Saturday, April 22, marks Earth Day, an international day of recognition, celebration and action focused on protecting the environment.
This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet”, a renewed call for actors across sectors and levels to take accountability and address the ongoing climate emergency in ways that everyone can benefit from.
We at CivicAction, as cross-sectoral conveners and collaborators, know that to truly create change, we need everyone from individuals to institutions to do their part. Together, we can learn how cities and communities can effectively build climate resilience, which is the ability to prepare for, reduce impacts of, and recover from the changing climate.
This month, we’re excited to feature several organizations exploring and promoting policies and programs to build more climate-resilient communities.
Evergreen’s School Ground Greening Initiative:
Evergreen has long been a leader in collaboratively designing and scaling projects that are focused on building livable, green, and prosperous communities. The School Ground Greening initiative continues this work by connecting school boards with design experts to build tailored school grounds that contribute to community learning and environmental sustainability. This initiative leads to enhanced outdoor play for children while also environmental benefits like improved rainwater absorption and reduced heat island effects of traditional pavement playgrounds. To further this work, Climate Ready Schools has been established to continue greening schools and playgrounds.
Foundation for Environmental Stewardship (FES):
FES is a youth-led and youth-serving sustainable development organization that empowers youth to create an inclusive, fair, prosperous, and sustainable future. Their flagship program, the SDGs LAB empowers high school, college, and university students to learn about and activate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the outcomes of this project include awards programs, school-wide sustainability programs, integration of the SDGs into educational courses, and more.
Since forming in 2011, Park People has been exploring ways to answer the question of “How can we all play a role in making our parks better serve people and neighbourhoods?” The answer is a commitment to placemaking, the practice by which connections between people and their spaces are intentionally strengthened through engagement and collaboration. The result is that community spaces are shaped by collective action that benefits everyone. Park People connects park groups, community organizations, non-profits, park professionals, and funders that want to activate community parks for community good.
Similar but different, 8 80 Cities builds on the idea of placemaking by exploring ways to make cities great for people aged “8 to 80.” By providing toolkits, leading practices, guides, and studies on placemaking initiatives across the globe, 8 80 Cities is actively encouraging people to explore their cities and understand the importance of community space and community engagement. When people are more connected to their public spaces, they are more likely to be civically engaged and contribute to creating better, more inclusive cities across the region.
Earth Day is a reminder for us to be conscious about how the decisions we make impact the planet. The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) has amazing green space, including access to the Niagara Escarpment, Rouge National Urban Park, conservation areas, and more!
As the weather gets warmer, we encourage you to explore the great outdoors and think more deeply about how you and your communities can celebrate Earth Day every day across the GTHA.