Having spent more than three decades empowering climate action in the Peterborough region, it’s only fitting that GreenUP will be hosting an open house on Earth Day (Wednesday, April 22) to celebrate its achievements with the community over the past year and to share its plans for 2026.
Since 1992, the non-profit environmental organization has delivered hands-on programming, worked with community partners, and promoted connections with nature as part of its mission is to inspire and empower healthy and sustainable climate action right here at home.
Last year alone, GreenUP planted over 2,100 trees, engaged more than 5,300 youth across all its programs, and encouraged over 3,300 people to participate in active transportation programs — demonstrating only a few of the ways local climate action can make a real difference.
Supporting community-driven climate action
“We offer folks in the community an opportunity to take action on the climate events they’re concerned about — whether flooding, changing weather patterns, or heat waves — and learn what they can do to help mitigate some of the impacts of climate change,” says GreenUP interim executive director Natalie Stephenson.
“They can get involved in a lot of ways that invite them to be part of a solution, instead of perhaps watching the news and feeling overwhelmed. It’s certainly a challenging time, both for our community and our climate, and we offer some optimism and ways to take action on the things people care about.”
GreenUP’s program areas are broad and include helping homes and businesses reduce energy consumption, creating habitat for native plants and wildlife, promoting active transportation habits, educating children and youth to instill a lifelong relationship with nature, planting trees, caring for community orchards, and so much more.
Growing local solutions at Ecology Park
The spring is one of the busiest times of year for GreenUP as the organization prepares to open the Native Plant Nursery at Ecology Park on Saturday, May 16.
During an opening event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., GreenUP will also begin engaging families in a new project to help reimagine the Children’s Garden at Ecology Park, which is also the basis of their spring fundraising campaign.
“We are looking for support from our community to bring to life new activities that children and families would like to access at Ecology Park,” Stephenson says. “We want to bring more families to the park, to learn about nature and connect with the land in all seasons.”
“It’s important to us to get kids off their screens and establish a connection to nature so, as they get older, they become the next stewards and climate champions in our community. I think it’s also important to a lot of folks that have kids or grandkids in the Peterborough region.”
Located at 1899 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough, GreenUP Ecology Park Native Plant Nursery is a source for native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. The nursery is propagating more native plants than ever, many of which are available for purchase, while others make their way to ecological projects throughout the community. All proceeds from nursery sales support GreenUP’s non-profit programming.
“We’re starting to reach a broader audience who want to learn about simple changes they can make to support pollinators and wildlife in their own gardens,” Stephenson says. “Ecology Park is a great place to come, ask questions, and glean some new expertise from our team. We are proud to offer local solutions that we’re growing right here at home.”
This year, GreenUP is also partnering with the Peterborough & Area Master Gardeners on an initiative called Growing Together. Funded by the federal New Horizons for Seniors program, this initiative will engage older adults in hands-on, intergenerational learning through a series of educational workshops at Ecology Park in June and September.
Volunteers are at the heart of GreenUP’s impact
Although GreenUP operates with a team of paid staff, the organization also depends on the contributions of environmentally minded volunteers.
In 2025, the organization grew its volunteer community to 545 people who contributed over 3,600 hours of work. These volunteers engaged in activities like Restoration Wednesdays, where they learned about native plants and invasive species management while significantly contributing to Ecology Park’s ecological health.
“What’s driving our volunteer program is that people really want to connect with others who share their passions,” Stephenson says. “Volunteers can make connections, developing a kinship with the land and with other environmentally conscious folks, while removing invasive plants, and replacing them with native varieties. It’s a win-win across the board.”
One of those volunteers is Stephanie Larstone, who says donating her time to GreenUP has been “life changing.” A landscape gardener, she attended Restoration Wednesdays last year, where she learned to identify buckthorn and other invasive plant species.
“I loved what GreenUP was doing, and I loved learning, and I think I went back every Wednesday from that day on,” Larstone says about her first time volunteering.
Since then, she has also joined GreenUP in tree planting initiatives at Ecology Park and helped with a few administrative tasks. Heading into the spring, she says she has designed her work schedule around being able to continue to show up for GreenUP, learn about climate action, and make connections with other volunteers.
“I’ve met a lot of really interesting people, and I can’t think of any other way that I ever would have met some of them because we’re all different ages with different work experiences,” she says. “I felt warmly welcomed from the moment I stepped foot inside.”
Sustaining programs through community support
As a charitable organization, GreenUP also relies on community donations to maintain the quality and diversity of their programs. Given how unreliable grants and funding can be, GreenUP is hoping to engage more monthly donors to ensure long-term and sustainable support they can count on.
“Running a non-profit is challenging, particularly when we don’t know how much we can reliably fundraise,” Stephenson explains. “It makes it hard to plan programs and run them in a sustained way. If we have monthly donations of any size coming in, it helps us to know what we are able to offer to the community.”
There are many ways to make a donation, whether through a one-time, monthly, or a legacy gift in a will. When donating to GreenUP, people can choose which programs and areas to support, and they can take pride in the role they play, enabling this continual work in the community.
“When you support a local organization like GreenUP, it’s much easier to feel connected with and see the impact of your dollars firsthand,” Stephenson says.
Donor Virginia Swinson agrees, noting that Greenup “fulfils such an important role in these times of environmental degradation.”
“Dollars donated to this organization give me a sense of purpose and gratification, doing something tangible to help protect the land and water of the Peterborough area,” she says.
Earth Day open house invites community connection
The Earth Day open house is also an opportunity for community members to connect with GreenUP by dropping by the organization’s office at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough between 4 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22.
The event will feature a program showcase, some light refreshments, and members of the GreenUP team will be available to share information about programs and to find out what residents would like to see from the organization going forward.
“We want to meet community needs with our programming,” Stephenson says. “Great ideas come from our community and we love the opportunity to learn directly from local residents about their priorities. At the open house, we’ll be celebrating many of the things that we’ve been doing over the last year, and also engaging with community members so that they can grow their own understanding of GreenUP — and get involved.”
For more information about GreenUP, to donate, or get involved as a volunteer, visit greenup.on.ca.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with GreenUP. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
