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The Rideau River is the largest tributary of the Ottawa River and there are about 2.5 kilometers of Rideau River shoreline in Old Ottawa East. Since the spring of 2007, members of Sustainable Living Ottawa East have been working with other community residents and a range of partners and funders to establish a “nature trail” along this beautiful stretch of the River.

SLOE members worked with the Sandy Hill Community Health Centre and the Community Garden Network of Ottawa to locate and establish the first community garden in Old Ottawa East.

Our goal is to provide a broad range of skills and experiences to youth to ensure future employment options in horticulture, agriculture, hospitality, or to facilitate returning to school in a related field, while developing personal and professional skills through their FarmWorks experience

Making quality products from recycled materials to reduce the need for virgin materials and divert waste from landfill, is an emerging trend that is nicely illustrated at terra20. It is a large eco-retailer. The store itself is built with recycled materials where possible, and with a healthier environment in mind. The result is a physical store that looks appealing while incorporating elements of sustainability.

A building that is made sustainably is one in which the entire conception, from positioning to material selection to functionality, reflect the desire to cause the least harm to the environment and to the people who use it. Not only are many courses on green building practices offered here, but ACCE is a reflection of what is taught in the building. It has LEED Platinum Certification and features many innovative aspects that you can see.

The Fletcher Wildlife Garden is a naturalised area in Ottawa. Managed by the Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club (OFNC), it has a backyard garden, butterfly meadow, pond, old field, mixed woodlot, ash woodlot, hedgerow, and ravine with a stream. Volunteers restore and enhance these habitats.

Many forms of recreation, from walking or horseback riding to ultimate frisbee, bring pleasure with low environmental impact. Parks and pathways are important in both urban and rural parts of the city. Farm holidays teach food production to urban folk. Outdoor sports events can be made more sustainable with enhanced public transit, carbon offsets, the sale of healthy food and drinks, and the increased availability of drinking fountains.

This large playground in Brewer Park provides outdoor fun for children with physical, developmental, cognitive, learning, hearing or visual disabilities and impairments. Other children like it too. There are also shaded areas to take a break out of the sun.

Children design and operate this garden that features organic food, perennial plants, shrubs and trees. They create elaborate signs for their individual plants, while adults help with some of the heavier work and organize group activities. A colourful picket fence surrounding the garden makes it very easy to find.

Completed in 2012 to house the Faculty of Social Sciences, the university’s newest tower is environmentally friendly with a heat-recovery system (the building does not need to be heated unless the temperature goes below -17°C) that won the building a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification of “gold”.