You know how the old saying goes: Green thumbs have more fun. Well this past weekend (May 26th), thousands of Ottawa residents showed up at Rogers Plus & Kunstadt Sports parking lots to eat, dance and SHOP!
In 2006, Ecology Ottawa was founded with the initiative to engage community and city council alike in working towards sustainable alternatives and solutions in Ottawa and the rest of Canada. They have teamed up with the Glebe Community Association, a non-profit organization aimed at the improvement of neighbourhoods, to host the Great Glebe Green Garage Sale (say that ten times fast!)
This is the fifth year that the event has taken place. What started out as a humble sale of used goods has quickly evolved into a full out festival. In addition to the rows of tables showcasing a variety of second hand treasures, the event features a bake sale, vegetarian BBQ, and live performances by local DJs, bands, and musicians. There is face painting, hula hoop lessons and performances for the kids — also registered massage therapists to mellow out mom and dad after a long day of bargain hunting.
More items than ever before were donated to the event for the garage sale. FROGOBOX provided a whopping 240 moving boxes for the pick-up and drop-off of used goods. The successful execution of this great event helped achieve some outstanding goals:
• Raised over $9000 for Ecology Ottawa and The Ottawa Food Bank
• Had FROGBOX collect donations from a record high 150 non-participants across the city
• Obtained over 1,000 signatures on our petition to help prevent raw sewage overflowing into the Ottawa River
• Diverted countless tonnes of useful stuff from ending up in landfills
• Had an absolute blast doing it!
This event is a fantastic way to bring awareness and raise money to better our neighbourhoods and promote sustainable living — all while having a great froggin’ time! We have highlighted before the benefits and the overall importance of REUSING. An event like the Great Glebe GREEN Garage Sale is a model for all communities to rally towards a better tomorrow…and for this…we salute you!