Visit a Pop-up Park Near You #GreenWhereYouLive

I have lived in a handful of different cities and towns but when it came time to settle down I decided to move back to Hamilton, my hometown, where I was born and raised.  Hamilton gets a bad rap because of what people see from the QEW – smog, smokestacks and industrial areas.  I can admit the view from the highway is not very flattering. 

What I love about the city though is all the green space to be found, there are over 100 waterfalls to be found across Hamilton, isn’t that incredible?  Our food scene is emerging at a fast pace, artists are moving here in droves complete with frequent art crawls, our music scene is pretty outstanding and our downtown core is finally seeing gentrification and revitalization.  Unfortunately, like most cities, when it comes to downtown, green space is at a minimum with Gore Park being one of the only respites from concrete, buildings and roads.

In celebration of its 25^th anniversary, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) has been working on transforming 6 urban concrete lots across Canada into temporary green spaces.  Each green space, or pop-up park, offers five days of free, community programming, such as educational workshops, fitness classes and live musical performances.

Hamilton’s pop-up park is located on the vacant lot at 46 James St. N, right across from Hamilton City Centre and will remain until Saturday July 18th.  The next pop-up park will be found in Laval, QC from August 5-9, followed by Dartmouth, NS from August 19 – 23.

The parks are filled with native grasses and trees, log seating and tables, offering a bit of beauty and serenity while you enjoy outdoor activities and complimentary refreshments.  It’s a great way to highlight all the benefits of protecting and even investing in more urban green space.  It should be no surprise that a recent TD Environment survey found more than half of Canadians (56 per cent) feel most connected to the environment when they spend time at a local green space or park.

How awesome of TD FEF to celebrate their 25th anniversary by delighting urban dwellers with new green space, even if temporary!

I took Keira this Tuesday to the TD FEF Pop-up Park in Hamilton and despite the rain we enjoyed the scenery, the gorgeous wood furniture and even an incredible tree house made by Bienenstock.

 Isn’t it absolutely amazing?  Keira has actually claimed it as her own so I think we will be taking a trip back before it’s gone!

The parks are open from 10 am to 8 pm with a variety of different activities and programming throughout the day.  We were able to enjoy some samples from Jonny Blonde food truck including their Peachy Blonde and The Jerk Blonde – sandwiches on homemade flat-bread featuring fresh, flavourful ingredients.

 We were also treated to live music with two-time Juno award winner Jack De Keizer.  Keira was unable to resist dancing to the music!

Visitors to the pop-up parks are encouraged to share their experiences and spread the word within their community by using the #GreenWhereYouLive hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!