Greening Our Local Economy

Festive Local Food & Frills Fair

2011-12-01T08:33:00.001-08:00

Join Environment Hamilton and the GOLE Project for this wonderful event. You'll have the opportunity to support local businesses and artists committed to producing food and frill products locally. Vendors will be selling everything from locally roasted coffee to beeswax candles and local preserves.

WHEN: Friday, December 9th - 7pm - 9pm

WHERE: EH Offices - 22 Wilson Street in Downtown Hamilton

WHY: Because we want to help people to green up the holidays through relocalization!

GOLE @ Central Libary

2011-07-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

GOLE will be at the Central Library tomorrow, July 14, to do fair trade outreach. If you are interested in learning more about fair trade and how Hamilton can become a Fair Trade Town, please come visit us! We will be giving out FREE fair trade coffee, buttons, pamphlets and other educational materials.

VIDEO: Retrofitting Our Future: Can Energy Conservation Create Good Green Jobs?

2011-06-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

Retrofitting Our Future: Can Energy Conservation Create Good Green Jobs?

2011-06-20T11:08:00.002-07:00

Join us on Monday, June 27th at 7pm at the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library for a panel discussion including:

Introduction from Judy Travis, Executive Director, Hamilton Training Advisory Board

Followed by ideas and perspectives from 4 panelists including:

Brian Smith- Chief Conservation Officer - Hamilton Utilities
Charles Honey - Green & Renewable Energy Programs, Mohawk College
Dave Braden - Dave Braden Homes
Pete Wobschall - Executive Director, Green Venture

More details here

2011-05-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 14th is World Fair Trade Day!

Come down to the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library to enjoy a free cup of fairly traded coffee, compliments of Ten Thousand Villages. Learn more about Fair Trade Hamilton while you're there!

11 am - 1pm

Main Floor - Central Library

Promoting Fair Trade Hamilton

2011-04-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Environment Hamilton, along with 10,000 Villages was in the lobby of the Central Branch of the Hamilton Public Library during Earth Week to promote Fair Trade Hamilton, our effort to see Hamilton designated a Fair Trade Town.

Want to know more about Fair Trade and the Fair Trade Town designation? Visit http://www.fairtrade.ca/. Send us an email at contactus@environmenthamilton.org or give us a call at (905) 549-0900 if you'd like to get involved in this effort.

The Town That Food Saved

2011-02-16T18:57:00.001-08:00

Join EH's GOLE Project, along with sponsors Hamilton Eat Local and the Beasley Neighbourhood Association for an evening with Ben Hewitt.

Wednesday, February 23rd

7pm

At the Freeway Cafe

33 King Street East, Hamilton

Ben Hewitt is a farmer based in northern Vermont. His book The Town That Food Saved tells the story of Hardwick - a rural, working class Vermont community that is attempting to blueprint and implement a localized food system.

Helping Hamilton Go Solar Workshop a huge success!

2010-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

Our December 5th Solar Workshop at McMaster Innovation Park was a huge success. Over 250 interested individuals attended the event. They were provided with plenty of helpful information about everything from available solar technologies and how they work to tips on completing a provincial microFIT application. The resounding message from attendees is that there is a need for more workshops like this one and for more learning opportunities around the theme of renewable energy. Keep checking back here for more details on events in 2011!

Helping Hamilton Go Solar

2010-11-22T17:24:00.001-08:00

Our efforts to get Hamiltonians thinking about renewable energy are culminating in a great event scheduled for December 5th. Helping Hamilton Go Solar is a workshop designed to cover the basic information people need to pursue a solar installation - whether it be solar photovoltaic panels on a roof or a solar hot water heater for home. The great thing is that the pursuit of renewable energy installations means the creation of good green jobs right here in Hamilton. Consider coming out on December 5th to learn more!

We are thrilled to be working in partnership with Blue Green Canada on this effort. Both organizations receive support for green jobs/ green economy work from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Additionally, our December 5th workshop is being sponsored by TD Canada trust.

Visit http://www.environmenthamilton.org/ to view details regarding the workshop or call Lynda at (905) 549-0900. You can also RSVP for this event on Facebook. Click here to access the Facebook event page.

It was a busy summer!

2010-10-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

EH's GOLE Project Manager Lynda Lukasik and summer intern Adam DeSousa spent the summer months organizing new efforts to promote the green economy and green jobs in Hamilton.

Efforts began to build the framework necessary to create a Green Business Directory for Hamilton. To start, our focus will be on renewable energy and value-added local food products. The directory will ultimately be posted to the Environment Hamilton website for public access.

Work on a Green Business Directory also led to discussions around Fair Trade, partly through recognizing that, while we are committed to promoting local production of local needs, we'll always import goods into our community. This led us to embark on an effort to see Hamilton formally certified as a 'Fair Trade Town' through TransFair Canada.

Our goal to see Hamilton become a Fair Trade Town evolved very quickly over the summer and we have already been recognized on the TransFair website as a 'Fair Trade Town In Progress'. The last major goal we need to satisfy to become a full-fledged Fair Trade Town is to get the city to commit to using Fair Trade products and supporting the local Fair Trade campaign. Our hope is that we'll secure this commitment soon after the October 25th municipal election.

Have your say about the City's Economic Development Strategy

2010-04-18T19:36:00.000-07:00

The City of Hamilton is inviting Hamiltonians to comment on the draft Economic Development Strategy. A series of Public Open Houses are being held this week, all starting at 7:00 pm with a presentation at 7:30 pm:

Mon. April 19 - Cardinal Newman HS (127 Gray Rd, Stoney Creek)

Tues. April 20 - Michalangelo's (155 Upper Ottawa St)

Wed. April 21 - McMaster Innovation Park (175 Longwood Rd S)

Click here to access the draft Economic Development Strategy.

Click here to view the poster for the Open Houses.

2010-03-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Environment Hamilton's GOLE project is collaborating with Blue Green Canada to put on this day-long workshop designed to bring a diverse mix of Hamiltonians together to develop an action plan for making green jobs and green economic development a reality in our city. Click here for more information on the agenda for the day and how you can register as a participant.

Managing Without Growth - Slower By Design Not Disaster

2010-03-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

York University professor Dr. Peter Victor will be the keynote speaker at Environment Hamilton's upcoming Annual General Meeting, set for April 8, 2010, starting at 7pm at the Hamilton Board of Education's downtown auditorium. Dr. Victor is one of a growing number of economists challenging the current assumptions that prevail within our market economy. At the core of his critique are concerns about reconciling the infinite growth model that dominates in the market economy with the reality of the planet's finite resources. Dr. Victor's perspectives are critical for anyone interested in determining how best to move forward with an effective plan for creating a green, sustainable economy.

More about the book from www.managingwithoutgrowth.com:

Peter Victor challenges the priority that rich countries continue to give to economic growth as an over-arching objective of economic policy. The challenge is based on a critical analysis of the literature on environmental and resource limits to growth, on the disconnect between higher incomes and happiness, and on the failure of economic growth to meet other key economic, social and environmental policy objectives.

January 27th Panel a Success

2010-03-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

Mayor Eisenberger addresses the crowd while panelists Lynda Lukasik, Dr. Ashish Pujari and Tony Verrelli listen.

We had a great turnout for our January 27th panel, sponsored by EH's GOLE Project, the Hamilton & District Labour Council, and Blue Green Canada. Over 100 people showed up to listen to panelists share their perspectives on how the green economy will transform our city. And there was plenty of discussion following panel comments.

Welcome to the GOLE Project

2010-01-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the official blog of Environment Hamilton's Greening Our Local Economy project. Join us as we embark on a journey exploring the potential for green economic development and green jobs in our city. The community conversation begins on Tuesday, January 26th with a town hall style meeting exploring the question:

Will the Green Economy Transform Hamilton?

It's an important question and this is an important time in our city's history. We have the opportunity to embrace the green economy and head on a transformative course that could contribute to profound change where environment, economy, and social elements of our community are concerned. Be sure to come out and join the conversation!