NEWS RELEASE
LIVING GREEN BARRIE
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Pollinate Barrie will be joining Living Green at their upcoming Native Tree and Shrub Sale at the end of this month to dole out free expert advice about native plants and trees.
Living Green, an environmental charity, has put out their 10 actions for climate to help inspire people to make responsible environmental choices. Planting trees is on that list twice (because it’s that important) and they are almost halfway towards their goal of planting 10,000 trees for climate action in Barrie and the surrounding area. Living Green has opted to plant a diversity of native species to reach this goal.
Pollinate Barrie is a community-led grassroots organization that aims to educate, encourage, inspire, and support native ecosystem restoration within Barrie and beyond. Pollinate Barrie and Living Green have recognized their common goals and will be working together to provide free advice and tips about native plants, adding diversity to your garden, and making your yard more sustainable.
More and more native gardens are popping up in the community, but many people still hesitate to break the mould of the perfectly manicured green grass and the white picket fence. While this might be esthetically pleasing to some, the value of the traditional lawn does not go much further than that. While both organizations realize not everyone will be converting their traditional lawn to a garden full of native plants, they hope to educate people on the importance of this action and encourage the use of native pollinator plants.
Co-founders of Pollinate Barrie, Ashley Hammell and Kelly Patterson McGrath, will be joined by Living Green’s certified arborists on Saturday, May 27 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, May 28 (10 a.m. 3 p.m.) at 6 Cumberland St. (Beacon Environmental office) at Living Green’s Native Tree and Shrub Sale. Native species seedlings will also be sold by Pollinate Barrie on a pay-what-you-can basis. Questions and curiosity will be welcome.
Why plant native species? They can be beautiful, showy and typically need less maintenance than non-natives. Not only do they require less weeding, watering, and chemical inputs like fertilizers; they also often root much deeper than other plants, helping to sequester carbon and filter water, not to mention that us humans depend on pollinators to grow food.
In order to accommodate our diets, we have to accommodate the diets of pollinators, which can be picky. Most native pollinators require those native plants that they evolved with for their survival. Living Green and Pollinate Barrie are thrilled to be bringing lawns into the 21st century, one native plant at a time.
For more information about Pollinate Barrie, visit their website, pollinatebarrie.ca. To pre-order native trees and shrubs from Living Green, visit living-green-barrie.square.site/shop/native-tree-shrub-fundraiser-spring-/3 or visit their website to learn more: livinggreenbarrie.com.
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