A Bike Tour in North Toronto

Read the directions and trace the route on the map

 

Start from the Broadview subway station on the Danforth-Bloor line and ride north on Broadview Avenue. Turn left onto Pottery Road. Turn left on Bayview Avenue and ride to the Moore Park Ravine. Ride the path north through the maples and willows of the ravine to Moore Avenue.

At Moore Avenue you can ride into the Mount Pleasant Cemetery from dawn to dusk. Follow the marked route through the cemetery. Ride across the bridge over Yonge Street and the Davisville subway car yards. Follow the path through Forest Hill. Cross Oriole Parkway and Avenue Road. Go under the Eglinton West bridge and cross Bathurst Street. Ride to Allen Expressway, turn left and walk to Eglinton West subway station on the Spadina line.
MAP

To create your own map, you must have a Google account. If you don't, work with a friend who does, or your teacher. Open Google Maps, click on My Maps and watch the tutorial how to make your own map. Then trace the bike route as described in the text above. Print the map and compare with others in your class. You can also do a search about places that interest you on this route (e.g. restaurants, because you will get hungry after the ride).

Not Far from the Tree

Not Far From The Tree is an eco-group based in Toronto. They pick up fruits from neighbours' orchards that people don't care about and give them to those who cannot afford to buy them. Their volunteers picked up 3,690 kg of fruit in 2009.

1. Order the following lines into a passage:

or brushed past raspberry bushes on an evening stroll.

You’ve more than likely noticed

which is often viewed by homeowners as a nuisance.

everywhere in Toronto.

spoiled crabapples and rotted plums on sidewalks,

The city is teeming with fruit trees,

Fruit trees grow

but we rarely think of the potential of the fruit,

2. We'd Tap That
"We want to educate people about the urban forest.We don't want to collect a quantity of syrup, but to inspire connections between city dwellers and the trees around them. We will tap only Norway maples because they are abundant.
We will tap only the healthiest trees. Volunteers will drill one or two holes into each tree and insert spiles for the sap to be extracted.The spiles will be removed before spring arrives and the wounds will be sealed."

Comprehension questions:
1. Who is saying this?
2. What is their intention?
3. How will they do that?
4. How do they care about the trees?
5. How will they "inspire connections between city dwellers and the trees around them"?
6. Do you think that trees in the city should or shouldn't be wounded?

3. The following fruits have been gathered by Not Far From The Tree:
sweet and sour cherries, serviceberries, mulberries, apricots, plums, crabapples, pears, black wallnuts and ginko nuts. Find out about those you are not familiar with.

TWO GREEN COMPANIES

1. BIOBAGS

BioBag Canada sells Canada’s leading brand of fully certified 100% biodegradable and compostable bags.
BioBags are supplied to over 3,000 communities worldwide.
BioBags are an effective environmentally friendly alternative to paper and polyethylene bags.
BioBags can be reused, composted or incinerated.
BioBags are made from material containing cornstarch, vegetable oil and compostable polyester.
BioBags will completely compost within 10 to 45 days in a controlled composting facility depending on soil conditions, temperature etc.
Analyses have shown that BioBags have a more positive impact on the environment through reduced levels of greenhouse gas emissions and lower acid precipitation than paper and polyethylene bags..
BioBags are also available for pet waste disposal, and films for organic farms and gardens to inhibit weeds.

TRUE OR FALSE:
1. BioBags are a better alternative than paper or plastic bags.
2. They cannot fully decompose in the landfill.
3. They contain polyester.
4. They are made of corn.
5. You can put them in a green bin.
6. They are not good for the soil.
7. Burning plastic bags causes acid rains.
8. BioBags are recyclable.
9. BioBags are exported from Canada.

Answers: 1.T, 2.F, 3.T, 4.T, 5.T, 6.F, 7.T, 8.F, 9.T.

2. ECOVER

Ecover started 25 years ago as a small soap company in Belgium.
Since then it has developed into an international leader in the production of environmentally sustainable laundry, dishwashing and general household cleaning products.
Ecover’s mission is to provide an alternative solution to conventional cleaning products by using safe ingredients at a minimum cost to the environment.
It has developed a full line of plant-based cleaners and detergents.
Ecover’s factory features a grass roof for insulation, wood from sustainable forests and bricks from coal mine waste.
The facility is 99% emission free.

TRUE OR FALSE:
1. Ecover is a factory in Belgium.
2. It is 25 years old.
3. They produce cleaning products.
4. Those products are safe for the environment.
5. They are very low priced.
6. They are made with coal.
7. The factory is environmentally friendly.
8. They do not have any gas emissions at all.

Answers: 1.F, 2.T, 3.T, 4.T, 5.F, 6.F, 7.T, 8.F.

Saving Birds

LETTERS FROM READERS…
(Abridged letter to On the Bay, holiday edition 2008, by George K. Peck, Research Associate, Ornithology, Royal Ontario Museum)

The nesting bird colonies on Nottawasaga Island are of a far greater importance than saving a now obsolete, manmade Lighthouse.
There are more than a dozen nesting bird species on the island, of which seven are in colonies. Among the latter is our province’s largest and most northerly colony of Great Egrets, now increased to 135 nesting pairs, from its appearance on the island in 1985. This magnificent all-white heron and the other island nesting birds have been monitored and an annual census is done annually by the Canadian Wildlife Service and myself. The island has been posted to keep visitors away during the nesting season.
If it is necessary and financially possible to repair the damaged Lighthouse, I would strongly suggest the importance of making those repairs outside the birds’ nesting season (the beginning of April to the end of July). Any work done within that period would seriously jeopardize the bird colonies, which should be regarded as a precious part of our heritage.

TASKS:
1. Reading comprehension questions (for higher levels):
Who is the author of this letter? Which Bay does the magazine relate to? What article in a previous issue does the author respond to? What point does he make?
Why does Mr.Peck think that birds are more important?
Name some of the birds in Ontario. Which of them exist in your country?
What does the writer mean by “a precious part of our heritage”? Can you think of anything else as a Canadian heritage?
What do you know about bird watching / bird counting?
In your opinion, should engineers, builders, city developers and other experts consult with biologists? Why or why not?
[Learn more: Janine Buyens: Biomimicry, see our book list]

2. Check the meaning of these words: nesting birds, bird colony, bird watching, bird census, ornithology. Find more words related to the birds.

3. TRUE / FALSE (for lower lvels)
1. Nottawasaga Island is a home to many birds.
2. There is a lighthouse on the island.
3. The lighthouse is not in use.
4. All the birds on the island are egrets.
5. The Great Egret is a white heron.
6. There are more than 12 bird species on the island.
7. There are 270 Great Egrets on the island.
8. People can not come to the island.

Find the words in the text that give answers to these statements.


4. Match the words on the left with the explanation on the right:

Obsolete - not in use any more
Colony - group
Appearance - show up
Magnificent - beautiful
Census - counting population
Jeopardize - endanger
Annual - yearly
Precious - dear
Heritage - part of the culture
Monitor - watch

5. Use the words above in these sentences:

The lighthouse on Nottawasaga Island is ________.
__________ies of birds live on the island now.
The first ________________ of Great Egret on the island was in 1985.
That _____________ bird is a part of Canadian _____________.
The island is ______________ because many species of birds live there.
The birds have been ______________ed.
An ____________ ___________ is taken to count the birds on the island.
Building works on the island during the nesting season can ______________ the birds.

6. Divide the class in two teams: those who are in favour of repairing the lighthouse and those who oppose it. Debate it.

Write a letter back to Mr. Peck defending the lighthouse restoration.
.
Write a post that the Canadian Wildlife Service would put on the island. Write more posts for the places you know need protection.

Write a letter to a newspaper suggesting a repair of some site that you would like to protect.

Write a letter to the Canadian Wildlife Service offering your help as a volunteer. Mention at least three reasons why you would qualify.