Seniors” project called, “Graceful Aging Through Connecting With Nature”.
Continue reading “Graceful Aging Through Connecting With Nature”