thegreenrock.ca deep into an exciting 2017!

The first half of 2017 has been busy and gratifying – many great things have happened as thegreenrock.ca ~ Live Sustainably NL continues in its mission of promoting ‘habits for your habitat’ – things we can all do where we are to live more sustainably.   it’s a time of ‘twos’ –  thegreenrock.ca has won two awards, has been awarded two grants, and will be launching two waste reduction programs this fall!

•  thegreenrock.ca receives The Co-operators Group IMPACT! Youth Sustainability Fund!

thegreenrock-ers: Perla Hernandez (project coordinator) and Kim Todd (founder and director) accept the IMPACT! Sustainability Fund from Robert Conway of The Co-operators Group

In April thegreenrock.ca  was successful in its proposal to the Co-operators Group IMPACT! Youth Sustainability Fund to pilot ReGeneration~ The Plastic Bag project. reGeneration is an intergenerational awareness and action program that brings seniors and students together to share strengths, and transfer skills towards a common purpose of up-cycling plastic bags into durable goods like tote bags.

thegreenrock-er Perla Hernandez, is an alumni of the Co-operators’ IMPACT! Youth Sustainability Leadership Program which makes her eligible to apply for the IMPACT! Sustainability Fund!   reGeneration will launch this fall in collaboration with youth and seniors from Waterford Valley High School and the Agnes Pratt Nursing Home, as well as the rest of the community as we come together to share strengths and divert plastic bags.

 

• Guide to the Good wins the IMPACT Social Innovation Challenge Competition!

Myles Green from NL’s Association of CBDC presenting Kim Todd, thegreenrock.ca’s founder and director with Social Innovation Challenge award

In May 2017 during Innovation Week , Memorial University’s Centre for Social Enterprise in partnership with the United Church hosted the Social Innovation Challenge for entrepreneurs who had a business idea or initiative that would have a positive impact on the community. After a two-day  intensive process Kim Todd, Founder and Director of thegreenrock.ca won the first place for her pitch on the social enterpirse Guide to the Good! Have you checked the guide to the good? Check it out!

• thegreenrock.ca takes home an  IABC Pinnacle Award for #playoutdoors 
  

  thegreenrock-ers Perla and Kim

  

  Photo credit by Arthur Craig Green

Early in June thegreenrock.ca won a Pinnacle Award from the International Association of Business Communicators for the #playoutdoors recruitment campaign.  The project was in collaboration with the Junior Forest Wardens NL to get families outdoors and active, and in particular to start new Junior Forest Warden Clubs. Together thegreenrock.ca and JFW launched a successful campaign that delivered 10 community outreach events, reached out to 17 community organizations which engaged over 50 families in the St. John’s metro area and led to the start of two new JFW Clubs:  the Wild Wanderers and the Rollin’ Capelin.

• thegreenrock.ca receives Wellness Coalition Avalon East Grant for a composting project

Later in June 2017 thegreenrock.ca received the happy news that our application to pilot the In it’s Place  compost project was approved by the Wellness Coalition Avalon East Grant  This pilot will be launched this fall at Macdonald Drive Junior High School with support from Kids Eat Smart Foundation.   ‘In its Place’ is an environmental health awareness pilot project that educates students on the system of food production and waste, and pilots initiatives to fill gaps.

one more good thing…

• Diploma in Environmental Ethics for thegreenrock.ca founder

In July of 2017, Kim Todd, thegreenrock.ca founder received the Diploma in Applied Ethics from the Department of Humanities, Memorial University.   The final component of the program was a presentation entitled ethics from Aristotle to BCorp, and a few stops in between that had been delivered in April.

 

It all bodes well for the second half of 2017, and beyond!

 

 

thegreenrock.ca is a not-for–profit company that informs and inspires people in Newfoundland and Labrador on ways to address the challenges facing our planet, our communities, and our lives.  like us and share!

facebook: Facebook.com/thegreenrockca         twitter: @thegreenrockca

 

#playoutdoors – less screen time, more outdoor time

spending time in nature has positive physical and mental health benefits for both adults and children

in the fall of 2016, thegreenrock.ca in collaboration with the  Junior Forest Wardens NL launched a  #playoutdoors awareness campaign to get people outdoors and start new Junior Forest Warden NL Clubs.  Junior Forest Wardens, a family-based outdoor adventure group, has been active in NL since the 1940s.  numerous families have reaped the benefits of outdoor together time over the years, but numbers have been declining since the 1980s.

nature deficit disorder: kids are spending less time outdoors

kids these days are spending more time on screens than outdoors and that’s causing problems to their health. there’s extensive research about Nature Deficit Disorder. conversely, spending time in nature for adults, and especially for children brings the mental and physical health benefits. children experience positive social, psychological, and spiritual impacts on their personal and cognitive development.

 

JFW helps families and friends find time to hang out in the woods

as a side effect of modern, busy and sedentary lifestyles in recent years our exposure to nature has diminished. within a generation, Canada has transitioned from a rural to an urban nation, with 80% of Canadians now living in cities. as a result of this transition, it is estimated that Canadians today spend on average 90% of their time indoors, which has lead to a variety of chronic health issues as a result of sedentary lifestyles

aside from the mental and physical health benefits, getting kids in nature can also have positive impacts on our environment and our communities. a study by the University of British Columbia, suggests that providing positive childhood experiences in nature, can help to develop care and awareness of the environment as adults.

children who play outside are more likely to protect nature as adults

#playoutdoors campaign

the Junior Forest Wardens NL is dedicated to bringing families with school-aged children together to enjoy and learn about the natural environment. together thegreenrock.ca and JFW launched a successful campaign that delivered 10 community outreach events, reached out to 17 community organizations which engaged over 50 families in the St. John’s metro area and led to the start of two new JFW Clubs:  the Wild Wanderers and the Rollin’ Capelin.

up next
after all the success of the #playoutdoors thegreenrock.ca is working with JFW and other community partners to look into ways to expand the project this year. stay tuned!

update! #playoutdoors won a 2017 Pinnacle Award by the International Association of Business Communicators Newfoundland and Labrador! read all about it here

 

thegreenrock.ca is a not-for–profit company that informs and inspires people in Newfoundland and Labrador on ways to address the challenges facing our planet, our communities, and our lives.  like us and share!

Facebook: Facebook.com/thegreenrockca
twitter: @thegreenrockca

The Big Green Up!

What makes ‘green’ work?  People working together – each doing a bit!  Today, October 18, is MMSB’s BIG GREEN UP DAY – and lots of organizations are taking up the challenge.  The Habitat for Humanity ReStore – a champion of recycling the good toward helping families attain home ownership – is working with the Junior Forest Wardens to make green good great by giving out red pine seedlings to ReStore shoppers on October 18!  On October 17, the Canada Revenue Agency hosted a Waste Reduction Week Fair that included Habitat,  JFW, EverGreen Recycling, NL Power, the City of Mount Pearl and others who each work toward making their corners of the world a greener place.

It’s all good!

For more info on The Big Green Up visit

http://www.mmsb.nl.ca/green-up.asp

For more on Habitat for Humanity NL ReStore visit

www.habitatnl.ca