Green. It's in our nature.

 

York Region's Greening Strategy helps ensure that our natural environment is healthy for current and future generations. The Strategy provides a context for Regional Decision making that affects the natural environment. It focuses on co-ordinating Regional initiatives and agency and private sector partnership efforts to improve our environment.   The need for a Greening of York Region Strategy was first established in the mid to late 1990s during; the Regional Official Plan Report Card exercise, the State of the Environment Report, through partnership initiatives with the Conservation Authorities and through the review of the Regional Trees By-law.   Through Vision 2026: Creating Strong Caring Safe Communities, the Region committed to addressing development and the provision of services in such a manner that "residents will continue to value and embrace the Region's unique natural heritage (land, air and water) and cultural heritage".   Throughout the consultation process associated with the development of the Greening Strategy, the public made it clear that they were looking for the Region to put environmental policies into action.   In 2001, the Region adopted the Greening and Securements Strategies and associated $1.4 M annual budget.

 

The Greening Strategy's action areas

 

The following is a list of links that takes you to information on:

 

1. Information Management

2. Naturalization and Rehabilitation

3. Securement of Priority Greenlands

4. Education and Promotion

5. Regional Operations

6. Legislation

7. Urban Forest

8. Green Partnerships

9. Monitoring Results

 

The Greening Strategy functions as the Region's strategic and co-ordinated one window platform to coordinate and promote our environmental initiatives. The Strategy's delivery has been described in nine broad themes or action areas. A series of projects or programs have been identified under each theme.

 

The majority of these projects have been undertaken in partnership with other Regional departments, agencies and organizations. This co-ordinated approach achieves common objectives, leverages resources and avoids duplication. Over 34 tasks were initially identified; progress has been made on all of them and new initiatives and partnerships have broadened the Strategy to currently include over 50 initiatives.

 

The Region is committed to delivering York Region's Environmental Initiatives through a greening window. The Regional Municipality of York is working on a number of different fronts to affect positive changes in the areas in which it does business. It is about affecting positive changes, achieving more and coordinating efforts in order to maximize results. York Region has a number of programs, initiatives and partnerships that work to protect and restore a healthy natural environment for current and future generations.

 

Protecting clean land, air and water requires a strategic and coordinated approach because, ecologically, actions that improve one area (land, air or water) have benefits for others.

 

Click on the following links for information on York Region's other significant programs which benefit the Region's land, air and water: 

 

• York Region Transit and Viva Rapid Transit

• Water Conservation Programs (Water for Tomorrow Program)

• Strategic Plan for Groundwater

• Growth Management Strategy

• Smart Commute Initiative

• Corporate Clean Air Initiatives (anti-idling, etc.)

• Waste Diversion Programs

 

Greening Strategy ... Continues to Grow.

 

Turning innovative ideas into reality takes time. The next steps for the Greening Strategy involve its further development through corporate co-operation, communication, partnerships and continued implementation of innovative ideas.

 

York Region is recognized as a leader in proactively protecting and restoring our natural environment. However new measures are needed to deal with new challenges. During the past four years significant achievements have been realized through the Greening Strategy.

 

The Greening Strategy has developed strong roots through partnerships, education, stewardship, environmental protection and rehabilitation and policy development. It is a program that continues to grow.

 

Partnerships and public support are essential to the success of the Greening Strategy. Your feedback is important to us. Please take a few minutes to tell us your thoughts at greening@york.ca.