Saturday, July 27, 2024
Authors Articles by Matt Higgs

Articles by Matt Higgs

Matt Higgs
75 Articles
Matt Higgs was GreenUP's Communications and Marketing Specialist and authored a weekly column focused on all things environmental that was published in the Peterborough Examiner and on kawarthaNOW.com. A native of New Brunswick, Matt has called the Kawarthas and Northumberland home since 2008. Follow GreenUP on Twitter or connect with them on Facebook.
There's something for everyone at the annual GreenUP Ecology Park Plant Sale that runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The sale features a wide selection of native plants, trees, shrubs and vegetable seedlings available for purchase, with all funds raised supporting the park. (Photo: tomatoheadquarters.com)

Kick off gardening season at GreenUP Ecology Park’s spring plant sale

Matt Higgs -
Stock up on vegetable plants, native plants, wildflowers, trees, and more on May 17.
Until this year, Shifting Gears was a month-long commuter challenge for workplaces. The challenge now includes everyone and all transportation trips made during May, including errands, walks to school, social trips, and appointments.

Shifting Gears for a greener future

Matt Higgs -
Peterborough's annual workplace challenge expands to include the broader community.
The Peterborough Urban Shorelines Revitalization Project gives shoreline property owners a free assessment and provides recommendations they can take, such as planting native plants, trees, and shrubs to keep our urban waterways healthy

New program to benefit urban water courses in Peterborough

Matt Higgs -
Anyone who owns shoreline property can participate.
Local musician Al Black, who recently organized a clean-up group called the Shining Waters Chain Gang, displays discarded items he found while cleaning up the Little Lake shore line at Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough last Sunday. There are numerous other spring cleanups happening around the region, including at Peterborough's Jackson Park on Saturday, April 25th. (Photo: Steven Leak)

Communities celebrate spring with clean ups

Matt Higgs -
Local events include Jackson Creek Clean Up, Super Spring Clean Up, Environment Day, and more.
Many people are choosing to install rain barrels as an effective way to gather and store a large quantity of water on rainy days for use when conditions are dry (photo: GoErie.com)

Save water and money with rain barrels

Matt Higgs -
Collect rainwater and use it on sunny days to water your lawn and garden
Organisms, such as bacteria and worms, work together to break down kitchen scraps and yard waste, turning it into rich garden soil your plants will thrive on (photo: Wikipedia)

Spring into composting

Matt Higgs -
Tips for making your own black gold.
Microbeads, which are found in a wide range of products from soaps and facial cleansers to toothpastes, have been turning up in large quantities in lakes and rivers. Too small to be captured in wastewater treatment plants, the beads enter waterways, causing harm to fish and wildlife. (Photo: 5 Gyres)

Tiny beads of plastic polluting our waters

Matt Higgs -
Microbeads in cosmetic and household products absorb toxins, harm aquatic life, and enter the food chain.
Songbirds like the tree swallow are in serious decline across North America. With billions falling victim to cats, windows, light pollution, and other human obstacles, we need to do whatever we can to save the birds while we still can.

Quiet times ahead as songbird numbers drop

Matt Higgs -
Human activity is largely to blame for the decline in songbirds.
Grant Baldwin, producer of the film "Just Eat It" that focuses on the topic of food waste, kneels over a dumpster of discarded hummus. Food waste in Canada is valued at a staggering $31 billion in 2014, up 15% from 2013.

Taking a bite out of food waste

Matt Higgs -
Canadians throw away $31 billion worth of food every year.
Taking shorter showers is just one of many easy things around the house you can do to reduce your water consumption

Conserve the flow to save H20

Matt Higgs -
Tips for using less water and making smarter choices about the water we do use.
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