Tucked behind a busy Toronto highway sits a formerly abandoned brick factory. It’s nestled in a ravine system, a system that runs across the city.
The space is now home to Evergreen Brick Works: an oasis of lush greenery and a place of reprieve for Toronto residents and visitors alike, looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy some nature.
On Saturdays, Evergreen Brick Works hosts a farmers’ market, where local producers sell their goods. There’s also a cafe and garden market, as well as regular walking tours of the grounds. Throughout the year, groups of children attend day camps and nature-based learning programs.
Importantly, Evergreen Brick Works acts as a “demonstration site,” meaning that it tests green practices, which have been co-created with the community, in real-life environments. These innovative solutions can then act as a blueprint for organizations or cities to iterate and scale.
“Evergreen Brick Works is a place where people can come to experience firsthand the kind of green design and sustainable practices that can support the cities of the future,” said Lois Lindsay, Chief Program Officer at Evergreen.
Evergreen Brick Works is one of the projects that TD and the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) have supported through grants.
TD Stories visited Evergreen Brick Works to understand its impact and how support from TD and TD FEF has helped it develop several green solutions for the future. Watch the video below.