For your chance to win a 4-pack of tickets to Greenbelt Night in the OHL, 
featuring the Niagara Icedogs vs. Brampton Battalion on Friday, October 
29th just send us a picture from your latest Greenbelt farm visit!

Guaranteed to give you Goosebumps…

Watch this:

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to Greenbelt Night in the OHL, featuring the Niagara Icedogs vs. Brampton Battalion on Friday, October 29^th tell us what is the closest “Pick-Your-Own” apple farm to the Powerade Centre where the Battalion play (7575 Kennedy Road South Brampton, Ontario L6W 4T2).  Visit www.greenbeltfresh.ca to find the answer and fresh local food close to you!

The Iron Curtain Green Belt Photo from BUND

Don’t miss your chance to attend the first ever Global Greenbelts Conference in Toronto, Canada from March 22^nd to March 24^th, 2011. Registration forGreenbelts: Local Solutions for Global Challenges is open --so take the opportunity to register now at our Early Bird Rate before it’s too late!

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is working with terrific young talent at the Greenbelt Foundation. You see, about four years ago we started an “Intern Program” which seeks out the next generation of leaders in the field. Bringing them to the Foundation on a one year employment contract, we help build their talents and skills sets for that one year, and then set them free to apply what they have learned at the Foundation to other organizations.

How appropriate that a day after Minister Mitchell announces the $4 million Broader Public Sector Investment Fund that the Ministry of Agriculture hosts their first Value Chain Management Forum. Close to 150 people from across the agri-food value chain gathered in Guelph, Ontario to learn about value chains, and to listen to best practice examples of what has made some value chain partnerships successful.

Growing up in what is now the Greenbelt wasn’t always fun. As a teenager, I spent many hours complaining to my parents about why they had to move us out into what I thought was “the middle of nowhere”.  It was seriously the end of the world for my melodramatic teenaged self.

As I looked around my office yesterday I saw a stack of our new annual reports – hot off the presses, and it was a great moment for me. This year’s annual report is a special one for me as the Director of Communications – not only did we decide to go in a new, exciting design direction, but more importantly, we were able to tell the story of the 5th anniversary of Ontario’s Greenbelt – an internationally recognized environmental success story. There have been so many great events, grants and people involved with the success of the Greenbelt that it was hard to keep the report to 32 pages.

   Media Release

    Attention: News / Southern Ontario Reporters/Editors / Food / Environment / Agriculture

                                     Old MacDonald Changed His Farm

                 Greenbelt Foundation provides grants for innovative projects

Toronto September 30, 2010 Everyone knows that old MacDonald had a farm, but so do the Chin’s, the Singh’s, the Yu’s and the Granowski’s. However, it’s not just the farms that are changing – it’s also the food. They are growing everything from apples to okra and calaloo - bringing in new crops to meet the needs of Ontario’s diverse population. The Greenbelt Foundation is proud to support local food initiatives, innovative organizations and new Canadians in farming.

As the Harvest season is in full swing, I thought it appropriate to share my recent trip out into the Greenbelt to visit the Pumpkin King Vegetable Patch in Newmarket.

The farm is family run by Doug and Kimberley Van Luyk - and does enlist the help of 13 year- old son, Brad. It seems the regular teenage stereotype just doesn’t exist in a farm family; everyone just does their part.