nature & environment

Alta Vista Councillor Jean Cloutier, along with community partner 1-800-GOT-JUNK? hosted an e-waste recycling event today at Elmvale Shopping Centre. Unwanted televisions, printers, cell phones and much more were being collected in order to ensure these items were recycled. Because the City of Ottawa does not accept e-waste during bi-weekly curbside pickup, this event provided the opportunity for residents to properly discard any electronics that may no longer be useful. ...

_ (A version of this article originally appeared on the Awesome Ottawa web site.) _ April’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Graeme Peterson, to support community beekeeping, as well as demonstration and education, by the Ottawa Community Beekeepers . ...

** Tuesday, April 28, 2015 ** 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm: information kiosks 6:30 pm to 8 pm: expert panel The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to invite the public to a discussion about regional issues around invasive species. Which species are invasive? ...

_ A discussion on the design and planning of urban waterfronts. _ ** Tuesday, April 21, 7 pm to 8:30 pm ** The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to invite the public to a discussion about best practices in the design of urban waterfronts. ...

https://twitter.com/yowtoollibrary/status/587603837894139904 (This post originally appeared on the Green Living Ottawa blog.) Ottawa’s new ** tool library ** is taking shape! The non-profit ** Ottawa Tool Library ** will be a place that people can go to borrow household, garden and kitchen tools, attend workshops, use the workspace and more. ...

With warming spring temperatures, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is reminding residents about how to safely dispose of used needles and other hazardous materials that may be found in their neighbourhoods. For health and safety reasons, it is against the law to dispose of sharp objects, such as needles and syringes, in the garbage, recycling or by flushing them down the toilet. ...

The City of Ottawa encourages residents to take part in Earth Hour and to use the time to engage in a broader discussion on taking environmental action year round. Earth Hour asks people to turn off all non-essential lights from 8:30 to 9:30 p. ...

“Sometimes you have to stop at the side of the road and enjoy the view,” writes Ottawa photographer David Johnson. “The northern lights in Ottawa last night were mind-blowing.” Both of these photos are from David Johnson, via the OttawaStart Flickr Group . ...

_ (This blog post originally appeared on Green Living Ottawa .) _ There’s a cool new initiative to foster healthy, sustainable, prosperous and liveable cities. It’s called ** We Are Cities ** . We Are Cities is gathering ideas on how to improve and support cities, given the significance of urban centres to Canada. ...

The City of Ottawa’s Wildlife Series is presenting a panel discussion on wildlife conservation in urban areas on March 2, the eve of World Wildlife Day. The panel will include Councillor David Chernushenko, Chair of the City’s Environment Committee, Janet Mason, Chair of the Ottawa Stewardship Council, and Brenda Van Sleeuwen, a conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, who will share their experiences on how cities and communities can contribute to wildlife conservation. ...