Green grants

Applications are now under review for the 2025 Greenest City Grant. The next intake will be in fall 2025.

The Greenest City Grant program offers grants for community-driven initiatives that help advance climate action, including our Climate Emergency Action Plan, and Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, while advancing equity in Vancouver.

Greenest City Grant

Projects must address both climate action and equity
Two-step application process: expression of interest due on: October 2, 2024

Eligible projects

Projects by registered non-profit societies, registered charities in good standing with the Canadian Revenue Agency, and First Nations Bands
Project must address both climate action and equity
Located in and benefit Vancouver
One to 2 years duration

Funding
A maximum of $50,000 per project. Matching funds, which may include in-kind contributions, are strongly encouraged.

Key dates

Date	Deadline
September 3, 2024	Grant open for Expressions of Interest
September 23, 2024	Online information session
October 2, 2024	Deadline for Expressions of Interest
October 21, 2024	Applicants receive feedback on their Expression of Interest and may be invited to submit a full application
December 2, 2024	Deadline for full applications
February or March 2025: To be determined	Grant recommendations go to City Council for approval
April or May 2025: To be determined	Funds disbursed to successful applicants

Watch the 2025 Greenest City Grant applicant info session

Expressions of Interest will be reviewed the week of October 21, 2024, at which point applicants invited to submit full applications will be notified.

Contact us
greenest.citygrant@vancouver.ca

Greenest City – Neighbourhood Small Grants
- Grants: small grants of up to $500 for Vancouver residents to help advance climate goals, such as those in our Climate Emergency Action Plan
- Funding: $90,000 per year
- Application deadlines vary based on community. Check your community's application deadline
- Administered by the Vancouver Foundation
Eligible applicants

People living in Vancouver (registered organizations and businesses aren't eligible)

Eligible projects
- Visit the Neighbourhood Small Grants website for details of what types of project are supported (infrastructure, building upgrades, or maintenance projects aren’t eligible, except for community gardens)
- Free, accessible, and welcoming to all
Funding

$50 to $500

Key dates
- February to April: Apply
- April to May: Neighbourhood Grants Committee reviews the applications
- May to November: Implement your project
- October to December: Report back on your project
How to apply

Apply with the Vancouver Foundation

Accomplishments

From 2012-2023, we’ve funded about $4 million to projects supporting sustainability and climate action in Vancouver.

Learn about past grant recipients

2024

Through 6 Greenest City Grants totalling $238,353, the following projects are working to advance climate action in Vancouver:

EcoVoyage: sustainable journeys for all ($43,778)

Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST)

EcoVoyage fosters sustainable transportation skills in Vancouver’s growing newcomer population through experiential learning. The initiative promotes active, multimodal transportation, fosters community connections, and aims to reduce carbon emissions while addressing transportation needs and skills for newcomers.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Trek community-based filmmaking ($19,459)

The Cinematheque

The TREK program engages high school-aged youth in filmmaking workshops; with funding from the GCG the focus in 2024 is on actively investigating current climate and social justice issues. 200 students will receive training to create films that spread climate awareness and inspire action.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Climate Action Jam ($38,915)

CityHive Youth Engagement Society

Climate Action Jam is a community-based climate action workshop program providing youth ages 18 to 30 with the opportunity to learn about the local levers for change, the current climate crisis and proposed solutions, and support them to define how they want to take action.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Oppenheimer repair clinics ($48,643)

P.E.D.A.L./ Our Community Bikes

The Oppenheimer Repair Clinics promote active transportation in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) by offering free repair clinics twice a week for 3 hours. DTES residents gain, or maintain, transportation access and the lifespan of their mobility device is extended. Waste is reduced, education takes place, and climate impacts are minimized.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Cultivating green-blue spaces in the Still Creek watershed ($38,915)

Still Moon Arts Society

This project supports community-engaged green infrastructure creation in three parks within the Still Creek Watershed, combined with Still Creek restoration and enhancement. Public education and engagement with stewardship, urban nature and climate adaptation, prioritising equity-deserving groups, with the aim of increasing resilience, mitigating flooding, and increasing biodiversity as well as equitable access to natural spaces.

Supports: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Vancouver Youth Climate Corps ($48,643)

Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC)

The Youth Climate Corps BC (YCCBC) is an employment service program that provides young people aged 17 to 30 with jobs and training in community climate action projects, while paying them a living wage. YCCBC will work to foster young climate leadership, civic engagement and workforce readiness in climate jobs for young Vancouverites.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan, Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
2023

Through 6 Greenest City Grants totalling $232,688, the following projects are working to advance climate action in Vancouver:

Empowering Vancouver’s Diverse Communities in Climate Action ($41,422)

Create Climate Equity

Building on the success of their 2022 Greenest City Grant, Create Climate Equity’s 2023 project was to further develop and deliver a multi-lingual curricula focused on energy conservation, efficiency, and climate action, to support 2 communities in Vancouver with unique needs: immigrants who are seniors and immigrants who are renters.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Youth climate stewards ($41,422)

Environmental Youth Alliance

Youth Climate Stewards empowers local youth from equity-seeking communities to become climate stewards through a 10-week practical training program focused on creating and restoring climate resilient ecosystems at 3 sites in East Vancouver. The curriculum incorporates Indigenous teachings and the project is by and for youth from equity-seeking communities.

Supports: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Connecting people, science, and action to enhance the sustainability of False Creek’s marine environment ($39,000)

False Creek Friends Society

This project aims to enable knowledge-based efforts to protect and restore the historically rich and diverse marine habitat of False Creek, through community education and citizen science. The project conducted a sample analysis of biodiversity and contaminants and held multiple focus groups to share results with local organizations to inspire further efforts to inspire and enhance protection for False Creek.

Supports: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

A decolonising toolkit for community tended gardens ($41,422)

Hives for Humanity

Through existing community partnerships and in practice of decolonial governance, Hives for Humanity hosted focus session to create a scalable and open-sourced ‘Decolonising Toolkit’ to share what the land and practices of care can teach about inclusion, organizing, resilience, and restoration.

Supports: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Bikes for families ($28,000)

Kickstand Community Bikes Society

Through this project, Kickstand and the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society (“AMCS”) empowered families residing at the AMCS by providing them with bicycles, building storage for their bicycles, and facilitating educational workshops for basic bike how-to’s and maintenance.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

V6A garden club ($41,422)

Watari Counselling and Support Services

The V6A Gardens Club at the Downtown Eastside (DTES) Urban Farm is an Indigenous-led urban agricultural project that brings together sustainability, food sovereignty, and community-led social transformation. Through this project, DTES residents are empowered to cultivate, grow, harvest, and share much-needed food and medicines with their community.

Supports: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
2022

Through 6 Greenest City Grants totaling $232,688, approximately 17,883 people and counting are being engaged by the following projects:

Youth climate justice collaborative (YCJC) ($41,000)

Be The Change Earth Alliance (BTCEA)

Be the Change Earth Alliance runs a Youth for Climate Justice Collaborative to equip young Vancouverites ages 12 to18 with the knowledge and tools to launch climate justice projects in their communities.

The Greenest City Grant funding they received in 2022 supported 290 high schoolers with hands-on mentorship, training workshops, and project seed funding for their own local climate action projects.

Projects have included student-led climate justice awareness-raising workshops for teachers, as well as education for students about participating in the civic process.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Youth civics and climate leadership program ($39,000)

CityHive Youth Engagement Society

‘Youth Civics and Climate Leadership Program’ was a series of activation and capacity-building workshops for youth to equip them to take climate action on a municipal scale and see greater youth participation on local issues.

Delivered in partnership with community partners to reach underserved communities of youth, the program equipped youth with knowledge on how local governments take climate action and on how they can take climate action in their community.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Engaging Vancouver's diverse communities in climate action ($41,000)

Create Climate Equity

While important and effective climate programming exists, it is often not designed for the unique needs of immigrants and newcomers.

Create Climate Equity partners with Empower Me to deliver low-barrier, tailored, peer-to-peer programming to immigrant and newcomer households, helping them to understand and improve their home energy systems to save money, energy, and reduce carbon pollution.

In 2022 and 2023, the Greenest City Grant funding will provide translated climate education to 1,000 Vancouver newcomer and immigrant households.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

StreetWise public cycling education ($29,000)

HUB Cycling

Through the StreetWise Cycling Education Centre (SWCEC), HUB Cycling provides accessible courses and safe cycling practice opportunities that increase participant’s skills, knowledge, and confidence in riding and maintaining bicycles.

In partnership with Trout Lake Community Centre, we create a welcoming, inclusive space for Vancouver residents to reduce their GHG emissions and improve their health and well being through cycling.

Streetwise Public Cycling Education hosted 27 courses and 6 practice sessions to 236 participants in total. Demand was high with 23 out of 33 programs selling out almost immediately once registration opened, and over 150 people on waitlists.

Increasing access to food recovery in Vancouver ($41,000)

Vancouver Food Runners Society

Vancouver Food Runners used their 2022 Greenest City Grant to help redirect surplus food from businesses to local nonprofits.

Their program supports the needs of individuals experiencing food security while also saving food from being wasted.

Food waste rotting in the landfill creates methane gas, a form of carbon pollution. Last year, Vancouver Food Runners redirected 750,000 pounds of food from the landfill, mitigating more that 325,800 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Being good guests - Climate justice in a complex system of biocultural heritage ($41,688)

Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty

This project applies a climate justice framework to develop a partnership agreement with Vancouver Park Board to facilitate the development of Indigenous land-based learning exchanges that enhance Coast Salish biodiversity, and build on the long legacy of social justice activism in the Strathcona and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighborhoods.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan, Equity Framework
2021

Through 6 Greenest City Grants totaling $231,065, approximately 19.515 people and counting are being engaged through the following projects:

Latino Climate Action ($42,000)

Latincouver Cultural and Business Society

Latino Climate Action aimed to increase climate emergency awareness and literacy within the Latino community in Vancouver.

Through a mix of in-language workshops, mentorships, and podcasts, Latino Climate Action sought to facilitate behavioral change that supports cross-generational climate action, involving newcomers, BIPOC, youth, adults, and elders.

The project completed 13 hybrid workshops, 1 mentorship and 3 podcasts, engaging 2,080 people in total.

Topics covered in the workshops included local climate change impacts and solutions, Latin American cooking for a climate-friendly diet, climate justice, and the immigrant experience as it pertains to the climate emergency.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Cool' Hood Champs: Empowering, coordinating and scaling up neighborhood climate action ($34,000)

UBC Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning (CALP)

The Cool 'Hood Champs 2-year project empowered Vancouver's most vulnerable community members to take climate actions in their neighborhoods and build resilience to climate risk.

The Champs Coordinator supported local action plans and linked Champs to City policy-makers to help achieve the Climate Emergency Action Plan goals.

Throughout the program, UBC-CALP successfully ran a 4-part workshop series, including 12 workshops in 3 neighborhoods directly engaging 59 residents.

One unintended positive outcome was a partnership with UBC Centre for community engaged learning, training 15 students to become ‘Climate Action Mobilizers’ and deliver Champs workshops.

Since June 2022, the Climate Action Mobilizers have facilitated their own workshops in at least 3 other communities in Vancouver.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Food donor expansion project ($32,000)

Vancouver Food Runners

The food donor expansion project was a true community effort between food businesses, volunteers, and community partners.

Vancouver Food Runners surpassed their project’s targets, redirecting 711,379 pounds of food and mitigating 309,023 pounds of carbon dioxide.

The project focuses on recruitment, a food donor database, partnership work with Food Stash and Rethink2gether, and ongoing community and media work to shift the culture around food "waste" among businesses in Vancouver.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan, Zero Waste 2040

First steps to a healthy climate ($42,000)

West Side Family Place Society

First Steps to a Healthy Climate includes 6 session workshops, created by local mom, educator, and community organizer Laurel Hart in collaboration with Family Places throughout Vancouver, in order to empower, educate and provide a network of support for young families seeking to act on climate change.

The Greenest City Grant supported the creation of workshops and an educational research program that has explored family-centered topics around talking to children about climate change, changing behaviors to reduce our carbon pollution, and preparing for climate emergencies.

The first set of workshops wrapped in spring 2023 and another set will be underway in summer 2024, along with content to be released online.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

Shedding light on Still Creek: Community led Beaconsfield Wetland and Ecosystem Connection Project ($40,000)

Still Moon Arts Society

In 2021 and 2022, Still Moon Arts Society ran educational workshops, public talks, and community engagement in support of the plans for a Beaconsfield Park wetland, and community-engaged stewardship and restoration around Still Creek.

In 2023, Still Moon extended community engagement and education work to the wetlands planned for Falaise and Slocan Parks, placing an emphasis on inclusive participation and equity by involving underserved and BIPOC communities.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan

A just transition – Restoring Indigenous foodlands ($41,065)

Working Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty

This project developed BIPOC programming to mobilize decolonizing food systems knowledge and networks to support the restoration of Indigenous foodlands in Strathcona Park, and advocate for a corridor of green spaces to increase food security, access to nature, and mitigate impacts of climate change.

Supports: Climate Emergency Action Plan, Equity Framework
2020

Through five Greenest City Grants totaling $225,000, approximately 5,026 people were engaged by the following projects:

Youth For Climate Action ($50,000)

Be the Change Earth Alliance

Youth for Climate Action (Y4YC) was piloted to empower community centre youth groups and high school green teams to take leadership on climate action projects in their communities. It took a participatory approach driven by the concerns of youth, who are often left out of solution-oriented discussions on climate change, despite facing some of the most profound climate impacts over their lifetimes.

Y4CA empowered four core youth teams to develop and implement climate action projects in their school community at Lord Byng, Eric Hamber, Magee and Sir Winston Churchill Secondary Schools. Their projects actively reduced local carbon footprints while engaging community members in climate action. Projects included leading climate literacy campaigns, encouraging active transportation to and from school, making climate-friendly diet choices, and improving their school’s waste diversion efforts.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Green Economy, Lighter Footprint, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Land Guardians: A Program for Urban Indigenous Youth ($50,000)

Environmental Youth Alliance Society

Land Guardians was a 2-year joint venture between EYA and the Urban Native Youth Alliance to scale up a pilot project for urban Indigenous youth facing barriers to stability and engagement. It was a hands-on program to reconnect youth with Indigenous land stewardship practices and acquire vocational skills, traditional plant medicine-making, ecological restoration, and horticulture. In total, 46 youth were engaged in programs that grew plants benefitting nearly 900 community members.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Climate and Renewables, Clean Water, Green Economy, Local Food
Other City strategies: Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Healthy City Strategy

Repair Hub ($41,252)

Free Geek Community Technology Centre Society

Repair Hub was a 2-year project featuring a series of repair events and activities coordinated among four repair organizations in Vancouver to investigate the feasibility, demand and best practices for a permanent and active repair centre in Vancouver. The four participating repair groups include Free Geek Community Technology Centre Society, Frameworq Education Society, Repair Matters and Metro Van Repair Cafes.

Between 2020 and 2022, Repair Hub hosted a number of activities, including online repair events, a series of six monthly events hosted at Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, and a Zero Waste Fair at City Hall. These in-person events are estimated to have engaged upwards of 700 people.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Economy, Lighter Footprint, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Zero Waste 2040

Vancouver First Nations Youth - Building Community Through Cycling ($34,400)

HUB Cycling

HUB Cycling partnered with Kiwassa Neighbourhood House, Red Fox Healthy Living Society, and PEDAL Society to deliver a specialized urban cycling program for urban Indigenous youth (ages 8 to 13) in the Hastings-Sunrise, Strathcona and Downtown Eastside areas.

Two program cycles were delivered to Indigenous and racialized participants from East Vancouver over the course of 13 weeks, offering youth leaders advanced urban cycling skills and practical skills instruction, as well as a bike and necessary accessories. With HUB Cycling oversight and Red Fox support, youth leaders and participants identified and mapped community resources in their area reachable by bicycle, and identified safe and enjoyable cycling routes throughout their neighbourhood.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Clean Air, Climate and Renewables, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Renewable City Strategy

From Pedal to Plate: Sustainable delivery of rescued food ($50,000)

Food Stash Foundation

This 1-year pilot project expanded Food Stash Foundation’s existing Rescued Food Box program to new recipients who received boxes using cargo electrical assist tricycle delivery. Rescuing food from grocery retailers and providing it to community partners for donation across the City not only prevents food waste and its associated carbon pollution, but it also addresses food insecurity. And, by doing it all with electric cargo tricycles, it supports carbon pollution reduction from transportation too.

With the help of their Greenest City 2020 grant, the Pedal to Plate program has grown its membership to 98 members and rescued an average of 71,087 pounds per month, and saved 332.21 kg of CO2 delivering the food by trike instead of car.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Climate and Renewables, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint, Local Food, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Renewable City Strategy, Zero Waste 2040
2019

Through five Greenest City Grants totaling $213,500, approximately 8,286 people were engaged by the following projects:

Food Justice Project ($48,000)

Check your head

The Food Justice Project addressed gaps in mainstream programming around food security, targeted at migrant, racialized, and Indigenous youth ages 15 to 25.

With Greenest City Grant funding, Check Your Head intended to revise and deliver their Food Justice workshop offering as part of their direct service delivery. Although COVID-19 interrupted their programming, they shifted to providing support to other grassroots and mutual aid groups and also managed to deliver three food justice workshops in 2020 and 2021, reaching 90 participants.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Economy, Local Food, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Zero Waste 2040

Recycling Volunteer Engagement Project ($60,000)

Kickstand Community Bikes Society

Building on a successful 2018 Greenest City Grant-funded pilot, Kickstand’s Recycling Volunteer Engagement Project addressed the bottleneck around dismantling, recycling, and refurbishing bikes recovered from the landfill or donated to Vancouver’s community bike shops.

This project engaged 400 volunteers with workshops and training at three partner bike shops to repair and refurbish bikes, which were provided to under-served communities through other programs. Bikes and bike parts were also successfully redirected from the Zero Waste Centre and educational opportunities were created for participant volunteers and the general public.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Clean Air, Climate and Renewables, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Healthy City Strategy, Zero Waste 2040, Transportation 2040

Green Leaders Cycle ($30,500)

South Vancouver Neighbourhood House

The Green Leaders Cycle is an innovative tri-mentorship initiative that allowed preteens (ages 10 to 12) to work alongside youth mentors (ages 13 to 18) and adult allies to develop a strong foundation in sustainability literacy through two lunchtime programs at Waverley and Cook Elementary Schools.

Through Greenest City Grant funding, the programs engaged 240 preteens and youth, and covered topics such as proper waste sorting, upcycling, green transportation, food security, environmental impact on quality of life, and green living strategies.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Transportation 2040, Zero Waste 2040

Vancouver International Bird Festival ($35,000)

Stanley Park Ecological Society(SPES)

The Vancouver International Bird Festival is a public celebration of birds, with dozens of free or affordable events across the City, including expert-led tours and workshops.

SPES partnered with community groups, not-for-profit organizations, and the three local First Nations to engage and inspire the public in a love of nature through birds.

In response to COVID-19, SPES shifted to online programming and also created a Birder Passport, a downloadable activity book filled with challenges and activities to learn about local birds from home and nearby parks. Overall, the Vancouver Bird Celebration drew 7,556 participants.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Lighter Footprint, Zero Waste
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy
2018

Through six Greenest City Grants totalling $215,000, 1,767 people were engaged. Read about the projects below.

Kickstand Community Bikes Society ($46,000)

Kickstand  and the Vancouver Bike Network repaired broken or un-wanted bikes giving them a new life and opportunity to be ridden again by individuals who needed them.

Working with three partner bike shops from the Vancouver Community Bike Shop Network, Kickstand has increased the number of pick-ups from the City Transfer Station as well as coordinated various recycling activities including workshops where staff and volunteers process recyclable and reusable bikes.

Kickstand has recovered over 173 bikes from the Transfer Station and has received over 575 bikes from private donations. For bikes which couldn’t be repaired, Kickstand dismantled and recycled all the parts diverting 23,749 lbs of metal and 4,838 lbs of rubber from the landfill.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Access to Nature, Lighter Footprint, Clean Air
Other City strategies: Transportation 2040, Healthy City Strategy, Renewable City Strategy

Beekeeping Mentorship Program ($70,000 over 2 years)

Hives for Humanity’s inclusive mentorship program focuses on at risk and marginalized populations and those living with barriers to stability in the Downtown East Side.

The Therapeutic Apiary Program built on previous successes and developed 33 apiaries through 14 partnership locations and 147 workshops with 179 participants. This program fed into the Mentorship Beekeeping Program and in which continues to offer mentorship, beekeeping and workshops for the community.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Local Food, Green Economy

The Thingery ($30,540)

The Thingery piloted three innovative sharing economy spaces where individuals can sign-up and borrow items instead of having to purchase them.

The community-owned lending libraries are situated in modified shipping containers which are self-service so that members can check things in and out at their convenience. Each Thingery's inventory is community-sourced and during the course of the project 104 items were donated. The inventory includes: recreation equipment, kids' toys, woodworking tools, event and entertainment equipment, household appliances, and musical instruments. The project signed up 319 members in total.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, Green Economy, and Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Zero Waste 2040

WalkSide ($30,000)

Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST) undertook a project to address street accessibility for all mobility types within the City of Vancouver.

Using an innovative algorithm and cartography, Walkside is creating a map of pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks, footpaths) which shows accessibility for different users, including people using walkers, wheelchairs and strollers, in order to provide optimum routing. Once completed, the information will be turned into an app where users can find routes most convenient for their needs.

Check out their progress

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Climate and Renewables, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint, Clean Air
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy, Renewable City Strategy, Transportation 2040

Classroom Gardening and Cooking Program ($40,000 over 2 years)

Growing Chefs Society  classroom gardening and cooking is a 3.5 month hands-on program that teaches children gardening and cooking skills by pairing volunteers with elementary school classrooms. Through these lessons, children learn about the value of urban agriculture, composting, gardening, healthy eating, food security, and local food preparation.

With support from their 2018 Greenest City Grant, Growing Chefs volunteers delivered a total of 91 lessons to over 300 Vancouver children across 13 elementary schools.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, and Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Youth4Nature Stanley Park ($33,460)

Stanley Park Ecology Society

While directly enhancing the biodiversity of Vancouver’s largest natural green space, this immersive project empowered youth to bring an environmental stewardship ethic into their own lives and reduce their ecological footprint through a hands-on habitat enhancement program.

Inner city youth aged 13 to 24 were introduced to the native wildlife and vegetation on their doorstep while participating in the community and experiencing the health benefits of nature. In total, this project engaged 349 youth.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, and Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy
2017

Through six Greenest City Grants totalling $210,041, over 1,650 people and counting are being engaged. Read about the four completed projects below. The remaining projects are still in progress and will be reported on once complete.

BiodiverCity ($76,000 over 2 years)

The Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA) project delivered 10 multi-week hands-on youth programs that helped to improve access to nature in the City of Vancouver.

In total, 46 biodiversity workshops were delivered to 1126 youth, with 11 peer mentor volunteers trained as environmental leaders. Over 50% of participants were Indigenous, living on low incomes, or new immigrant youth. Participants and volunteers grew 5930 perennial native shrubs and trees, including pollinator and bird-friendly species that were distributed to local schools, community organizations, and residential property owners to support habitat gardens.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature
Other City strategies: Biodiversity Strategy, Healthy City Strategy, Climate Adaptation Plan

Downtown Eastside Women’s Street Market ($41,000)

The Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre Association held a Women’s Street Market every Saturday throughout the summer of 2017, providing women of the DTES with safe, inclusive vending space and vocational and income-generating opportunities.

The market directly supported 133 women, including 40 trained and employed as peer workers, and 43 vendors who sold locally-produced arts and crafts as well as donated materials that were repurposed or diverted from the landfill. A total of 4,998 training hours were offered to women and over 4,000kg of donations were diverted from the landfill. The market had over 1,345 visitors over its 17 week course.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Luv the Grub Youth ($11,500)

Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House partnered with Luv the Grub to bring their programming to the City of Vancouver.

Free food skills and production training was provided to youth while diverting produce donated by local suppliers from the landfill and teaching about food waste. 22 youth were engaged in the program in 2017, with 90% of them reporting that they learned new skills in food production and 75% saying they have been inspired to make environmental changes.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, Green Economy, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Pedals for the People ($18,541)

Pedal Energy Development Alternatives Power Association ran ‘Pedals for the People’ – a program that offers inclusion in the cycling community for everyone by training volunteers to refurbish bikes for individuals with low income.

24 volunteers received the free 12-week mechanics training, and 38 people received refurbished bikes. They aim to create a greater representation of vulnerable and low income people using cycling infrastructure in the city, while diverting bikes from the landfill in a meaningful way.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Climate and Renewables, Green Transportation, Zero Waste, Clean Air, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Renewable City Strategy, Healthy City Strategy
2016

Through six community grants totalling $250,040, over 1,300 people were engaged. Learn about the complete projects below.

Food Recovery Feasibility Study ($20,040)

Potluck Café Society conducted a study to explore potential models for procuring and processing healthy food from farms while providing low barrier training and employment opportunities.

The outcome was a public report outlining the steps required to pilot a sustainable food recovery initiative. Potluck is using the report to trial the diversion of second and B-grade produce, with the employment and training of residents to sort, process, and sell final products to kitchens in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Zero Waste, Local Food, Green economy, and Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Healthy City Strategy and Vancouver Food Strategy

Greenest City Lighter Footprint Goal: Addressing the measurement gap in food consumption ($45,000)

BCIT and non-profit One Earth addressed the lack of ecological footprint data on Vancouver’s food consumption.

By connecting with a large number of food consumption, food security, and food waste experts, they were able to produce a local food consumption survey and identify a number of strategic impact areas for reducing Vancouver’s collective ecological footprint. The next steps include using the survey to collect local food data.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Buildings, Green Transportation, Zero Waste, Local Food, Lighter Footprint

Gordon Greens Mobile Produce Market ($45,000)

Gordon Neighbourhood House developed a mobile produce market that brought fresh low-cost fruits and vegetables to the West End community by bike-power.

The program ran during the summer of 2017 and 2018, forming new connections with community members while providing nutrient dense food to individuals with mobility and health challenges. Through a partnership with Golden Choice Markets, the program was able to provide over 1700 pounds of produce and engage over 190 residents at the Neighbourhood House and two mobile locations in the community.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Local Food, Green Economy, Green Transportation, Lighter Footprint
Other City strategies: Renewable City Strategy, Healthy City Strategy, Vancouver Food Strategy

Green Bloc Neighbourhoods Vancouver ($50,000)

Evergreen engaged 171 households in four neighbourhoods in ecological footprint measurement, dialogue, workshops, and collective action projects such as community gardens, murals, and a communal piano.

Three of the four neighbourhoods achieved a reduction of their overall ecological footprint of 25% or more. The success of this project allowed Evergreen to secure a partnership with Vancity in 2018 to develop a long-term neighbourhood scale model for change.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Buildings, Green Transportation, Zero Waste, Local Food, Access to Nature, and Lighter Footprint
Other City Strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Therapeutic Mentorship Beekeeping ($45,000)

Hives for Humanity partnered with PHS Community Services to increase the locations of, and participation in, their therapeutic mentorship beekeeping programs.

Six feature workshops were facilitated by experts in the community, a community beekeeper team was built up, and a number of new products were tested and built, such as upcycled garden planters and beekeeping equipment. The program saw a total of 1,458 hours of participation across their 18 sites.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Access to Nature, Local Food, Green Economy
Other City Strategies: Healthy City Strategy

Newcomer Bike Host Program ($45,000 over 2 years)

A partnership between HUB Cycling and the Immigrant Services Society of BC’s Welcome House brought the physical and mental health benefits and social and economic access of cycling to newly arriving refugees and immigrant newcomers.

59 newcomers to Canada were engaged by 39 host volunteers. Participants developed cycling skills and knowledge, improved language skills, gained increased self-confidence, and made new friendships.

Supports Greenest City goal areas: Green Transportation, Access to Nature, Lighter Footprint
Other City Strategies: Healthy City Strategy