This year Ecology Ottawa is distributing 12,000 native tree seedlings free of charge to Ottawa area residents in efforts to re-plant our urban tree canopy. We are doing this because Ottawa's urban tree canopy is under threat. Since 2008, the emerald ash borer has killed 25% of Ottawa's trees. In addition to this, climate change, invasive pests, expanding urbanization and infill construction are also major threats to trees. We need to re-plant and keep planting to stay on top of the threats!
At all of the events listed below, our team of dedicated volunteers and staff will be handing out tree seedlings on a first-come, first-serve basis, so check the list of events frequently for one near you:
April
- April 12 (10:30am-1:30pm): Employment & Social Development Canada Volunteer Fair: "The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Volunteering"
- April 13 (11am-5pm) : Earth Day Celebration - River Ward Exhibition
- April 14 (9am-5pm): Electric Vehicle Day at IKEA
- April 22 (10am-12pm): Tree Give Away with Boomerang Kids Westboro - Earth Day Celebration
- April 22 (11am-3pm): Re4m Clean-up action at Mooney's Bay Park
- April 24 (8am-1:30pm): Canada Post HQ - JLL Earth Day Celebration
- April 24 (6:30-8:30pm): G.I. workshop - rain gardens
- April 26 (11:30am-1:30pm): EMB Building - Justice Canada Tree Give Away
- April 26 (6-9pm): Wildlife Speaker Series - Pollinators: Secret Superheroes
- April 26 (5-7pm): Arbor Day Spring Fair
- April 27 (11am-5pm): Ottawa Grassroots Festival
- April 27 (10am-2pm): OCW Slab and Lumber Sale
- April 27 (10am-1pm): Earth Day at Dundonald Park
May
- May 4 (1-4pm): Elwood Neighborhood Association Community Event
- May 6 (1-4pm): Terra20 Friends & Family Day
- May 10 (9:30am-2:30pm) & 11 (10am-4pm): Ottawa Children's Festival
- May 10 (12:30pm-3pm), 11 & 12 (9am-3pm): Tulip Festival
- May 11 (2-4pm): Hands On Gardening
- May 12 (10:30am-4:30pm): The Herb Garden - Mother's Day Brunch
- May 14 (12-1pm): Assent Compliance Tree Give Away
- May 16 (9am-4pm): Dressage Festival
- May 19 (9am-1pm): CycloFusion
- May 19 (10am-6pm): Crabapple Blossom Fest
- May 22, 23, 24 (10:30am-1:30pm): Indigenous Awareness Week Events
- May 23rd (6-9pm): Mountain Equipment Co-op Ottawa
- May 23 (6-9pm): Action Sandy Hill's General Annual Meeting
- May 25 (11am-3pm): Butterfly Garden-Fun day/General Burns Community Association
- May 25 (8am-4:15pm): Great Glebe GREEN Garage Sale
- May 27 (7-9pm): David Chernushenko Book Launch
June
- June 1 (8am-7pm): City of OM Wellness & Health
- June 1 (9:30am-12:30pm): Fletcher Wildlife Garden Native Plant Sale
- June 1 (11am-3pm): Summer Fair at the Summerside public school
- June 1 (8am-4pm): Heritage Public School Summer Market & Yard Sale
- June 2 (8:45am-2pm): Women's Trail Festival
- June 2 (10am-5pm): VegFest
- June 4 (9am-2pm): Canada Border Services Agency Eco Fair
- June 5 (11:30am-1:30pm): ECCC - Environment Week Place Vincent Massey (see calendar for more info)
- June 5 (10am-2pm): Environment Week - Global Affairs Canada
- June 5 (10am-12pm): Environment Week - Public Services and Procurement Canada
- June 5 (10am-2pm): Enviro Fair - Department of Finance Canada & Treasury Board Secretariat
- June 7 (11am-1pm): Transport Canada - Environment Week
- June 8 & 9 (10am-5pm): New Art Festival
- June 9 (8:30am-2pm): Sun Life Walk
- June 9 (10am-3pm): 12th Annual Touch a Truck Fundraiser
- June 9 (11am-2pm): Emerald Woods Neighborhood Association Party
- June 13 (11am-1pm): Annual Public Service Week Mental Health Information Session
- June 14 (7-9pm): Just Voices Summer Solstice Concert
- June 14 to 16 (see the hours on our calendar): Italian Week
- June 15 (9am-2pm): Main Farmers' Market
- June 15 (9am-3pm): The original Navan Market's Father's Day
- June 18 (10am-12pm): Tree Give Away at Shared Services Canada
- June 20 to 23 (10am-7pm): Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival
- June 20 to 23 (10am-6pm): DragonBoat Festival
- June 22 (12-4pm): Tree Yourself Party at Maker House Co.
- June 22 (6-9pm): Fringe Festival
- June 29 (11am-2pm): Celebrating Britannia!
- June 29 and 30: TD Jazz Festival
July
- July 5 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- July 6 (10am-4pm): 613flea Market
- July 6 (10am-3pm): Farmers' Market (Westboro)
- July 12 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- July 13 (11am-4pm): Summer Celebration at Penny Lane
- July 13 (8am-7pm): H.O.P.E Volleyball Summer Fest
- July 19 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- July 26 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- July 26 (3-7pm): Kanata Community Festival
- July 27 (10am-3pm): Repair Cafe at the Ottawa Tool Library
- July 27 (11am-3pm): Green Door Restaurant Giveaway
- July 27 (12-2pm): ECCC Park Party (Brantwood Park)
- July 27 (10am-3pm): Repair Cafe
- July 28 (12-4pm): Tucker House Renewal Centre - Open House
- July 28 (9am-4pm): Midsummer Herbfest in White Lake
August
- August 2 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- August 7 (4-8pm): Kanata North Summerfest
- August 10 (10am-4pm): Art in Strathcona Park
- August 10 (11am-2pm): Habitat for Humanity ReStore at 768 Belfast Rd
- August 16 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- August 17 and 18 (10am-4pm): Westboro FUSE Street Festival
- August 23 (5-9pm): Night Market on Fox
- August 24 (12-8pm): Capital Pride
- August 25 (12-8pm): Capital Pride
- August 31 (7:30pm-8:30pm): Cardinal Creek Movie Night in the Park
September
- September 1 (9am - 3pm): Ottawa Farmers Market (Lansdowne Park)
- September 7 (11am-3pm): Forest Valley Food Truck Rally
- September 21 (9am-11:30am): Cleaning the Capital
- September 21 (10am-2pm): Fête FrancOrléans
- September 22 (1pm-4pm): Morgan's Grant Greenspace Protection Workshop
- September 28 (1pm-4pm): Beaverbrook Greenspace Protection Workshop
Latest posts
Announcing our Executive Director!
Dear Ecology Ottawa Community,
I want to share some exciting news with you. After serving as Program Coordinator at Ecology Ottawa for two years, I stepped into the role of Interim Executive Director in July; today, I’m honoured to write to you as permanent Executive Director of Ecology Ottawa.
2025 Budget: Ecology Ottawa calls for more trees, CCMP funding, and engagement
At a meeting of City Council's Environment and Climate Change Committee on Wednesday, November 13, Ecology Ottawa called for further funding of climate action in Ottawa, improvements to the City's budget consultation process, and more trees—many more trees