For many of us, May is a month of rejuvenation, revived energy, and awakening. For GreenUP, it’s also a month full of green events!
As the natural world renews and refreshes with new leaves and blooms, so do we, with new vitality for a season of warmth, gardening, cycling, and outdoor fun.
GreenUP offers many resources, products, events, and workshops to support your month of green.
The GreenUP Ecology Park Annual Plant Sale runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 18th this year. This is our biggest sale of the year and, for many Peterborough-area residents, it is the official start of the gardening season.
The Peterborough Master Gardeners will be there to answer all your gardening questions and, while you’re there, you can also visit with the Ancient Forest Exploration & Research group to find out about old-growth forests and seed saving in the Peterborough area.
The Ecology Park Garden Market officially opens that day too, with quality veggies, seedlings, and a large variety of wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees available. We specialize in varieties and species that thrive in our region of Ontario and that also provide important habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
Throughout the season, GreenUP Ecology Park features a host of display gardens and naturalized areas, a native plant nursery, children’s programs, a garden market, skill-building workshops, and hands-on displays that all benefit from the funds raised at the Annual Plant Sale. GreenUP can then continue to offer the community everything we need to be good stewards of the land in our care.
May is also the month when many of us dig our umbrellas out of the basement and our bicycles out of the shed.
During the month of May you can track your bike, transit, and walking trips with Shifting Gears. Come out of hibernation and leave the car behind as you travel to work, school, the store, an appointment, or elsewhere in healthy and sustainable ways.
Register and get tracking now at peterboroughmoves.com. Those who are new to Shifting Gears this year will receive exclusive invites to New-to-Shifting workshops.
Several workshops are being held at different locations in the city, during the first two weeks in May. Those who are new to taking transit, or commuting by bike or by foot are encouraged to attend to learn insider tips about making the shift to each of these modes of travel.
Be sure to visit peterboroughmoves.com to register or visit Peterborough Moves on Facebook to view the list of workshops, dates, and locations.
During the month of May, you can also attend free hikes around town called Jane’s Walks, which are named after Jane Jacobs. Jacobs was a writer, urbanist, and activist who championed the voices of everyday people in neighbourhood planning and city-building.
Every year, thousands of people around the world take part in these free, citizen-led walking tours to discuss her ideas. These walking conversations make space for people to observe, reflect, share, question, and collectively reimagine the places in which they live, work, and play.
Jane’s Walks are organized and led by volunteers in hundreds of cities around the world. Walks take place each year in Peterborough in partnership with local organizations and on a variety of topics. Visit greenup.on.ca/events to view details about Jane’s Walks happening in May, or visit Jane’s Walk Peterborough on Facebook for a full listing of walks, locations, and themes.
While May is a time for activity and rejuvenation, it can also be a time for rain, higher water levels, and addressing flooding. If you are looking for green solutions for around your home to address flooding (or drought), join the GreenUP water department for the “Water you doing around your home?” workshop being held at the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre on Monday, May 6th at 11 a.m.
This informative and interactive workshop will explore ways we can develop a more positive relationship with water around our homes by integrating landscaping methods that keep water in mind. Learn water conservation techniques, how to rain-proof your home, how to mitigate impacts on water, and more. To register, call the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre at 705-742-0050
May is also the perfect time to collect rain to later use on your garden, saving you money on your water utility bill, while conserving water at the same time. Pop into the GreenUP Store at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough to pick up a rain barrel.
Our rain barrels are sourced locally and are made from recycled olive barrels that have been retrofitted to collect and store rain water for personal use. For extra incentive to save water, Peterborough Utilities Group customers will receive an instant $25 rebate on their purchase of a rain barrel at the GreenUP Store.
For more information about many more green events happening in May and beyond, check out the GreenUP website events calendar at greenup.on.ca/events.
