10th Annual Roots & Shoots Conference at Science NorthPosted: September 28, 2009
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This year's TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup took place September 19-27. As part of Project Blue, the 2009 water campaign, Roots & Shoots organized a succesful cleanup in Toronto. A big thanks goes out, not only to those who came out to the cleanup, but also to everyone who got involved all over the country! On September 25, over 80 people came to the Humber Bay Shoreline. Together we collected 495 pounds of litter! Dr. Jane Goodall was also there to witness and speak of how our collective efforts can and are contributing to positive change. Thank you to our partners and friends for all their support! Visit this page for details of the event! You can find our photos here. Did you organize a cleanup in your community? Please don't forget to tell us about it by sharing your story in the online Project Database. |
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Peace Day
Posted: September 21, 2009
Thank you to all our friends who came from all over southern Ontario to celebrate a wonderful Peace Day! The Roots & Shoots celebration took place Sunday, September 20 at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland. Throughout the day we were privileged to meet many of the sanctuary primates and learn from our speakers and guests. Read more about our celebrations here! Check out our photos on Facebook! Visit this page for more info about Peace Day. Did you organize an event for Peace Day? Tell us about it! |
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Youth 4 Action Workshop in Montreal
Posted:September 18, 2009
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In collaboration with Apathy is Boring and Concordia University, Roots & Shoots hosted a Youth 4 Action workshop in Montreal, September 11. The workshop took place at the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University. The workshop featured a performance by Nantali a.k.a Iam BlackGirl of Nomadic Massive, and workshops by Rights and Democracy Network, Apathy is Boring, HipHopNoPop, Katimavik, and Equal Voices. The event was a great success! Thanks to everyone who participated! |
Teens with Big Ideas Win Big Adventures with Polar Bears Int'l
Posted: June 17, 2009
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Roots & Shoots groups are invited to compete in the at-large category of Polar Bears International's Project Polar Bear Contest, a way for small groups of teens to make a big difference. The contest challenges teens to find ways to cut carbon emissions in their communities. Last year's winners tried remarkable ideas like goat-mowing patrols along with why-didn't-I-think-of-that gems like a website that collects carbon-reduction pledges. Together they reduced the annual carbon footprint in their communities by over 17 million pounds! Create your team and sign up soon: contest registration runs through July 31, 2009. (And don't forget to identify yourselves as Roots & Shoots members!) |
The Grand Prize winners will be rewarded with a trip to Western Hudson Bay to see polar bears in the wild, as well as a trip to San Diego for the Awards Ceremony and other prizes, including VIP tours of the San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego. Finalist teams will win a trip to San Diego for the Awards Ceremony and other prizes, including VIP tours of the San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego. Prizes also include green cash (and, yes, it's recyclable but we mean the color). Photo: The Oregon Zoo's Green Teens show off their “Don't Be Idle Campaign,” a school-district-wide effort that motivated parents to turn engines off while waiting in carpool lines. |
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Special Reserved Seating for Roots & Shoots Groups at WE DAY
Posted: June 1, 2009
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Free The Children’s We Day is right around the corner, taking place in Vancouver (Sept 29) and Toronto (Oct 5). We Day features inspirational and motivational speeches and performances by leading activists, speakers and entertainers, including Jane Goodall and His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Vancouver, and Natalie Portman and Robert Kennedy Jr. in Toronto. We Day is an annual celebration of the power of young people to change the world. After the event, students return to their schools to take action on important local and global issues they care about. Visit We Day for details. |
The events are already sold out... but not for Roots & Shoots members!
ALREADY A ROOTS & SHOOTS MEMBER Send us an email with your group details, including:
Then submit your latest water project in the online Project Database by December 31st |
NOT YET A ROOTS & SHOOTS MEMBER Register online for Roots & Shoots Send us an email with your group details, including:
Then submit your latest water project in the online Project Database by December 31st |
Check out the Project Blue website for water project ideas.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!
Roots & Shoots Calls on Members to Join Kraft Letter Campaign
Posted: May 27, 2009
We need your help to stop the exploitation of chimpanzees in the entertainment industry!
JGI Canada has sent a letter to Kraft Canada and we're calling on Roots & Shoots members to do the same. Use our letter template to write to Kim McMiller at Kraft, asking to remove Kraft's television ad for Kraft Dinner crackers, featuring a very young chimpanzee dressed in clothing and “grinning”. Did you know that the “chimpanzee grin,” which we so often see on TV, is actually a fear-response? Live chimps and other great apes are frequently used in the entertainment industry because they are so like us. But this practice is inappropriate and often cruel. Tragically, chimps in entertainment are separated from their mothers as infants, which is psychologically and socially damaging to both mother and infant. These infants never learn to interact with members of the same species and are often mistreated in training. |
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As they reach adolescence, chimpanzees become too dangerous and strong to handle, and many end up in roadside zoos, in medical testing facilities or being quietly euthanized.
Studies suggest that when audiences see chimps in ads, on TV or in movies, they assume chimpanzees are not endangered in the wild. But they are. Like all great apes, their numbers are rapidly decreasing.
At a time when protecting great apes and their habitat is more important than ever, can we really afford such a misconception?
That’s why we need your help - join the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada in telling Kraft that the use of chimpanzees in advertising must be stopped! Send your letters today!
Roots & Shoots and JGI Take Part in Green Living Show
Posted: April 27, 2009
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From April 24-26 Roots & Shoots and JGI hosted a booth at the Green Living Show at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto. The show featured the latest green products and services from hundreds of exhibitors and a huge Natural Playground in the Kids Zone. Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council members performed skits in the Kids Zone several times each day, educating viewers about water conservation. We'd like to thank the volunteers and Council members who made our second year at the Green Living Show a success! |
Hundreds of Youth Assemble for Ottawa & Toronto Conferences
Posted: April 20, 2009
Roots & Shoots hosted two "Youth 4 Action" workshops in April. Approximately 150 high-school-aged youth participated in each event, along with a team of amazing facilitators and volunteers. After a keynote speech by Jane Goodall, students took part in two interactive workshops. The morning focused on learning about issues, while the afternoon involved turning knowledge into action. A big thanks goes out to everyone who made these two events such a huge success! Visit the event pages for photos and more: OttawaToronto |
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Roots & Shoots Launches Partnership with Roots CanadaPosted: April 17, 2009"Roots Cares" was officially launched Friday April 17 at the flagship Roots store on Bloor st. in Toronto. Designed by a committee of Roots staff from across Canada, the Roots Cares program will see employees raising funds and providing volunteer time to help support Roots & Shoots throughout the country. Roots employees will also be directly engaged in initiating and contributing to projects that address issues in their own communities. To connect with a Roots store in your area, send your group name to naomi@janegoodall.ca |
There are already two First Nations communities in Canada involved in Roots & Shoots – Beecher Bay and T’sou’ke, both in British Columbia. The AFN and JGI will work to expand the program to other interested First Nation communities across the country.
When Chief Fontaine first heard about Roots & Shoots, he thought it was a "perfect fit for First Nations". “More than half our people are under the age of 25" he stated, "and they are a tremendous source of energy, innovation and ideas".
The partnership stems from a meeting with the Chief Fontaine, Dr. Keith Martin, MP (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca) and Roots & Shoots staff in September 2008.
Watch the news conference here.
Roots & Shoots Celebrates Dr. Jane's 75th Birthday!
Posted: April 3, 2009
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April 3, 2009 is Jane Goodall's 75th Birthday! Jane will be celebrating at a party in Toronto on April 17th and we're compiling a giant birthday scrapbook to present to her. If you'd like to send Jane a personalized birthday greeting to be included in the scrapbook, create a one-page message and email it to us before Monday April 13. Your message could include a poem, a picture, or simply a happy birthday! And if you haven't done so already, you can also send Jane an online "e-hoot". |
World Water Day
Posted: March 22, 2009
Roots & Shootsers and Rotarians in Toronto and Vancouver came together on World Water Day (March 22) to watch the film Blue Gold: World Water Wars and learn about the global water crisis. The film is based on the book Blue Gold by Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke. Tony was at the Toronto screening to give a short talk and take questions from the audience after the film. Visit the Project Blue website for more details! |
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Youth Council Member Volunteers in Uganda
Posted: February 2009
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From February - April, 2009, Shannon Trebilcock is volunteering for JGI Uganda! Shannon is a member of the first Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Council, and plans to attend graduate school for primate conservation. Read Shannon's bio. Shannon is working on a variety of projects. During the month of February, she'll help to expand and promote JGI Uganda's "No Plastic Bags" campaign, traveling to schools and supermarkets to raise awareness about the negative impact of plastic bags on the environment. |
She'll also be working with local Roots & Shoots groups, learning how the program operates in Uganda and developing animal conservation factsheets to distribute to schools and groups.
Come March 1st, Shannon will move to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary to help care for the chimpanzees. She's extremly excited about this opportunity, since she's never even seen a live chimpanzee!
Be sure to visit Shannon's blog to follow her adventures!
Roots & Shoots Canada Launches New Campaign:
Visit the website to learn more about our 2009 national water campaign!
On the Project Blue website, you can:
- Get informed using the water fact sheets
- Get to work on water issues using the sample projects
- Fundraise for "Drop of Hope" by selling reusable water bottles - 100% of the profits will help provide clean water to Tanzanian schoolchildren
- Receive recognition for your water projects and be entered into a draw to win a flip camera for your Roots & Shoots group
So what are you waiting for? Visit Project Blue today!
A Tribute to Gregoire, 1942-2008
Posted: December 18, 2008
Gregoire was the oldest-known chimpanzee living in Africa and a dear friend of the entire JGI family. He was approximately 66 years old when
he died peacefully in his sleep on December 17th at JGI’s Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, alongside his long-time companion Clara.
To read more and to watch a video, visit JGI Canada's Institute News.
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