Green Venture sought out students from across Hamilton to join our first ever Youth Stewardship and Professional Skills Program. The first cohort focused on issues pertaining to urban forestry. Students came together twice a week for over a month to learn first-hand from members of the Green Venture team and professionals in the field of urban forestry. They received career advice, learned professional skills, and gained knowledge of Hamilton’s urban forest. A shout out to our amazing guest speakers:
- Dr. Rhoda DeJonge, Urban Forestry Technical Manager, Lallemand
- Barb McKean, Head of Education, Royal Botanical Gardens
- Ryan Munroe, Research Technician, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
- Myles Sergeant, Family Physician, native tree enthusiast, Trees for Hamilton
- Brandylyn Tiffney, Forestry Investigator (Treeplanting), Public Works, City of Hamilton
The program’s 5 weeks lead up to a showcase of the projects our teams undertook to help Hamilton’s urban forest thrive to create a healthier and more resilient environment for everyone to enjoy. We are excited to share what these students came up with.
Group 1 - DIY Upcycling
A group of students were united by one thing – there’s too much plastic in our environment! The group worked together to find ways to create useful objects from everyday trash. Each team member came up with a DIY project and created a video and infographics to help others transform their garbage into a new useful product. The team hopes to encourage others to try to prevent plastic from entering the waste stream. This is a great way to protect our urban forest from litter and pollution along with protecting our urban waterways allowing for clean water to feed our forests. Check out their videos on the brand new TikTok channel that they created on behalf of Green Venture!
Group 2 - Hamilton Teach Green
This group decided to educate Hamiltonians on the importance of trees. This team knew the best way to reach people right now is virtually. They created a website and Instagram account including information and blogs about the importance of trees, how to plant them, and where to plant them in Hamilton. The group hopes to reach as many people as possible and plans to engage via social media and their website to direct people to resources for planting and maintaining trees in our community. You can visit their website and follow them on Instagram.
What's Next?
The projects aren’t done yet. The students are determined to keep their stewardship projects going. They plan to continue educating and providing tools and resources to their community to protect our urban forest. Green Venture is excited to share their progress with you. Check back for future updates.
This first session of the stewardship program was run as part of Green Venture’s Canopy for Community program. The program is generously supported by Canadian Tree Fund, Hamilton Community Fund and in partnership with Trees for Hamilton.
In the News!
Green Venture is in the news! We are so excited to be featured in the Hamilton Spectator for our Youth Stewardship and Professional Skills program. Interested readers can access the news article here or via NewsBank using your Hamilton Library account.
We hope these projects have inspired you to learn more about urban forestry and maybe consider planting a tree! Here are some great resources to consider in Hamilton:
- Sign up for the City of Hamilton’s Street Tree Program to have a tree planted on the right-of-way in front of your house here.
- Visit one of our many local native tree nurseries! Check for online purchase and delivery options at:
- Ontario Native Plants,
- Kayanase,
- Connons,
- BeeSweet or
- Check the MGHalton directory to find a nursery close to you
- Grow Your Own – Check out the oak tree growing progress from some of the Tree Growing Kit participants! These beautiful red oak trees will be ready to plant out soon. We’ll have more tree growing kits available for schools and residents next spring. More information available on our website.
