Newsletter: May 2022
MAY 24, 2022 –
A Note from our President (And His Mom)
My cabin in the woods is a simple and modest place. No water views, an outhouse and a small plot of land. Yet, I am immensely grateful for it.
Getting away from the noisy concrete city is always good for the soul and last week I went there with my mom for Mother’s Day. Just her and me.
She often talks about growing up in post-war Germany. About being hungry, about having very little, and about growing up poor. “We didn’t need much,” she says. “Food was the main thing.” No wonder she grew a massive garden, and made jam and preserves for many years.
How is this relevant to Small Change Fund and our work? Well, when I look at our projects, I see my mom in them. Saving farmland (“how else are we going eat?”); Fighting climate change (“we shouldn’t mess with the weather”); and Indigenous Reconciliation (“How shameful. Time for restitution.”).
Don’t forget to hug your mom. They know best.
– Burkhard
Do I hear $100, $200, $500?
We launched our art auction in support of the Anishnabe-led Moose Research Project. The auction features handmade, signed prints by Ojibwe artist Isaac Murdoch and a hand carved birch moose sculpture by Algonquin artist Nish Nabie. Bidding ends at noon (Eastern Time) on May 31st.
You can help us spread the word about the auction by using the premade posts at the bottom of the campaign page.
Victory on the East Coast
In August 2021, East Coast Environmental Law received a grant from our Public Voice Fund to hire a lobbyist to protect the ocean around Nova Scotia. One of the key objectives was to extend the moratorium on oil and gas drilling at Georges Bank. On April 27, 2022 the ban was extended for 10 years – a significant victory for the local environment and global climate action!
The Public Voice Fund is an initiative by Small Change Fund, supported by the Trottier Family Foundation, the Metcalf Foundation, and the Echo Foundation.
Creating a Golden Future for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Region
We have partnered with Friends of the Golden Horseshoe, led by former Toronto mayor David Crombie, to address policies on planning, environment, and affordable housing in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario.
We are pushing for changes that focus on growing within urban boundaries, concentrate growth near major transit corridors, and offer affordable and multi-residential housing. Support this movement by donating towards Better Planning for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
Progress for the Helen Hutchison Nature Reserve
Our campaign to facilitate the creation of the Helen Hutchison Nature Reserve along the Napanee River has been a great success.
The riverside property recently received “ecological sensitivity certification” from Canada’s Ecological Gifts program, and the formal donation of the land should be complete over the coming weeks. In the meantime, volunteers will be hard at work planting native species to renew and support the ecosystem.
Six Month Website Update
We launched our new website six months ago and we’re happy to say that we’ve received more than $462,000 in donations through the platform in this short time. So far, January was our best month for donations (more than $121,700) – who wants to help us beat that total in June?
We’re thrilled that our new platform is facilitating so many donations to the crucial projects we are working on with our partners.
Small News Bites
- Our partners Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition and Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition released a scathing update on the multiple threats to the health of Lake Simcoe.
- The Unflood Ontario natural infrastructure videos recently won an Applied Arts Award under the category “Shoestring Budget”! You can watch the videos here.
- Our partners at Climate Momentum hosted a successful Earth Day event in Stratford, Ontario. It was so successful they are already planning the 2023 event!
- We celebrated Mother’s Day by keeping our Stick it to Highways campaign going strong for Mother Nature! Check out this great article on the campaign from blogTO.
We wish everyone a happy spring!
Sincerely,
The Small Change Fund Team