Now accepting applications for 2014 grants
TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2013 /CNW/ - From "living" walls and citizen pruner
programs, to arboretums and new watering techniques, communities across
Canada are developing innovative ways to manage and grow their urban
forests. But they don't have to do it alone. TD Green Streets grants
provide a valuable source of funding to help bring these creative
projects to life.
Communities nationwide are encouraged to apply to receive matching
grants of up to $15,000. With $300,000 in grants available, Tree Canada
and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) are looking to
support another round of innovative projects in 2014.
"We are excited to launch another year of TD Green Street funding," says
Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. "We look forward to working
with like-minded communities that understand the benefits of trees and
continue to grow better places to live."
As Tree Canada's flagship program, TD Green Streets supports and encourages innovation in urban forestry.
Since its inception in 1994, Green Streets has awarded funding to more
than 500 recipients, and has helped change the landscape of local
communities across Canada. The program is open to all Canadian
municipalities and Aboriginal communities, as well as business
improvement associations (BIA).
"Each year TD Green Streets funds innovative projects that impact, and
contribute to the greening of, cities and towns across Canada," says
Mary Desjardins, Executive Director, TD FEF. "We are thrilled to
support these projects - and hope that more communities will be
inspired to explore and develop creative methods to manage their tree
canopies."
The deadline to submit an application for a 2014 TD Green Streets grant
is January 10, 2014. Recipients will be announced in March 2014. Grant recipients are
selected by a panel of representatives from TD Friends of the
Environment Foundation (TD FEF), Tree Canada, and regional urban forest
practitioners. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has been the
title sponsor of TD Green Streets since 2010.
Past TD Green Streets grant recipients include:
Mississauga, ON
As a way of combating both noise pollution and reducing the City's
carbon foot print, the City of Mississauga erected a Living Wall - an
ecological sound barrier that offers an environmentally friendly
alternative to standard sound barriers. Constructed of earth and trees,
the Living Wall integrates ecological principals with engineering
practices, which compliments the environment. This environmental
solution meets sound absorption requirements while promoting
environmental issues. Over 100 community residents, including students
from a local school were engaged in the project.
Charlottetown, PE
To provide a new source of water for the City of Charlottetown, the
municipal government developed 206 acres of land as a well field. To
protect the wellhead site, and to buffer it from adjacent activities on
private agricultural land, the City developed a comprehensive plan to
reforest the majority of the property. Since the program launch, over
8,800 softwood and hardwood trees have been planted. As a true
community project, the City worked with several local organizations on
educational outreach to increase public awareness about water sources,
quality and conservation; to educate the community about native trees
and shrubs and their benefits, as well as watersheds and riparian
zones.
Thunder Bay, ON
The City of Thunder Bay, in conjunction with volunteer group Trees
Thunder Bay, launched Canada's first Citizen Pruner Program. The
program offers free tree pruning training to citizens - delivered by a
local certified arborist - in exchange for a minimum commitment of
three, 2-hour work sessions. This rigorous training gives volunteers
the knowledge and skills they need to understand tree growth and
development. Citizen Pruners then help prune young City boulevard
trees to correct defects and direct stronger growth. This, in turn,
helps improve tree quality and longevity, and addresses problems that
could potentially lead to either costly pruning and repairs, or early
tree failure and death. This investment in the future quality of
Thunder Bay's public trees will result in huge cost savings to the City
- and, in turn, taxpayers.
For more information on TD Green Streets, for more information on past
projects and to learn how to apply for a 2014 TD Green Streets grant,
visit www.tdgreenstreets.ca.
About Tree Canada
Tree Canada is a not-for-profit charitable organization established to
encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural
environments. A winner of the Canadian Environmental Award (2007), Tree
Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies and individuals
to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and
other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and
maintaining trees. To date, more than 77 million trees have been
planted, more than 450 schoolyards have been greened, and Tree Canada
has organized nine national urban forest conferences. More information
about Tree Canada is available at www.treecanada.ca.
About TD Friends of the Environment Foundation
From schoolyard naturalization and energy conservation, to tree
plantings and environmental education, TD Friends of the Environment
Foundation (TD FEF) is proud to provide funding to help sustain an
incredible array of grassroots environmental programs across the
country. In 2012, TD FEF provided more than $4.8 million in support of
over 1,000 projects. Thousands of donors give to TD FEF on a monthly
basis, and TD Bank Group contributes in excess of $1 million annually.
TD also covers the management costs of running TD FEF, which guarantees
100 per cent of every dollar donated funds environmental projects in
the community in which the donation was made. For more information on
how to donate and get involved in your community, visit www.tdfef.com
SOURCE TD Bank Group
