Ottawa

Recorded November 2021

Speakers: Steve Hubbard - LightenCo. and Christopher Ralph - The Lion Electric Company 

Description: As part of Canada’s mandate to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, the Government of Canada has set an ambitious and mandatory target of every new light-duty vehicle and passenger truck being zero-emission by 2035 and is making investments to ensure this happens. One of the key barriers to zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption is the lack of charging stations. With the goal to break down barriers associated with EV adoption, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is funding EV infrastructure projects through the Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP). Hydro Ottawa has been selected as a delivery organization to distribute ZEVIP funding.

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Recorded February 2021

Description: Learn how YOUR faith community can finance energy projects and benefit from the available energy programs offered through EnviroCentre and CoEnergy.

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Recorded December 2020

Description: What is being done by communities to be more sustainable? How does using clean/renewable energy aligns with faith community missions of environmental stewardship?

Find out the questions to these and what next steps you can take in this webinar hosted by GSS Ottawa.

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Perhaps, you are well aware that Greening Sacred Spaces Ottawa has been one of the oldest chapters of the FCG sustainability network operating in Ottawa for over 15 years. What you may not know is that a few new faces have joined this chapter in the hopes of contributing to the meaningful work of the group and building its story further.  We would like to introduce ourselves, and in so doing, also discuss some of the ways in which we the Energy Benchmarking Program (EBP) that we are both involved in will be moving, going forward this year.

SUMMARY

The Beit Tikvah Synagogue hugglekulture garden is a superb example of permaculture, polyculture and regenerative agriculture on a small scale in Ottawa. Permaculture garden design is a “whole systems” approach to growing food by maximizing the benefits of natural ecosytem principles into the landscape. Using natural water flow movement, the benefits of woody material decomposition (both for nutrients and water storage) and increasing the seasonal biodiversity of food crops, this hugglekulture garden optimizes nature’s cycles and reduces the work for the synagogue’s gardening community.

(Beit Tikvah's Orchard and Gardens, Title photo reproduced with permission by photographer (2020))

SUMMARY

The Orleans United Healing Biodiversity Garden was created to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the church. The focus on both biodiversity and healing came from the desire for this new garden to provide both habitat and shelter for wildlife and offer a relaxing space for meditation and prayer for community members including those benefiting from a new healing ministry program. Nature itself offers healing benefits and this garden provides a designated space to sit outdoors and enjoy the wonder and beauty of being outdoors.

(Title Image - Photo credit - F. Lemay-Legault)

(The Haven Community Garden - Multifaith Housing Initiative, Photo Credit: Nancy Moir)

SUMMARY

The Haven’s two-year old community garden is a LEED gold component of the Multifaith Housing Initiative’s (MHI) newest development in Barrhaven. Growing local produce and helping with food security is one of the garden’s tangible goals but participating in this outdoor activity offers residents much more: an opportunity to strengthen the connections in this neighbourhood and build trust and confidence between members.

(Congregation in the Labyrinth, Photo Credits: St John the Baptist Anglican Church)

SUMMARY

St. John the Baptist Anglican church in the rural part of Ottawa, offers four acres of peaceful greenspace in a village setting. The church’s Quiet Garden and Labyrinth are tucked away off the street in a sheltered setting that provides visitors with a tranquil space to do walking meditation, connect with nature, relax, rest and seek spiritual comfort.

I couldn’t believe I was crouching on a green patch, trying to see close up the activities that were happening at ground level. How had the events of the day found me on my knees?

My day had started simply enough, packing flyers in a satchel and coordinating a route in the southwest end of the city for outreach and visiting with faith communities. This was one aspect of the program I appreciated, meeting with gardeners and seeing their labours of love, finding out how they were incorporating aspects of sustainability and supporting the local ecology in their own properties. It was inspiring to see what different approaches faith communities took to outdoor greening and how their sacred spaces linked with the landscapes of their neighbourhoods and supported the communities surrounding their property.

Recorded November 13, 2019

Learn about what it's like to participate in the Energy Benchmarking Program, to ask energy-saving questions to an expert, and to be inspired by the amazing work of this congregation!

In this free webinar, Steven Law, P. Eng., the Holy Trinity Thornhill Green Team leader. Steven Law is a licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Guelph.  Steven has over 20 years of experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors, including participation in renewable energy projects, leading the Holy Trinity Green Team and teaching a short course on renewable energy and storage technologies.

Watch the free webinar to learn more about Holy Trinity Thornhill's green journey, including first steps, a green audit, energy retrofits and joining the Energy Benchmarking Program. 

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