In June 2023, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced the first confirmed presence of oak wilt in Niagara Falls followed by a second in Springwater, Ontario near Barrie. No cases have been confirmed in Burlington, however, the City is proactively sharing tips with residents on how to prevent the spread of oak wilt locally, … More Tips for protecting oak trees in Burlington from oak wilt
Thank you to everyone who participated in the first round of engagement on Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP). In the first round, you were asked for input to inform the vision, principles, goals and recommendations for the draft UFMP. The draft UFMP is now available for your review on the project page. Please provide … More Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan: We want to hear from you – part 2!
Now is the time to see the amazing natural event that is annual spring bird migration! Spring migration begins in mid-March and ramps up through April, before peaking in mid-May with the arrival of the colourful warblers. Some birds are returning to the Burlington area to choose a breeding territory, while others stop over briefly … More May is for the Birds
The City of Burlington has been recognized by the Arbour Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Tree City of the World. This is the first time the City of Burlington has been recognized for this prestigious status for leading the way in urban and community forestry. To … More Burlington recognized as a Tree City of the World
For over 50 years, Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22. We can all do our part to thank our Earth for providing us with air, land and water. Whether you choose to show your appreciation by picking up litter, walking or cycling to your nearby destination, growing plants that attract pollinators, or adding … More Earth Day and Spring Activities
Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as a symbolic movement to turn lights off for one hour to raise awareness about climate change. Support quickly grew to 35 countries in 2008 and 192 countries in 2022. Over the years, the Earth Hour message was expanded to include awareness about the loss of biodiversity … More Celebrating Earth Hour Beyond the Hour
Our climate is changing, and we are experiencing warmer, wetter and wilder weather. There are things we can do to better prepare ourselves for unpredictable rainstorms and risk of flooding to increase our resiliency. Join Sasha Benevides, Community Outreach Coordinator, Conservation Halton to learn about how nature-based solutions, also known as Low Impact Development (LID), … More Manage Rain Where it Falls
It’s hard to believe we started the Take Action Burlington blog seven years ago as a place to highlight the City of Burlington’s environmental accomplishments, profile community initiatives and events, and promote tips for home, work and play to reduce our collective footprint. Since then, we have published 173 posts and over the past five … More 2022: A Year in Review
Did you notice how vibrant the fall colours have been this year? This is due to the combination of enough summer rain so that the trees are not stressed, and an autumn with warm, sunny days and cool (though not too cold) nights. With the changing landscape comes the reality of falling leaves. Many of … More Relax, don’t rake.
Conservation Halton’s Healthy Neighboursheds workshops are back this month. Register to attend one, two or all three online Zoom sessions. This year, there’s also an in-person workshop. All sessions are $8 each. See below for additional details. Virtual Zoom Workshops, Thursdays, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Getting Started: How “Rainscaping” Can Protect Your Property – Oct. … More October Workshops: Working with Nature to Create Healthy Gardens
On July 12, 2022, Burlington City Council approved Burlington’s first climate adaptation plan called Climate Resilient Burlington (CRB): A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather. Background With this new plan, the City of Burlington is now addressing both aspects of climate change: Climate mitigation, or reducing greenhouse gas emissions, through the … More City Council Approves Climate Resilient Burlington: A Plan for Adapting to Our Warmer, Wetter and Wilder Weather
The City of Burlington is currently updating and replacing the 2010 Urban Forest Management Plan with a new Urban Forest Master Plan. Background The updated Master Plan will provide strategic direction to manage the urban forest in response to new challenges including urban development, climate change and extreme weather, and invasive pests. The City of … More Burlington’s Urban Forest Master Plan Update: We Want To Hear From You!
In April 2022, Nature Canada announced that Burlington and Hamilton are Canada’s latest cities to be certified Bird Friendly City. This recognition could not have been achieved without the dedication of the volunteers and community groups that make up Bird Friendly Hamilton Burlington. What is a Bird Friendly City? The Bird Friendly City certification program … More Burlington is a Certified Bird Friendly City
Healthy Neighboursheds Conservation Halton is hosting their popular Healthy Neighboursheds homeowner workshop series this month. Register to attend one or all of the online sessions which cost $8 per session. All sessions take place on a Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Getting Started! Learning to Go with the Flow – April 6, 2022 Find … More Create a healthy and environmentally friendly yard. Upcoming workshops and a rain barrel fundraiser!
Green Space: Newcomer Youth Climate Forum Are you between the ages of 15 and 29 and would like to learn more about climate change and ways to reduce your community’s carbon footprint? Launched in partnership with RBC through a Tech for Nature grant, Conservation Halton is excited to offer learning and volunteer opportunities to program … More Seeking youth passionate about climate action
Feeling the winter blues? Check out Halton Garden Week, a week-long celebration of spring and gardening inspired by Seeds of Diversity Canada from Feb. 20-27, 2021. Hosted by Halton Food, Halton Environmental Network, Greening Sacred Spaces and Oakvillegreen, this free online event will celebrate gardening across Halton Region with a public event focused on sustainable, … More Dig into Halton Garden Week!
Happy New Year! With a new year comes hope for positive change. The last Take Action Burlington blog post of 2020 presented a Year in Review. This blog post will present some of the upcoming programs, initiatives and reports related to the environment planned so far for 2021. Climate Change Adapting to a Changing Climate … More 2021 Environmental Action Sneak Peek
With physical distancing due to COVID-19, many organizations are staying engaged with residents by creating and promoting different activities that you can do or learn at home. This post highlights some of the environmentally related or nature-based activities that are currently available. Since early April, the Royal Botanical Gardens has been running interactive content on … More Enviro Fun @ Home
Thanks to the 50 or so residents who came out to Burlington Public Library, Central Branch on Nov. 12 to hear five City staff speak about climate change projections and impacts in Burlington as well as what the City is doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to our new climate. The audience was … More Climate Action in Burlington: Event Highlights
The third annual Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System BioBlitz is on Sept. 20 and 21, 2019. The event brings together experts, citizen scientists and people like you to discover and document the wonderful biodiversity in our region. Whether you are an expert naturalist or just want to learn more about the plants and animals calling … More Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System BioBlitz and Plant Sale
On June 17, 2019 City of Burlington sustainability staff presented the Take Action Burlington – An Update on Our Local Environment to Council. This report provides an overview on the state of Burlington’s environment including information on local sustainability efforts and actions that can be taken. This is the second in a series of five … More Take Action Burlington: An Update on Our Local Environment – Land
Conservation Halton is hosting their popular Healthy Neighboursheds workshop series this month in Burlington. Getting Started! Learning to Go with the Flow – April 11 Find out how storm water is managed in your community and how it connects to you and your home. Learn the newest trends in residential landscaping and how you can … More Create a healthy yard this spring
Twelve years ago, residents in Sydney, Australia created a movement by turning their lights off for one hour for climate change. This was the beginning of Earth Hour. Last year, 188 countries and territories celebrated Earth Hour. Earth Hour 2018-2020 is about our connection to nature and the impacts climate change will have on our … More Connect2Earth this Earth Hour
Happy New Year! Did you make a resolution for 2019? Now that we’re in the second week of the year, have you kept your resolution? Let’s face it; many of us make such grand resolutions that they’re difficult to keep. What if we made a resolution to do one thing? Since this is an environmental … More Do one thing
Did you enjoy caring for your vegetable and flower gardens this summer? With fall just around the corner, are you wondering what you need to do now to ensure healthy trees and gardens in the spring? If so, we have the perfect event for you! The Burlington Sustainable Development Committee (SDC) in partnership with the … More Fall Tree and Garden Care Event
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