Since last Fall, TEA has been actively involved in a unique, new initiative connecting five city-based environmental groups in Ontario that focus on building greener cities. On April 14, we met in Windsor to discuss how to work together. 

The environmental groups involved in the collaboration are Citizens Environmental Alliance,  Ecology Ottawa, Environment Hamilton, Oakvillegreen Conservation Association, and the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA). 

After a "get to know you" meeting in December, we met on April 14 and 15 to discuss what issues to work on and how we could work together. Where we landed was an agreement that we needed to focus on engaging and empowering our neighbours in the cities we live in. Building greener cities in Ontario will only happen when people are actively involved in defining and implementing the solutions to the many challenges we face. We also agreed that our work would focus on getting our cities ready for climate change and reducing greenhouse gas pollution.

What was most exciting about the two-day workshop was that we had so much to share and learn from each other. All of the participating organizations realized the power of working together and how doing so can lead to residents in major cities in Ontario building greener cities for all.