December 1, 2020
CNLA News December 2020 - January 2021
Recertification
With the year coming to an end, this reminder is for members due to renew their certification. Participate in activities for earning continuing education units (CEUs) and record a minimum of 24 CEUs in the recertification form (cnlagetcertified.ca/designations/recertification).Members earn CEUs for industry-related education and service. Details of activities that qualify for CEUs are listed on the form.
Visit your provincial association website for opportunities to earn CEUs online.Submit completed recertification forms with necessary supporting evidence. Members due to renew in 2020 have until the end of June 2021 to renew, after which a late fee will be charged.
Renewals are valid for a two-year period. Certifications lapse if they are not renewed one year past the due date. To reinstate a lapsed certification, members are required to register, write, and pass the written exams for their designation.
#GreenMyCity2020 kicks off in Hamilton
In August, the Green Cities Foundation (GCF) launched the first #GreenMyCity2020 project, in partnership with St. Matthew’s House in Hamilton, Ont. The project kicked off with a tree-planting ceremony at Woodlands Park, including a park cleanup as well as lawn care and garden bed maintenance at the nearby Birch Avenue green space.A small group of volunteers and community stakeholders gathered at Woodland Park for the ceremony (while social distancing and wearing facial masks). The crowd was greeted by messages from project partners Alan White (GCF), Renee Wetselaar (SMH), Rachel Braithwaite (Barton BIA), Brenda Duke (Beautiful Alleys) and Andrea McGrath (RBC Insurance).
The St. Matthew’s House children’s centre helped with the event; the children added dirt and water, and hand painted rocks around the selected hackberry tree. It was a remarkable moment to have the kids participate, and a great way to honour the St. Matthew’s House legacy in the Barton Village Community.
Participants want to thank RBC Insurance, Hamilton Community Foundation and the CNLA for this project’s financial support. Special recognition to the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, the Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association members, Aldershot Landscape, Garden Grove Landscape, Connon Nurseries and Turf Systems. for their contributions.
Please contact Rebecca Doutre, Executive Director with the Green Cities Foundation, for more information on getting involved in this important project gcfdirector@gcfoundation.ca, or visit at gcfoundation.ca
Climate change and green infrastructure
Nature plays a significant role in creating environmentally sustainable cities. The many important benefits range from physical health, psychological well-being of city populations as well as erosion control, stormwater management and the critical cooling effect of our increasingly overheated urban areas, where 82 per cent of Canadians live.Our industry provides multiple benefits to the economy, environment, and human lifestyles. From primary producers growing plants, garden centres who sell and educate customers to the landscapers that design green spaces. As a whole, these services and practices are creating solutions to lessen the effects of climate change and make cities more liveable.
The horticulture industry and services do more than beautify and enhance cities and gardens. Green infrastructure solves many urban problems.
Green infrastructure is a term that might sound technical, however, the concept refers to an interconnected network of landscape assets that are intertwined with engineered (grey) infrastructure; in other words, natural vegetative systems and green technologies that collectively provide society with many environmental, social and economic benefits.
Plants are among the world’s best carbon sinks because they exchange carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and the biosphere, which is an essential part of global climate regulation. Therefore, green spaces in cities are a necessity and an important component in the relation of more sustainable development towards climate adaptation and mitigation.
Integrating green infrastructure into the built environment must be a priority, from densely populated urban centres to smaller and rural settlements. A centrepiece of smart planning is ensuring communities have a livable environment, with clean air and water, for generations to come. Nature can be harnessed to provide critical services for communities such as protection against flooding and excessive heat, as well as improved air and water quality. These are all critical to both human and environmental health.
Green infrastructure is also multi-functional and provides secondary benefits alongside its primary purpose. This makes green infrastructure a cost-efficient use of public finances: a single investment delivers the core service while also providing numerous other public benefits. In many ways, the use of green infrastructure embodies the shift towards a green economy, which is cost-effective infrastructure that delivers better environmental and social outcomes.
In conclusion, our industry must prioritize raising awareness of the many benefits of green infrastructure, and the greenery of Canadian cities and towns. In doing so, we will keep advancing our member’s products and services as an essential element in our economy in reducing carbon emissions and increasing resilience in our communities to mitigate climate change.
The Canadian Nursery Landscape Association is the federation of Canada’s provincial horticultural trade associations. Visit www.cnla-acpp.ca for more information.