Rob Grand, co-chair

Michael Berger, co-chair

(416) 782-4589

Coalition for a Green Economy

Toronto Ontario

What is the Coalition for a Green Economy?

Upcoming Events

Previous Events

Green Links

What is the Coalition?

The C4GE was founded in 1992 as the “Coalition for a Green Economic Recovery” in response to the Premier’s call for suggestions for fighting the deepening recession. The initiating group included environmentalists like the late Gary Gallon, Stephen Hall, Wayne Roberts, John Bacher, and Jack Layton, but soon included a brain trust of local community activists and ecopreneurs. They proposed a number of innovative projects for energy retrofit, water conservation, recycling, green market creation and more—which were eventually taken up by municipal governments, the provincial Green Communities Initiative and green businesses around the region. Although initially an ad hoc effort, the group, under the leadership of Wayne Roberts, spawned two versions of a visionary book Get a Life! detailing hundreds of ways to “make a good buck, dance around the dinosaurs, and save the world while you’re at it.”

The Coalition—renamed the Coalition for a Green Economy in 1999—has continued as a dynamic networking group with monthly meetings at Toronto City Hall. Most meetings feature a presentation by a pioneering green-economic guest speaker, followed by a general networking and information session. The Coalition remains a creative source of green development ideas in Ontario and beyond. Thanks to the generous volunteer efforts of Michael Berger, Grassroots Environmental Products’ Rob Grand, Wayne Roberts, Sonja Persram, Cameron Smith, Peter Shepherd and others—the Coalition cosponsors educational events, and maintains a mailing list and information service to support green development in the region.

Next Event:

Wednesday, Sept. 12

Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West at Bay Street

Committee Room #1, 2nd floor

7pm-10pm

Free

Alus: Rethinking Agricultural Policy And The Environment

Join us for a roundtable discussion on compensating farmers for ecological goods and services through the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) program.

Mike Schreiner, Vice President of Local Food Plus (LFP) will moderate the panel.

Participants include:

* Bob Bailey, VP of Policy for Canada Delta Water Fowl Foundation

* Bryan Gilvesy of YU Ranch, an LFP certified beef producer and demonstration farm for the ALUS program in Norfolk County

* Dave Reid, the Ministry of Natural Resources land stewardship coordinator for Norfolk County

This event is a great opportunity to learn how ALUS can inform integrated policy development as well as build bridges between rural and urban folks, by compensating farmers for environmental goods and services that benefit all Canadians.

Sponsored by:

Local Food Plus, the Coalition for a Green Economy, the Toronto Food Policy

Council, Grassroots Environmental Products/GrassrootsStore.com, Green

Enterprise Toronto, Sierra Club and Everdale Environmental Learning Centre

For more information, contact:

Michael Berger -- 416.782.4589 -- michaelberger@sympatico.ca

For more information on the Coalition contact:

Rob Grand, Grassroots, 416-466-2841, rob@GrassrootsStore.com

Michael Berger, Today’s Environmental Solutions – michaelberger@sympatico.ca