Spring 2007 Upcoming Events

Dear Members & Friends of Oakvillegreen:

We would like to thank our members and friends for your support of our organization over the past several months. With your help, we have been able to achieve some significant successes including the Province's promise to preserve the 24.1 acre piece of old-growth forest known as Wildlflower Woods as Conservation Land. We were also able to join more than 130 Canadian communities in banning the use of cosmetic pesticides.

We are now hard at work on your behalf to stop Halton from spending $800 million to build an incinerator that will burn up to 25% of the Greater Golden Horseshoes' garbage. We have launched several new initiatives including Oakville's first community garden and an organic farmers' market. We are also working on developing a sustainability framework for our Town and Region.

As a volunteer organization that receives no funding, we have become masters at doing a lot with very little. Our board and Think Tank members have also been very generous with their time and with donations of various supplies to make it possible for us to continue our work; however, to pay for
necessary things like $2 million of liability insurance coverage so we can hold events, bring in speakers and rent venues, we must do some fundraising. That's why events like the Great Community Garage and Plant Sale and the Mother's Day Walk in Wildflower Woods are so essential to the
organization. Please read through the upcoming events. Mark them down on your calendar. Pass information about them to others who may be interested. Come out to them and bring family and friends. We appreciate your ongoing support, and we look forward to seeing you at some of
these upcoming events.

Liz Benneian
President, Oakvillegreen Conservation Association

Mother's Day Walk in Wildflower Woods
Sunday, May 13 - 10:00 a.m.- noon
Bring your camera and enjoy a Mother's Day walk in Oakville's newest Conservation Area, a rare piece of old-growth forest called Wildflower Woods with ecologist, Paul O'Hara, and Oakville MPP, Kevin Flynn. Tickets are $5 for Oakvillegreen members; $10 for everyone else.
To reserve a
spot email Liz at: lizcdn@yahoo.com.

Oakvillegreen's Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Thursday, May 17
All members are encouraged to attend Oakvillegreen Conservation Association's Annual General Meeting to be held on Thursday, May 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Knox Presbyterian Church on the southeast corner of Lakeshore and Dunn in the hall downstairs (enter through the southern-most side door). The business portion of the meeting will be very brief; then we will have a presentation followed by a discussion with Chad Park from Natural Step, an organization that has been helping governments and businesses develop sustainability plans since 1988.
Oakvillegreen has been strongly advocating for the development and implementation of sustainability plans at the Municipal and Regional levels. We see this presentation as an opportunity to give our members and friends a better understanding of how governments can make sustainability the
underpinning of all decision-making. We hope to follow up this meeting in the fall with the involvement of our local governments.
The AGM is open to the public so feel free to invite others.

The Great Community Garage and Plant Sale
Saturday, May 26
Sell your stuff or find fantastic bargains at the Great Community Garage and Plant Sale at the Town Hall parking lot, 1225 Trafalgar Road, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. This is an ideal opportunity for community groups, service organizations, or charities to raise money for your
organization. Ask your members to donate goods and sell them at the garage sale. We take care of all the publicity, signage, and organizing, and you take care of your profits!
Oakvillegreen is also accepting donations of goods and plants to be sold at the Oakvillegreen table. To rent a space, to donate goods, or for more
info, go to www.oakvillegreen.org
Rain date: Sunday, May 27.
Plant Trees with Ground Breakers
Saturday, May 26
Plant trees with the volunteer group, Ground Breakers, at Donovan Bailey Park between Bridge and Rebecca, from 10:00 a.m.- noon. Everything from shovels to gloves provided. Teenagers welcome for volunteer hours. email at lizcdn@yahoo.com, or go to:
www.groundbreakersoakville.com .
Documentary Screening: Escape from Suburbia
Wednesday, June 6 and Thursday, June 7
See the sequel to the Canadian-made documentary, The End of Suburbia, that got the world talking about the coming energy crisis. Escape from Suburbia focusses on how three families are changing their lives to lower their energy consumption and live in a more sustainable way. The film also
features interviews with a former director of the CIA, leading energy analysts, and other experts. The film will be held at the Encore Theatres on Speers Road just west of Kerr Street. The screening will be followed by a community discussion. More details to follow soon.
Securing the Future of Heritage Trees Symposium and Workshop
Saturday, June 9
Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, the Town of Oakville, Clear the Air Coalition, the Ontario Urban Forest Council, and the Ontario Heritage Tree Alliance, will be holding a free Heritage Tree Symposium and Workshop. This will be the prelude to the launch of a Heritage Tree Hunt in
Oakville this fall, a fun community event that will help identify and catalogue our community's important trees.
People will asked to hunt for and nominate trees in several categories and a panel of experts will evaluate the nominees and select a winner in each category. Residents of Oakville can also participate in another component of the tree hunt, a photography contest.
We hope to create a tree hall of fame and also to identify trees from which we will start collecting seeds so the rich genetic legacy of our area's urban forest will be preserved for future generations.
The Symposium/Workshop will feature a number of interesting speakers, and it is meant to appeal to the average citizen who would like to know more about protecting and enhancing our urban forest.
There is no cost to attend. Registration is limited so if you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible.
Please forward this message to family and friends, and encourage them to
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from Oakvillegreen Conservation Association.
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