The Greenbelt Foundation has hosted a virtual ceremony to honour the 2021 Friend of the Greenbelt Award winners:  Conservation Ontario and Greenbelt Farmers’ Market Network.

Throughout the pandemic, Conservation Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities and Greenbelt Farmers’ Market Network pivoted their operations in ways that continued to advance the Greenbelt’s economic, environmental, and social recovery.

“The COVID-19 pandemic posed operational challenges for many of our partner organizations,” says Edward McDonnell, CEO of Greenbelt Foundation. “Our award recipients showed great resilience and ingenuity in order to overcome these challenges, ensuring that Greenbelt benefits such as fresh healthy food and access to green spaces and active recreation opportunities could continue to be accessed at a time when residents needed them the most.”

Conservation Ontario is accepting the award on behalf of the 36 conservation authorities it represents. On an annual basis, Ontario conservation authorities see about 8 million visitors a year, but during 2020 that number rose to 10 million. A surge in visitor traffic this large has never been seen before. Conservation authorities had to work very quickly to put new protocols in place to adapt to this increased demand, and simultaneously many of them developed new innovative programming such as reservation systems, a Forest Therapy Program, Storybook Walks, and a Talking Forest App.

“Conservation authorities know how important nature is for our physical and mental well-being,” said Kim Gavine, general manager of Conservation Ontario. “They adapted quickly to pandemic conditions and made sure that visitors could safely enjoy their conservation areas.”

Recent Greenbelt Foundation research shows that trips to the Greenbelt have risen significantly since the onset of the pandemic. Approximately 3.7 million people travelled to a Greenbelt destination to engage in a nature-based activity between July 2020 and August 2021. Many of these visits were in areas managed by conservation authorities.

The Greenbelt Farmers’ Market Network supports and connects markets, farmers, and shoppers around Ontario’s Greenbelt and aims to increase the success of farmers’ markets in the region. This network supported its members to go online in 2020, so that consumers could engage with their local farmers’ markets virtually, buy food from their favourite vendors, and have it delivered to safe locations. This resulted in $1.3 million in sales from May to December 2020 and supported 570 farmers and vendors. 

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Source:  Greenbelt Foundation January 17, 2022 news release