I used to think that hiking meant you had to drive hours out of the city to find trails in a forest somewhere. However, you may find that nature is not too far away.
Many years ago, I came across the book Great Country Walks Around Toronto: Within Reach by Public Transit by Elliott Katz. With this book, I learned about the numerous trails in parks and in open natural spaces, and those nestled and hidden in between residential areas and roads.
What I liked about this book is that it includes detailed maps and descriptions of the trails (knowing what kind of fork in the road or bridge to expect next), and how to get to the trails by public transit (what bus to take, where to get off) and car (what streets to take, where to park). Its compact, pocket book size makes it easy to carry around too, which is a great advantage when you're already carrying around your personal items, a water bottle, and field guide books.
This resource opened up my eyes to the numerous trails within my own city of Toronto. This book helped me discover nature within my own city, and that you can escape the city even when you're still in the city.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Eat Local with Farmers' Markets
Farmers' markets are abound in Canada. Though some exist year-round, many of them are seasonal and start appearing in cities when springtime comes around.
There are many benefits to shopping at farmers' markets, including:
- when you buy local food, you support nearby farmers
- there is less distance traveled and resources used to ship the food from the farm to your plate, thereby minimizing the impact on the environment
- with less distance to travel, produce will be left to ripen in the field, be picked at its freshest, and will be the tastiest
- when you buy foods that are available, you get connected with the changing of the seasons
Sunday, June 29, 2014
The Robert Bateman Centre
Robert Bateman is a Canadian-born, internationally-acclaimed wildlife artist, naturalist, and environmentalist. His artwork is recognizable by his realistic painting style of nature and wildlife.
I found myself drawn to his works not only because I am interested in the natural world, but also because he is able to observe, understand, and capture the intricate details and diversity of nature in his paintings. Whether it is a feather on a bird, snow on a tree branch, a ripple in a lake, or a vein in a leaf, this is what makes nature beautiful to me.
When the Robert Bateman Centre opened in Victoria, British Columbia last May, I had wanted to visit it. The opportunity came exactly a year later when I travelled to Victoria this May, which coincided with 1 year anniversary of the opening of the Centre.
The Robert Bateman Centre is an art gallery that houses a substantial collection of his works, but it is also a centre that brings people closer to the natural world. He promotes his love of nature and his call for environmental concern through his art, and his art enables us to reconnect with nature.
I encourage you to visit this collection if you have the chance to do so.
Visit the Robert Bateman Centre website for more information: http://batemancentre.org
I found myself drawn to his works not only because I am interested in the natural world, but also because he is able to observe, understand, and capture the intricate details and diversity of nature in his paintings. Whether it is a feather on a bird, snow on a tree branch, a ripple in a lake, or a vein in a leaf, this is what makes nature beautiful to me.
When the Robert Bateman Centre opened in Victoria, British Columbia last May, I had wanted to visit it. The opportunity came exactly a year later when I travelled to Victoria this May, which coincided with 1 year anniversary of the opening of the Centre.
The Robert Bateman Centre is an art gallery that houses a substantial collection of his works, but it is also a centre that brings people closer to the natural world. He promotes his love of nature and his call for environmental concern through his art, and his art enables us to reconnect with nature.
I encourage you to visit this collection if you have the chance to do so.
Visit the Robert Bateman Centre website for more information: http://batemancentre.org
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Wild about Green Gardening, with CWF’s Wild About Gardening
Spring and warm weather means that people will be out in their gardens. Gardens serve many purposes. Gardening can be a hobby, and people take great pride tending to their flowering plants and crops and watching them grow. Gardens are aesthetic in nature, and can make one's home beautiful and inviting. Gardens nourish the body, and can support a family and community with nutritious food. Gardens bring comfort to the mind and soul, and can lift one’s spirits when being surrounded by green spaces.
In addition to these human benefits, gardens play an important role in supporting wildlife. Gardens with native plants can attract pollinators, and gardens can be habitats for other animals.
However, gardening can take a lot of resources, but we can make less of an impact on the environment by practicing green gardening methods, such as saving water, composting, organic gardening, and companion planting.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation's Wild About Gardening website provides all this information. In addition to information on various aspects of gardening, this website also includes a Native Plant Encyclopedia database, information on how to certify your garden as green, and where to find nurseries for native plants.
Whether you're new to gardening and not sure where to begin, or whether you're a seasoned gardener and would like make your garden environmentally friendly, gardening is a great way to benefit everyone, as well as other living species on our planet.
In addition to these human benefits, gardens play an important role in supporting wildlife. Gardens with native plants can attract pollinators, and gardens can be habitats for other animals.
However, gardening can take a lot of resources, but we can make less of an impact on the environment by practicing green gardening methods, such as saving water, composting, organic gardening, and companion planting.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation's Wild About Gardening website provides all this information. In addition to information on various aspects of gardening, this website also includes a Native Plant Encyclopedia database, information on how to certify your garden as green, and where to find nurseries for native plants.
Whether you're new to gardening and not sure where to begin, or whether you're a seasoned gardener and would like make your garden environmentally friendly, gardening is a great way to benefit everyone, as well as other living species on our planet.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Cherry Blossoms at Toronto's High Park
Toronto's High Park is filled each spring with the soft pink and white flowers of cherry blossoms, blooming from Sakura cherry trees. Thousands of visitors (myself included!) flock down to this park each year to take in their beauty.
Sakura cherry trees were first planted in 1959. Two thousand Japanese cherry trees were presented to the City of Toronto by the Japanese Ambassador to Canada, Toru Hagiwara. These were given as a gift by the citizens of Tokyo in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War. More cherry trees were planted thereafter: in 1984 by Yoriki and Midori Iwasaki as a gift to the people of Toronto; in 2001 through the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto's "Sakura Project"; and in 2006.
The flowers bloom in late April/early May and last only a short while once they reach peak bloom, about 1 week. With blooming periods varying each year, and a small viewing window period, it is great to time one's visit to the park to view this event. Thankfully, there are websites with individuals dedicated to posting updates on their blooms. The ones I check frequently are:
High Park Nature Centre: http://www.highparknaturecentre.com
and personal websites, including:
http://www.sakurainhighpark.com
http://www.highparktoronto.com
Cherry blossoms are a beautiful sight at High Park. It's always such a delight to see them.
Sakura cherry trees were first planted in 1959. Two thousand Japanese cherry trees were presented to the City of Toronto by the Japanese Ambassador to Canada, Toru Hagiwara. These were given as a gift by the citizens of Tokyo in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War. More cherry trees were planted thereafter: in 1984 by Yoriki and Midori Iwasaki as a gift to the people of Toronto; in 2001 through the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto's "Sakura Project"; and in 2006.
The flowers bloom in late April/early May and last only a short while once they reach peak bloom, about 1 week. With blooming periods varying each year, and a small viewing window period, it is great to time one's visit to the park to view this event. Thankfully, there are websites with individuals dedicated to posting updates on their blooms. The ones I check frequently are:
High Park Nature Centre: http://www.highparknaturecentre.com
and personal websites, including:
http://www.sakurainhighpark.com
http://www.highparktoronto.com
Cherry blossoms are a beautiful sight at High Park. It's always such a delight to see them.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Earth Hour: A Symbolic Demonstration
People
around the world will be turning off their lights tonight, Saturday
March 29 from 8:30-9:30 p.m. local time for Earth Hour. Earth Hour is a
worldwide event that recognizes the need for conserving and protecting
the planet.
Earth Hour started off in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a lights-off event. Since then, it has become an annual event, and has grown to more than 7000 cities and towns around the globe. Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
New for this year is the launch of Earth Hour Blue. Earth Hour Blue is a crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform that enables individuals to add their support, either financially or through their voice, to environmental causes and campaigns. Earth Hour Blue was developed to be something for people to engage in beyond the one hour.
Regardless of how one participates, Earth Hour has become a symbol of unity. In this one hour, through the single act of switching off the lights, the whole world is united through this commitment to making the planet a sustainable world to live in.
For more information, visit the Earth Hour website.
Earth Hour started off in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a lights-off event. Since then, it has become an annual event, and has grown to more than 7000 cities and towns around the globe. Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
New for this year is the launch of Earth Hour Blue. Earth Hour Blue is a crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform that enables individuals to add their support, either financially or through their voice, to environmental causes and campaigns. Earth Hour Blue was developed to be something for people to engage in beyond the one hour.
Regardless of how one participates, Earth Hour has become a symbol of unity. In this one hour, through the single act of switching off the lights, the whole world is united through this commitment to making the planet a sustainable world to live in.
For more information, visit the Earth Hour website.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Planet Friendly, with PlanetFriendly
One of my earliest recollections of web resources I came across while studying biology in university was "People- & Planet-Friendly". From this website, I learned about publicly available talks on environmentally-related topics that I could attend for free in Toronto. I attended one, which was conveniently held at my university. There were many people in attendance, all interested in or passionate about the topic.
"People- & Planet-Friendly" has since then been renamed as People and Planet, though today may sometimes be still known as "Planetfriendly". This web resource acts as a gateway to other environmentally related resources, topics and activities across Canada. They have an event listings calendar, a job postings site, and a volunteer postings site. They also provide a directory that organizes information and resources by different themes.
So wherever you are, have a search. You may just be a click away from that green job, volunteer position, or nearby activity!
"People- & Planet-Friendly" has since then been renamed as People and Planet, though today may sometimes be still known as "Planetfriendly". This web resource acts as a gateway to other environmentally related resources, topics and activities across Canada. They have an event listings calendar, a job postings site, and a volunteer postings site. They also provide a directory that organizes information and resources by different themes.
So wherever you are, have a search. You may just be a click away from that green job, volunteer position, or nearby activity!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
A Big Year with eBird
January begins the New Year. For birders, this may also mark the beginning of a Big Year. A Big Year refers to a bird counting competition to see who can see or hear the largest number of bird species in a calendar year.
One way to track bird species is through the online tool eBird. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird is a real-time, online checklist that can be used to record and keep track of bird species.
While this tool may be used by individual birders for their own personal bird observations, the data that are entered are pooled together and shared with a global community of scientists, educators, land managers, and other stakeholders involved with bird conservation. The collective data that are amassed become an invaluable resource for conservationists, effectively benefiting both birders and the scientific community at large.
One way to track bird species is through the online tool eBird. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird is a real-time, online checklist that can be used to record and keep track of bird species.
While this tool may be used by individual birders for their own personal bird observations, the data that are entered are pooled together and shared with a global community of scientists, educators, land managers, and other stakeholders involved with bird conservation. The collective data that are amassed become an invaluable resource for conservationists, effectively benefiting both birders and the scientific community at large.
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