ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Climate Change:

Members of the Environment Committee advocate for action by City Hall and encourage members of the community towards the goals of increased energy efficiency and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.

Waste Reduction:

Members of the Environment Committee actively engaged as stakeholders in the City’s planning process towards a new, 30-year Solid Waste Master Plan, advocating for greater ambition on reuse and repair, regulation of single-use items, expanded diversion of organics, and against incineration of residual waste.

• The Environment Committee collaborates with the Old Ottawa South Community Association to implement a semi-annual big waste event of reusable and recyclable items, diverting would-be waste from both communities and giving usable items a second life through various social service organizations (The Oscar, June 2026, p. 20).
• If you participate in the Great Glebe Garage Sale as a vendor then please consider donating your unsold items to help those in need rather than leaving them at the curb for garbage pickup. To help residents we have a list of charities that accept donations of many different items.
• In 2026, the GCA received funding through the City’s Community Environmental Project Grant Program to create a reusable takeout cup and food container system among Bank Street businesses in the Glebe, to demonstrate how reuse can work as an alternative to single-use packaging. The Project Bring It Back to Bank! involves a collaboration with the Glebe BIA.

Trees and Greenspace:

Members of the Environment Committee advocate for action by City Hall and encourage residents to support increased tree canopy and greenspace. The goal is to enhance the liveability of our neighbourhood, to improve air quality and community health, and to mitigate the impacts of climate change in our neighbourhood.

• In 2026, we collaborated with parents and staff at First Avenue Public School to plant a Tiny Forest (see Glebe Report, May 2026, p.36) in the junior yard, under the guidance of Foret Capitale Forest using profits from the Climate & Your Cash Glebe event.
• In 2026, our Weed Warriors removed invasive species from city- and National Capital Commission-managed greenspace around Brown’s Inlet. Planting of native species alongside Queen Elizabeth Place is ongoing with funding from the City’s Community Environmental Project Grant Program.
• The Glebe benefits greatly from the work of our Garden Angels (GardenAngels@glebeca.ca), a group of volunteers who take care of the planters and common spaces located in the neighbourhood (see locations). In 2026 we added the Pantry Garden at the Glebe Community Centre so please get in touch if you wish to join the Garden Angels or Weed Warriors!
• We continue to encourage residents to apply for tree planting in front yards through City Programs (city-owned property) or to plant trees in back yards (privately-owned property) so we created Decision Trees for Tree Planting to help residents choose an appropriate tree for their property.