NATURE
Green spaces are invaluable in fighting climate change and adapting to its impacts. Bush lots and tree cover capture carbon, clean the air, and provide natural habitat for essential bio-diversity. Re-naturalized lawns and parks require less water and less labour to maintain. Well-treed neighbourhoods are cooler in summer and improve your physical and mental health. Green spaces invite us outdoors to be more physically active and to meet with neighbours and friends. It’s a win for the climate and for our communities!
We’re blessed in Stratford and Perth with a wealth of resources to help us. Local groups like Tree Trust, ReLeaf and the Stratford Rotary Club are active in promoting tree planting of native species, and the maintenance and care of mature, established trees. Stratford Master Gardeners and the City of Stratford’s own ‘Stratford Naturally’ page have resources and information to share. And you can subscribe to our newsletter to participate in local and provincial campaigns to protect natural spaces and wetlands.
RESOURCES
Stratford, Naturally
Stratford welcomes you to our green community. We are proud of our many parks, our trees, and the many beautiful gardens you will see throughout the city. We are proud of our commitment to natural gardens, and to the ecosystem we create in our city, connecting healthy habitat at all levels, from the soil to the lawns to the gardens to the tree canopy.
Stratford Perth Tree Trust
Treetrust is a non-profit registered charity committed to identifying and preserving mature trees in Ontario, thus sequestering carbon in the roots, trunk, and branches of these trees. Affiliated with the Elora Environment Centre. We employ local certified arborists to assess and maintain candidate trees to extend their life.
ReLeaf Stratford
ReLeaf Stratford is a project of the Stratford and Area Master Gardeners. Our goal is to help support our local biodiversity by promoting and encouraging the planting of native plants. Local ecosystems are built on plants and the decrease in native plants affects all species which rely on these plants as an important food source.
Climate Momentum is a community-based climate action group in Stratford and Perth County.
Our vision is for a community engaged in creative, bold responses to the global climate crisis and committed to a carbon-neutral Perth County by 2040.
We focus on supporting individuals and advocating for community-wide change in key areas of meaningful climate action: green transportation, net zero buildings, waste reduction, and biodiversity protection.