Saturday, January 29, 2011

RBG drive aims to get kids outside

RBG drive aims to get kids outside

RBG drive aims to get kids outside

Posted: 28 Jan 2011 09:01 AM PST

A new Royal Botanical Gardens program has been given close to $750,000 for a drive to get area children away from their computer screens and into the fresh air.

In a special announcement this morning, the RBG unveiled Growing Up Green. The initiative has financial support from the Trillium Foundation, The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, The Charles H. Ivey Foundation, Maritime-Ontario Freight Lines Ltd. and The Ministry of Tourism and Culture's Celebrate Ontario program,

In a news release the RBG said it will work with private- and public-sector groups to provide educational programming, access to outdoor activities and increased green space.

"Improving children's health and well being through nature activities has always been a priority for RBG," said Mark Runciman, RBG CEO. "We're grateful for our partners' initial fundraising support and we're hoping to leverage this to double or triple this amount through corporate and personal donations to sustain this important initiative."

Part of the Growing Up Green program includes the RBG's recent Back to Nature Network. Financed with $250,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the nitiative is being operated in conjunction with Parks and Recreation Ontario and Ontario Nature and 50 other groups.

This project will support collaborative programs, awareness building and policy work that will help build capacity for more children to play and learn outdoors across Ontario. In partnership with Halton District School Board, the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, as well as community organizations such as Scouts and Girl Guides, Growing up Green will educate families on the importance of outdoor activities and provide tangible programs and natural spaces for people to become more active.

Another key objective of Growing up Green is to help preserve natural areas close to urban centres so that families and children can experience nature in the same way as past generations.

Through the Cootes to Escarpment Park System Project, RBG and eight other major partners including the Halton and Hamilton Conservation Authorities, are working to preserve and expand one of Ontario's most significant and biodiverse natural areas. It is the only green space that runs continuously from the Niagara Escarpment to Lake Ontario's wetlands without being intersected by a major 400-series highway.

With $200,000 donated by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, this project will build public awareness and support, more actively engage stakeholders and work cooperatively to protect and secure this green gem for future generations.

Growing up Green is also being launched with a new exhibit at RBG, Wild Music; Sounds and Songs of Life, a 4,500 square foot interactive display which gives children the opportunity to learn about animal communication and hear and compose their own music using nature sounds.

sarnold@thespec.com

905-526-3496

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