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Welcome to the Earth Walk - Eco Education Center

Dedicated to Creating a Sustainable Future

Earthwalk Eco Education Center offers sustainable educational experiences throughout Eastern Ontario and beyond.

Our mission is to raise consciousness about sustainable solutions to our social and environmental issues. Through over 100 workshops, seminars and courses we share information and techniques for healthy and environmentally responsible living. Earthwalk was conceived in response to a growing need in this country to move towards a more sustainable and healhty society. Creating a sustainable life now is not only critical to our quality of life of this generation, but also that of our children and our children's children. A dedicated group of eco educators have pooled resources at Earthwalk to bring together tangible and practical solutions to many of our sustainability issues.

We are developing a complete catalogue of Earthwalk Eco Educational Programs at our facilities that are availabe both at our 5 acre eco education center near Colborne Ontario and through our out reach seminar series. These programs facilitate the creation of a new and more sustainable culture that include workshops and seminars ranging from eco home design and construction, healthy home solutions, renewable energy, organic food production, eco gardens, natural health strategies, eco transportation and much more.

Our sustainable living educational programs provides a multitude of resources that can help one chart your personal path to sustainability. All of the over 100 environmental training programs designed for Earthwalk focus on proactive solutions. At Earthwalk we explore actions we can take today in our own lives - in our homes, our businesses and our communities to begin the transition to a sustainable future - a future that we all will share.

We offer Eco Days For Schools that cover the highlights of many of our programs giving the student body an overview of today’s environmental issues and many of the practical solutions that are available to all of us on a day to day basis. We bring this program to schools all across Ontario and can customize the content to support the eco activities of individual schools. This is a whole day of workshops and films and activities specifically designed for different grade levels from JK through Grade 12. (We also have special programs for university students and professionals.) Our Eco Days For Schools provide an broad look and what sustainable living means and what the future of our society could look like if we all think about the environment when we make our day to day decisions. Following the workshops our presenters are available to coach staff on any Eco School initiatives that they may be interested in exploring. It is a powerful day and a great way to support the Ministries curriculum priorities for Environmental Education in Ontario.

There are many ways to get involved at Earthwalk. Our programs address several aspects of today's environmental concerns. They are designed to mobilize personal and community action to:

- Reduce the energy consumption
- Reduce water consumption
- Reduce the environmental impacts of personal transport
- Prevent contamination of air, soil and water
- Promote enlightened consumption patterns to reduce the waste of resources
- Enhance biological diversity in a human-dominated world
- Create eco buildings that reduce exposure to indoor toxins and provide healthier space to live and work
- Lifestyle modifications that encourage healthier and more sustainable choices

We offer a broad base of educational experiences at Earthwalk that includes: workshops, seminars, courses, work exchange, eco field trips, special events and exhibitions all related to sustainable living.

The scope of our training programs covers a lot of ground. Whatever your interests are in sustainable living this site and our programs will have valuable educational resources for you!

Our Green Building Programs are oriented towards architects, builders, planners as well as individuals planning on building or renovation. It explores a wide variety of eco design and construction solutions ranging from using renewable and/or recycled building materials to utilizing renewable energy, rain water harvesting, heat recovery, solar optimized windows, energy conservation and more. Our programs also cover alternative high efficiency building systems including techniques for straw bail, cord wood, timber frame, ICF’s and rammed earth. Our green community programs cover the concepts associated with sustainable community development from eco landscaping and green roofs to urban agriculture and a systems approach to eco villages.

Our Healthy Home Program is targeted to those interested in sustainable and healthy home design, creation and maintenance. It explores everything from building materials and healthy contents to healthy cleaning and maintenance solutions. A growing number of do-it-yourself enthusiasts and contractors are seeing the benefits of using green building products. Working with green products eliminates or limits the exposure to toxic substances on a daily basis, We show how to use zero or low toxin emitting materials that are not only healthier to use and live with but are eco friendly as well. We demonstrate how to optimize your water purification, ventilation and air purification systems. We demonstrate products which will help you save energy and resources (including money), reduce your carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment. A healthy home design optimizes your personal environment and providing overall health and wellness benefits for your family. This is particularly important for people with allergies or asthma, and pregnant women or new moms.

Our Permaculture Program is for both farmers and gardeners who are interested in growing organically and distributing their produce to local markets. It explores everything from healthy soil structure to planting and growing techniques as well as storage, marketing and distribution. We talk about the importance of working toward various aspects of permaculture. In this program we explore everything from vermiculture and composting to companion planting and natural pest control systems. We also have a program on erosion prevention, naturalized landscaping and pond management.

Our Natural Health Program is designed for those who are interested in developing natural healing strategies and total health plans for themselves and their families. It explores a holistic and nature based approach to creating and maintaining optimal health. These programs cover everything from healthy lifestyle choices and healthy eating to cleansing, detoxification, stress relief, sleep, exercise, relaxation, nature, sunlight, and home harmonizing. You can participate in our whole food cooking classes or you can learn about and experience natural treatment methods that are making a huge difference to so many.

Our Eco Transportation Program is for those who want to explore using zero or near zero emission transportation from their home or at their business. We look at a variety of new eco transport solutions that are being developed here in Canada and around the world. We also demonstrate our electric vehicles, electric tractor and many other eco transport solutions we are using on the Sustainable Living Center site.

Our Eco Experience Program emphasizes hands on educational opportunities, through our volunteer, environmental internship and work exchange programs. These programs provide an opportunity to have a wide range of sustainable living experiences while supporting programs that makes a difference. Every year we also have a Bio Diversity program which involves participating in different initiatives to preserve our natural environment. Several times a year we will co-ordinate Eco Trek trips for our members and interns that explore destinations that demonstrate sustainable solutions in action.
Through our educational programs, our resource center and our eco services we can facilitate our your ability to create a sustainable future, for your family, for your organization, for your community and ultimately for your planet.

Earthwalk Membership has its privileges. Become an Earthwalk Member and keep abreast of eco news and upcoming events through our newsletter. As a member you also receive discounts on our educational programs as well as sustainable goods and services available in our community. Members receive discounts on sustainable technology, sustainable support services, books and training materials, our special events, workshops and seminars, training courses, design services, coaching, consulting and more...

You may also want to consider Volunteering at Earthwalk. We have a wide variety of volunteer opportunities at Earthwalk. As a volunteer you can support the mission while you gain hands-on experience in our eco gardens, in the whole food kitchen, in our office, in the eco tech workshop, in the multi media center or in our learning center. If you have some time you may find volunteering at Earthwalk a rewarding experience. If are interested in our Volunteer Program contact our office.

The need to move towards a sustainable culture has never been greater and the work we do at the Sustainable Living Center is dedicated to creating a sustainable future for all of us. If you believe in this work, you may want to consider becoming an Earthwalk Sponsor. There is a variety of ways you can participate as a sponsor and several sponsor benefits. You can sponsor the programming at the center or even a page on this web site. Take a look at the various Sponsor Options and let us know if you would like to help us with our mission.

Check back with us as we build this sustainability resource center. In the mean time we have links to many sites that may assist you in your journey.

Feel free to stay tuned and bookmark this web site. As the project develops, the latest NEWS about the Earthwalk Sustainable Living Center will appear on this web site. If you have something to contribute to the development of this site or the center itself feel free to email us at info@ecoearthwalk.ca

Enjoy the benefits of Earthwalk Membership

www.ecoearthwalk.ca