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2012 annual report
our mission
Ecospark works with communitiEs
and schools, providing thEm with
thE knowlEdgE and tools to monitor
thEir EnvironmEnt and takE action
for positivE EnvironmEntal changE.
1 Letter from the Executive Director and the Board of Directors
2 Changing Currents4 Wattwize6 Live Green Toronto Community
Animation Program8 Monitoring the Moraine10 Audited Financial Statements12 Funder Acknowledgement and Donors13 Staff and Board
Front-cover photo: Eden Balaban
1 ecospark 2012 annual report
In 2012, ecoSpark celebrated
ItS “Sweet SIxteen”.
From our humble beginnings as a couple of
staff members running one program out of an
attic office, to a team of 15 working on several
ambitious and innovative programs, EcoSpark
truly has evolved over the years into a well-
respected organization with a reputation for
citizen science and community engagement.
Last year, our relevancy was higher than ever.
We continued to address the nature deficit
disorder in youth and excel in implementing the
Ministry of Education’s policy framework around
environmental education. We sparked schools
and communities to reduce their environmental
impacts through our education and community
engagement. We continued to fill the need
for community monitoring and empowerment
around environmental issues and accessible
information to enable informed decision-making.
In 2012, we continued to achieve new heights of
successes. We experienced increased numbers of
returning teachers to our education programs. Our
Changing Currents program reached its highest
levels of participation, delivering programming to
80 teachers and 2,201 students. We continued to
inspire youth to steward their local environment
whether it was by conserving energy at school
or cleaning up garbage along their local streams.
Through the Live Green Toronto (LGTO) Community
Animation Program, we connected groups and
sparked new networks to build and sustain their
local efforts. We showcased the local movers and
shakers as community experts and fostered peer-
to-peer knowledge sharing and learning at the 2012
Toronto Community Environment Forum. Through
the Monitoring the Moraine Program, we produced
a status report on the policy implementation of the
Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP),
and an analysis on the status of water quantity in
moraine-based watersheds using data from Check
Your Watershed Day. Both reports served to inform
those who have a stake in the moraine about
the gaps in data and ORMCP implementation.
In short, we were living our mantra:
discover. act. change.
While we inspired change in others, EcoSpark
also experienced signification internal changes. In
2012, the LGTO Community Animation Program
ended as we approached the end of our contract
with the City of Toronto. We also concluded the
Monitoring the Moraine Program, recognizing
that strategic re-visioning and new approaches
were needed for improved impact at the ORMCP
review in 2015. In addition, changes in leadership
at the board and staff level have created the
opportunity for organizational refocus and renewal.
This year, staff and board undertook an intensive
evaluation and created a new strategic plan. The
strategy calls for an improved and focused impact.
Moving forward, we will concentrate our efforts on
deepening our transformative engagement with youth
and adults, and facilitating opportunities for them to
take action to benefit their local environment.
While we celebrate our outstanding accomplishments
in 2012 through this annual report, I invite you to join
us in this new phase of EcoSpark, a phase of greater
impact and innovation in 2013 and beyond.
Sincerely,
joyce chauexecutive director and the board of directors
letter from the executIve dIrector and the board of dIrectorS
2
discover. In 2012, we worked with 2,201 students to discover
their local streams and the little critters (benthic
macroinvertebrates or BMIs) that live within them.
These students were from 53 schools across
the Greater Toronto Area (Toronto, York, Peel,
Durham, and Halton). The number of students
we work with has been increasing since 2007,
and the program is always over-subscribed.
act.In 2012, EcoSpark coached teachers and students
to sample over 50 streams in 12 watersheds across
southern Ontario. Sites were monitored for water
quality using the same suite of biological indicators
used by conservation authorities and consultants.
This information contributes to our water quality
database and is available on our online map
(www.ecospark.ca/changingcurrents/data).
Along with the stream study, students also
conduct an onsite stream clean-up so that
they are taking immediate action to improve
the health of their local streams.
changIng currentS
Successful since its launch in 2000, Changing Currents is EcoSpark’s
longest running program. Its success can be attributed to the program’s
focus on fun and local outdoor experiential education. In 2012, EcoSpark
had an exceptional year with our Changing Currents program. We
trained and coached more teachers and students than any other year!
thIS actIvIty helpS
StudentS to overcome
Some of theIr fearS about
bugS and gettIng Into
the water. they learn
that IdentIfIcatIon IS not
only In the textbook, but
haS actual applIcatIonS
In the real world.
Simin Navabi, Teacher from A.Y. Jackson Secondary School
What was the best part of the
stream study?
3 ecospark 2012 annual report
change.Getting to know their local streams and stream
health inspired students in multiple ways. By
making science fun and accessible, EcoSpark
inspired 89% of participating students to have
an increased interest in the sciences. In addition,
the stream studies sparked 45% of participating
classes to undertake additional stewardship
activities. In 2012, our students restocked streams
with fish, wrote articles about water in school
newsletters, organized additional stream clean-ups,
and planned a school-wide water conference.
Changing Currents has also had a positive
impact on teachers. In 2012, returning teachers
made up 61% of the teachers we worked with.
Furthermore, 100% of the teachers from 2013
intend on participating again next year.
you have added So much
to my program and helped
me meet the demandS of
my currIculum. I truly
don’t know a more
meanIngful way for
StudentS to learn about
eutrophIcatIon, water
pollutIon, and IndIrect
and dIrect monItorIng.
Laurie Kuchirka, Teacher from Branksome Hall
4
discover. In 2012, EcoSpark worked with 71 teachers and
1,345 students from across the Greater Toronto
Area (Toronto, York, Peel, and Durham). Through
Wattwize, students learned about electricity, where
it comes from, and the different kinds of energy
consumption. Students also used wattmeters to
determine energy usage of everyday items.
act.Students conducted energy audits within their
schools, ranging from one classroom to the entire
school. Based on their findings, students developed
and implemented their own electricity conservation
plans. Conservation plans included an “energy week”
to increase awareness about energy conservation,
a student “energy monitor” to ensure good
conservation practices within their school, peer-to-
peer learning (where students made presentations
to other classes about energy conservation and
helped them develop a class plan), and tree planting
to offset their school’s electricity consumption.
wattwIze
The Wattwize program, which started in 2005, is an interactive
electricity program that builds a culture of conservation in schools.
From 2005 to 2012, we supported and coached over 12,000 elementary
and high school students to be conservation champions!
[wattwIze IS] great,
applIcable and really
demonStrated the
amount of electrIcIty
uSed by each of the
applIanceS that StudentS
uSe on a daIly baSIS.
Teacher, Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School
I really apprecIate that we
were gIven 2 wattmeterS
becauSe I waS able to
Send the wattmeterS
home wIth 2 dIfferent
StudentS per nIght untIl
everyone had a chance
to audIt theIr homeS.
Teacher from Dewson Public School
5 ecospark 2012 annual report
change.Through the implementation of their own
conservation plans, students were able to foster a
culture of energy conservation within their schools.
With support from EcoSpark, the schools hosted
community events that enabled the students to
share the messaging of energy conservation to
their wider communities. In 2012, EcoSpark hosted
community events at J.D. Parker Junior School
and J.S. Woodsworth Public School. These events
collectively reached 225 members of the community.
Importantly, the conservation plans also translated
into energy savings for the school and their
school boards!
the program gIveS uS the
opportunIty to extend
what we have learned
to the communIty gIvIng
the kIdS the chance to
uSe theIr voIce, the voIce
that needS to be heard.
Teacher, J. D. Parker Jr. School
wIth the help of the
wattwIze program - our
School’S eco-team waS
able to reduce our energy
conSumptIon by 25%! erIn
gave uS great IdeaS and
really helped to Shed lIght
on wayS we could reduce
our energy conSumptIon.
Teacher, Peel Alternative School South
6
what is community animation?Community animation is the process of building skills,
motivation, leadership, and support networks within
communities so they may achieve a common goal.
discover.EcoSpark’s community animators promoted the
Live Green Toronto message to over 26,500 people
and worked directly with ~13,000 people. More
importantly, the animators helped Torontonians
discover their own communities, facilitating new
networks and new (and often unlikely) partnerships.
For example, volunteers from the Afghan Canadian
Seniors’ Centre now water the school garden at Marc
Garneau Collegiate Institute during summers and
on weekends when the students are not around.
act.EcoSpark’s community animators worked with ~450
groups to initiate and support green projects that
included renewable energy, community gardens,
and bicycle paths. Our animators assisted in
finding capacity and support for these projects,
inspiring ~19,000 volunteer hours and helping
with over 80 funding proposals that resulted in
over $1,000,000 for green projects in Toronto.
Hundreds of individuals and dozens of groups
received training and mentoring and now have
the skills to implement environmental projects
on their own. In fact, more than 75 projects
are annual, self-sustaining, and will benefit
their communities for years to come.
...whIle we have made
extenSIve progreSS wIthIn
our School, we faced great
challengeS In reachIng
our larger communIty,
many of who are new
ImmIgrantS. thIS IS where
the expertISe and ServIceS
of the anImator program
have been Invaluable.
Sonya Goldberg, Dr. Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute
From January 2009 to December 2012, EcoSpark led the Live Green Toronto
(LGTO) Community Animation Program. The City of Toronto demonstrated
leadership in contracting out community animation to a collaborative of
local environmental and social organizations led by EcoSpark. The unique
and innovative program was aimed at mobilizing the diverse communities
across the City of Toronto through community animation. During that
time, our animators empowered communities with the knowledge, tools,
and resources to take environmental action for a greener Toronto.
lIve green toronto communIty anImatIon program
7 ecospark 2012 annual report
change.The LGTO Community Animation Program
transformed communities in Toronto, inspiring
positive environmental change through community
animation. Our animators provided a supportive
space in which community groups could share ideas
and network with other groups and agencies. In 2012,
our animators organized the Toronto Community
Environment Forum. A first of its kind, the forum
showcased representatives from local community
groups as leaders and experts who generously shared
knowledge and experience to help build a greener
Toronto. They also helped groups to develop their
own projects as well as the necessary skills to make
them a success. The LGTO program also improved
air and water quality, reduced the heat island effect,
conserved energy, and decreased erosion and
GHG emissions. In short, it laid the groundwork
for stronger, greener communities in Toronto.
Although the City of Toronto concluded the
LGTO Community Animation Program, EcoSpark
highly recommends that the City continue
to invest in the people of Toronto through a
similar environmental animation program.
you go Into Some bIg effort
and then you reach a
plateau and wIth your
current SkIllS you can’t
gIve above It...I don’t know
how I would have gotten
through [the fundIng
applIcatIon proceSS]
but wIth the anImator
Support It waS poSSIble
Erhard Kraus, North Scarborough Green Loop
the communIty engagement
proceSS helped uS to look
at our work and be able
to recognIze how urban
agrIculture playS an
Important part In reducIng
greenhouSe gaS and Smog-
cauSIng emISSIonS In the cIty.
Anan Loloi, AFRI-CAN Foodbasket
8
discover.Through the Monitoring the Moraine program, we
engaged thousands of people to better understand
and appreciate this special landscape. We led
numerous educational hikes and workshops for
students and local community groups, and we
developed A Citizens’ Guide to the Oak Ridges
Moraine – the definitive guide to learning about the
moraine. We also inspired 146 photographers on
the moraine to take 892 photos of its land, water,
plants, animals, and people. Lastly, we recognized
33 moraine Heroes, representing 2099 individuals
who have all helped to make the Oak Ridges
Moraine a better place to live, work, and play.
act.EcoSpark led the MTM program to achieve many
firsts in bringing people together to track and
protect the Oak Ridges Moraine. To initiate dialogue
around moraine monitoring and protection we led
10 meetings that attracted 272 people representing
100 moraine stakeholders groups. From 2005-2008,
we assembled and led the first multi-stakeholder
advisory committee to prepare for the Oak Ridges
Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) review. We
also produced the first series of reports to track
municipal compliance and provincial progress on the
ORMCP (2006, 2007, and 2012 Status Reports).
The MTM program helped to ensure a strong
local voice through community-based monitoring.
We developed Moraine Watch— the first policy
monitoring program for volunteers—and tracked
over 50 local issues across the landscape in a
systematic way. From 2005 to 2011, we coordinated
From 2005 to 2012, EcoSpark led the Monitoring the Moraine (MTM)
program in partnership with STORM Coalition. The goal of the program
was to build a movement of engaged and informed communities to
protect the Oak Ridges Moraine by engaging and sustaining community
volunteers in science, stewardship, and decision-making on the Oak
Ridges Moraine. Over the program’s seven years, we achieved this by
building momentum across the landscape, conducting community-based
monitoring on the moraine, and celebrating the moraine’s land and water.
mtm... unIt[ed] people
from dIfferent areaS
of the moraIne and
helpIng Spread
conceptS and IdeaS over
a larger area among
commItted people
Margo McNab, Protect the Ridges
monItorIng the moraIne
9 ecospark 2012 annual report
13 Check Your Watershed Day events, working
with 14 partners and 384 volunteers to monitor
baseflow on 1327 streams in 13 Moraine-based
watersheds. In 2012, we produced an in-depth
analysis and report on the volunteer-collected data.
change.In our seven years on the Oak Ridges Moraine, we
witnessed positive changes in people and their
communities due in part to the MTM program.
Individuals who attended our early workshops
went on to become local environmental activists,
councillors, and moraine heroes. They became
members of existing local groups, joined the
boards of others, and formed their own groups.
In 2010, we launched the first public awareness
campaign about the 2015 Review of the ORMCP,
which garnered support from 1,350 individuals
who pledged to participate in the plan review.
EcoSpark is confident that the grassroots movement
we contributed to will have a strong impact in
protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine for 2015 and into
the future. EcoSpark is still committed to the Oak
Ridges Moraine landscape and looking forward to
participating in the review of its conservation plan.
mtm helped to engage a
communIty In the entIre
waterShed/jurISdIctIon,
not juSt thoSe lIvIng
on the moraIne. there
were poSItIve ImpactS
felt conSIStently
In our area.
Pamela Lancaster, Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
well-delIvered
mtm program from
Start to fInISh
Frank Shaw, Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust
10
fInanceS
EcoSpark’s 2012 Audited Financial Statements were prepared by Cowperthwaite Mehta, Chartered Accountants. The information below is an excerpt from this document. The full financial statements dated February 11, 2013, can be made available upon request.
SUMMARIZED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONAS AT DECEMBER 31, 2012 AND DECEMBER 31, 2011
2012 2011
Assets
Current assets Cash $ 27,065 $ 120,105 Short-term investments 15,087 15,111 Accounts receivable 75,851 23,220 Prepaid expenses 7,794 3,060 125,797 161,496
Property and equipment 1,993 – Total Assets $ 127,790 $ 161,496
LiAbiLities And net Assets
Current liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 4,106 $ 8,622 Deferred revenue 45,895 101,542
Total Liabilities 50,001 110,164 Net assets - Unrestricted 77,789 51,332
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 127,790 $ 161,496
11 ecospark 2012 annual report
SUMMARIZED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITIONAS AT DECEMBER 31, 2012 AND DECEMBER 31, 2011
2012 2011
Assets
Current assets Cash $ 27,065 $ 120,105 Short-term investments 15,087 15,111 Accounts receivable 75,851 23,220 Prepaid expenses 7,794 3,060 125,797 161,496
Property and equipment 1,993 – Total Assets $ 127,790 $ 161,496
LiAbiLities And net Assets
Current liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 4,106 $ 8,622 Deferred revenue 45,895 101,542
Total Liabilities 50,001 110,164 Net assets - Unrestricted 77,789 51,332
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $ 127,790 $ 161,496
SUMMARIZED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND NET ASSETSfoR ThE yEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2012 AND DECEMBER 31, 2011
2012 2011
Revenue
Government funding $ 346,814 $ 690,507 Foundation funding 180,166 228,654 Other program funding 17,030 39,486 Other 7,822 27,673 551,832 986,320
expenses
Program development and delivery Salaries and benefits 375,195 649,864 Program administration 48,375 69,383 Program resources and events 32,133 41,406 Purchased services 21,909 135,176 Program travel 16,619 27,671 494,231 923,500
Administration Salaries and benefits 17,115 8,335 Rent 6,037 6,300 Office and general 7,992 5,234 Amortization – 687 31,144 20,556 Total expenses 525,375 944,056 Excess of revenue over expenses for the year 26,457 42,264 Net Assets, beginning of year 51,332 9,068 Net Assets, end of year $ 77,789 $ 51,332
12 Concept & Design: comet-design.com
thank-you to our funderS and IndIvIdual donorS!
J.p. Bickell foundation
Individual Donors
Lee Adamson
Christopher Allen
Diane M. Brose
David Burnett
Cindy Chao
Cliff Coppolino
Ecometrix
Front Door Organics
Katie Fullerton
David Gordon
Robin Green
Glen Heintzman
Michael Kirkby
Daniella Mailing
Mary McGrath
Barbara Murck
Julia Phillips
Hanna Porter
Michael Porter
Julian Roy
Tory Russell
Debbie Schaefer
Catherine Seguin
Susan Sigrist
Rachael Wraith
Pendle award from
Staff and board
Meredith Cochrane (to October)Executive Director
Joyce ChauProgram Manager, Science and Research (to October)Executive Director (from November)
Paul TuckerProgram Manager, Environmental Education
Allison RobertsProgram Officer, Monitoring the Moraine
Erin WayProgram Officer, Environmental Education
Holly BroseEducation Coordinator
Laurie KassabianEducation Coordinator
Carlene DempsterFinancial Administrator
Katie FullertonLive Green Toronto Community Animator, Toronto East (Scarborough)
Minaz Asani-KanjiLive Green Toronto Community Animator, Toronto North
Erika PulferLive Green Toronto Community Animator, Toronto South
Whitney Crooks (to August)Live Green Toronto Community Animator, Toronto West
Emma Rooney (from September)Live Green Toronto Community Animator, Toronto West
Anne SolomonAdministrative Assistant, Live Green Toronto Community Animation Program
EcoSpark Staff
Board of Directors Directors at Large
David Gordon, Chair (until July)Teacher, Dunbarton High SchoolDurham District School Board
Christopher Allen, Acting Chair (from July) and Chair (from November)Directory, AdvisoryKPMG
Diana Crosbie, Vice Chair (until June)PresidentCrosbie Communications Inc.
Julian Roy, SecretaryLawyerFalconers LLP
Catherine Seguin, TreasurerSenior Lecturer, AccountingUniversity of Toronto Mississauga
Barbara MurckSenior Lecturer, Department of Geography and Environment ProgramsUniversity of Toronto Mississauga
Clifton Coppolino Coordinator, Etobicoke-Mimico StewardshipToronto and Region Conservation Authority
Dave BurnettManager, Provincial & Regional Policy, Planning and Development Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
Julia PhillipsAdopt-a-Pond Program CoordinatorToronto Zoo
Cindy ChaoSustainability ConsultantDeloitte
Rachael WraithCommunications and Community Engagement Specialist
Hanna PorterTeacher, Northview Heights Secondary SchoolToronto District School Board
Back-cover photo: Jeff Kitchen
EcoSpark1179 King Street West, Suite 114
Toronto, ON M6K 3C5www.ecospark.ca
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