Healthy Communities • YMCA Green Team
An oasis in the city at Cooper Koo Family YMCA
04 April 2016 - by Talía Noya
Did you know that when Cooper Koo Family Cherry St. YMCA opens its doors this May, it will house half of the largest accessible green roof in the City of Toronto? The other half will reside on the neighboring George Brown College building. The Y’s 30,000 sq. ft. are mobility-device accessible and will contribute environmentally, economically and socially to the urban area.
The roof will incorporate the use of locally grown plants and shrubs to transform a typically unused space to provide new, vibrant, community space. Two thirds of the Cooper Koo roof will be covered in vegetation and the rest will be usable for exercise, meditation, and socializing. It creates a thoughtful environment that fosters community engagement and offers educational opportunities on sustainability, as well as the chance to connect with the eco-system.
Here are other notable ways it will benefit the Canary District community:
Similarly to Central YMCA’s green roof, Cooper Koo’s green roof was a collaborative project – it was designed and built, and will be maintained with the help of volunteers. Over 400 community members provided exciting ideas and voted on the final design of the roof. More than 200 volunteers donated their time to help build it. Feel like rolling up your sleeves and contributing to our project?
Volunteers are needed for activities such as woodwork, planting, irrigation and clean up. All tools, hard hats, vests and boots will be provided. No experience is required so anyone can join in on the fun!
[mks_pullquote align="left" width="600" size="15" bg_color="#dd3333" txt_color="#ffffff"]
Mondays to Fridays this summer
9 am – 10 am Training
10 am – 12 pm First Shift
12 pm – 1 pm Lunch Break
1 pm – 3pm Second Shift[/mks_pullquote]
To sign up, please e-mail CooperKoo.CherrySt@ymcagta.org
Join our mailing list for regular updates, and opportunities to provide feedback on our programs.
Green Roof Perks
The roof will incorporate the use of locally grown plants and shrubs to transform a typically unused space to provide new, vibrant, community space. Two thirds of the Cooper Koo roof will be covered in vegetation and the rest will be usable for exercise, meditation, and socializing. It creates a thoughtful environment that fosters community engagement and offers educational opportunities on sustainability, as well as the chance to connect with the eco-system.
Here are other notable ways it will benefit the Canary District community:
- Improves heart-rate and blood-pressure
- Reduces stress
- Improves air quality
- Manages stormwater
- Decreases noice pollution
- Supports biodiversity
- Reduces carbon footprint
Join our team!
Similarly to Central YMCA’s green roof, Cooper Koo’s green roof was a collaborative project – it was designed and built, and will be maintained with the help of volunteers. Over 400 community members provided exciting ideas and voted on the final design of the roof. More than 200 volunteers donated their time to help build it. Feel like rolling up your sleeves and contributing to our project?
Volunteers are needed for activities such as woodwork, planting, irrigation and clean up. All tools, hard hats, vests and boots will be provided. No experience is required so anyone can join in on the fun!
[mks_pullquote align="left" width="600" size="15" bg_color="#dd3333" txt_color="#ffffff"]
Mondays to Fridays this summer
9 am – 10 am Training
10 am – 12 pm First Shift
12 pm – 1 pm Lunch Break
1 pm – 3pm Second Shift[/mks_pullquote]
To sign up, please e-mail CooperKoo.CherrySt@ymcagta.org
Join our mailing list for regular updates, and opportunities to provide feedback on our programs.
