Celebrate Earth Day's 40th Anniversary 

You're invited to get out and celebrate Earth Day at one of many events happening city-wide!  Events run from April 16 - 24, 2010.

The Brantford Earth Week Event Committee has been hard at work planning eco-fun activities for the week leading up to April 22, the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  From community clean-ups to a speaker’s series and even a tree-planting event, the line-up of events has something for everyone – get involved and have fun celebrating Earth Day 2010!

 

Brantford Earth Week Events

April 16th (submission deadline) - 2010 Brantford Children’s Painting Competition

This Ontario Power Authority/Brantford Power initiative invites children in grades 1 to 8 who live in the city of Brantford to submit drawings with the theme, Electric Energy Conservation.

Contact - Jeongwook (JW) Kim at Brantford Power, 519.751.3522  ext.3224
Sponsor – Brantford Power Inc.

 

April 19 – 23 - Brantford Clean and Green Community Clean-ups

Brantford Parks and Recreation will provide garbage bags and arrange for garbage pick up for any community group who is interested in organizing a clean-up in the city! There is a limit of one event per day during Earth Week (April 19 - 23).  Dates will be allocated on a first come basis.

Participants to-date – Home Depot and Ryerson Heights Public School
Contact – Brian Geerts, Brantford Parks & Recreation, at 519.756.1500  ext. 5511
Sponsor – Brantford Parks and Recreation Department

 

April 19 -  School Ground Greening 2010 

Now in its third year, the Earth Week Event Committee is partnering with Evergreen to bring their Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds Program to Brantford.  In September, with the cooperation of the Brant County Health Unit, all public and elementary schools in the County of Brant were invited to apply for a School Ground Greening. Bellview School was selected from among the applicants and has begun the process with an Evergreen Consultant, developing a long term “greener” school ground design.  This event is done in partnership with the selected school’s staff, students, parent /teacher council and Evergreen.

Opening ceremonies – Monday, April 19th, 2010
Contact – John Lovett, 519.752.8814 or Chuck Beach, 519.752.4828
Sponsor – Earth Week Event Committee
Supporters – Brant Stewardship Resource Network, S. C. Johnson and Son Ltd.
Brant Community Foundation, Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds

 

April 19 – S. C. Johnson and Son Tree Plant

As a celebration of Earth Week and in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of S. C. Johnson and Son Canada, the company is planting of 1090 native trees along Veterans Parkway.

Contact – Kathy Makela,  519.756.7900  ext. 7432
Sponsor - S.C. Johnson and Son Ltd.

 

April 20 and 22 - Earth Week Speaker Series

Two evenings with guest speakers taking place at St. Andrew's Church
Time: 7:00 p.m.

April 20th - “Species at Risk”  
Information on various species at risk in our area will be discussed.  Graham Buck, Ministry of Natural Resources; Warrant Yerex, Grand River Fish Management Strategy; John Hall, the American Chestnut Council; and Jody Allair, Bird Studies Canada, will provide insight into species in our area.

April 22nd - “Sustainable Water Supply – macro to micro” 
Grand River Water Quality (Sandra Cooke), Municipal Water Supply Update (Selvi Kongara), Homeowner Opportunites ( Dara Bowser) and keynote speaker, author Peter Annin, who wrote “Great Lakes Water Wars” will provide attendees with a comprehensive overview of our fresh water sustainability.

Contact – Joanne Lewis at the Brant Community Foundation, 519.756.2499
Sponsors – Brant Community Foundation
Supporters - Blue Dog Coffee Roasters, Brantford Power Inc. Enterprise Brant, Home Depot, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

 

April 21st  – (9 a.m. – noon) Great Earth Week Downtown Cleanup

Organized by the Brantford Downtown Business Improvement Area and supported by a host of  partners, this is Brantford’s massive downtown spring cleanup!
Contact -  Keri Korfmann,  519.770.9666

Sponsors - Brantford Downtown Business Improvement Area
Supporters - Brant News, Brantford Harmony Square, Brantford Parks and Recreation, The Expositor, FM92.1, GK York, Home Depot, Maidstone, Millard, Rouse  & Rosebrugh, Prima Klean, Rogers, TD Canada Trust, Tim Hortons, The Piston Broke

 

April 22nd - Brant Tree Coalition – Tree Plant 2010

Once again, the Brant Tree Coalition will be planting on Earth Day!  The coalition is an industry-led group, which hopes to build upon the support it received from several area high schools last year by planting 5,000 native trees and bushes along Sinclair Creek in the city’s northeast.

Industry Contact – Jim Berhalter at Apotex, 519.756.8942  ext. 4222
High School Contact – Chuck Beach, 519.752.4828
Sponsors – ACIC – Methapharm, Apotex Pharmachem Inc.
Supporters - Brantford Parks & Recreation, Grand River Conservation Authority

 

April 23rd -   Rotary Club Tree Plant

The Rotary Club will be planting trees on Veteran’s Parkway – call today to get involved!
Contact – Teresa Winn, 519.759.3084  ext. 250
Sponsors – Rotary Club of Brantford

 

April 23rd  – Apotex Tree Nursery Transplant Project

Last year, with the help of the Rotary Club, 30 mature trees were transplanted from the nursery to provide much-needed shade in the George Campbell Soccer Park. This year, approximately 100 trees will be moved to Bill Little and D’Aubigny Creek parks.

Sponsors – Aptotex, Brantford Earth Week Event Committee, Parks and Recreation, GRCA

 

April 24th – ReStore Spring Clean up /Sale – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 408 Henry Street

Celebrate Earth Week by cleaning out your closets, basements and garages of gently used materials that can be resold or recycled at the Habitat ReStore. The ReStore parking lot will be set up for donations of used home renovation products such as doors, windows, sinks and cabinets.  Customers can check out Earth Week displays from the PC Museum; the Brant Youth Council; and Arts After School Kids, who will be displaying sculptures made of recycled materials from the ReStore, or check out the Home Depot’s new recycling program for fluorescent lights, paint and batteries.
All participants will receive a ReStore cloth shopping bag … and bring your appetite!  The ReStore is going to be bbq-ing up a storm that day.

Contact – Linda Moyer at the ReStore, 519.751.7474
Sponsor – Habitat for Humanity Brant

 

EWEC Toolkit 

This CD was developed to be used as teaching aid for senior elementary and high school students.  It explores climate change issues in today’s world.

Contact – Nathan Munn, 1.866.900.4722
Sponsor – Grand River Conservation Authority

 

Cataloguing of Local Events

Those conducting Earth Day Events can publish their event on the City of Brantford website by utilizing the following link:   http://mail.brantford.ca/brantfordevents.nsf.  Clicking on this link will open a new browser window.

For more information on the Earth Week committee, please contact Mr. Chuck Beach, Earth Week Committee Chair, at 519.752.4828.

The Brantford Earth Week Event Committee was formed in August 2007.  Committee partners include public citizens, and representatives from the Brant County Health Unit, Brant Historical Society, Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, Brant Resource Stewardship Network, Brant Community Foundation, Brantford Walkability Task Force, Brantford Parks and Recreation, Brantford Power Inc., Grand River Conservation Authority, Grand Erie District School Board, Habitat for Humanity Brant, and Home Depot.