Activities
- Meet The Green Squad from TVO Kids and enjoy an exclusive preview of new episodes!
- Test drive an EV car with Plug’n Drive
- City of Toronto Urban Forestry and Live Green Toronto will be giving away free trees and shrubs
- Meet Albert Koehl, Author of “Wheeling Through Toronto” from Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition
- Attend workshops with Toronto Mobile Bicycle Repair Co-operative
- Learn about Cycle Toronto’s programs
Give
- Live Green Toronto and T.O. the Good Swap have teamed up to bring a clothing swap
- Donate new socks and men’s personal care products on behalf of Na-me-res
- Donate $5 or bring a non-perishable food item for the The Stop’s food bank
- Bring electronics for reuse/recycling with Free Geek Toronto and see what is inside a computer
- Recycle your batteries with Call2Recycle Canada
Crafts
- Hands-on activity making traditional corn husk dolls with Canadian Food Safety Training and the Therrien family
- Join us for an interactive hand-sewing workshop with Creative Reuse Toronto
Games
- EcoFair Toronto Scavenger Hunt
- Learn about the Responsible Cafés TO initiative and play our Jeopardy-style game with Cli-MIT Quest
- Play in the Climate Fresk workshop with Climate Literacy Initiative
- Learn about wetlands through games with Ontario Nature
- Play our program and build solar ovens with Springbay Studio
Activities
Meet the cast of Season 2 of Green Squad and enjoy an exclusive preview of new episodes!
GREEN SQUAD sees four passionate and environmentally-savvy young hosts challenge other motivated kids and their families to make fun, eco-friendly lifestyle changes for a healthier planet.
In each episode, two Green Squad members answer a call for help from one young person eager to make a positive environmental impact in their home or community. The Squad leads two different earth-friendly missions to inform and educate while showing that even though change can be tough, it can also be cool, entertaining and fun!
Watch New Episodes!
Screening schedule for Green Squad shows:
12 pm • 1 pm • 2 pm • 3 pm
The location is the Canvas Programs space located next to the Christie Street entrance just inside our exhibitor barn.
Plug’n Drive
Test Drive an EV (Electric Vehicle)
Visit our exhibit in the Christie Street courtyard on the west side of the barn where we will provide EV education/information and test drives of new EVs to visitors.
Our vision is to help Canada achieve its goal of 100% electric vehicle sales by 2035 or earlier
“Test driving an EV is often a major eye-opener, and a key part of the decision-making journey for anyone considering an electric vehicle,” Cara Clairman, President and CEO of Plug’n Drive.
Tree & Shrub Giveaway
City of Toronto Urban Forestry will be giving away trees and shrubs!
Find them in the Christie Courtyard.
The trees and shrubs are absolutely free to a loving home. Chat with Urban Forestry’s experts who will give you all the advice you need to ensure your new tree lives a happy and long life.
Trees and shrubs will be given away on a first-come first-served while supplies last and must be planted on privately-owned land such as your front, side, or back yard, within the City of Toronto.
Meet Albert Koehl: Author of “Wheeling Through Toronto, A history of the bicycle and its riders”
We fight for the reallocation of road space to walking, cycling, and transit to create healthy, vibrant, climate-friendly communities.
Visit our table and meet Albert Koehl: Enviro Lawyer, Road Safety Advocate, Author – Wheeling Through Toronto, A history of the bicycle and its riders (U of T Press).
Drop by the Christie Street side of the barns at 2025 EcoFair where you will find Toronto Mobile Bicycle Repair Co-op’s pedal-powered team of bicycle mechanics. We can show you how to safety check a bicycle and DIY bike tuning and adjustments.
Bicycle workshops schedule
How to safety check your bicycle: 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, 3:30 pm
DIY bike tuning and adjustments: 12:30 pm, 2:30 pm
The location is the Christie Street Courtyard
Visit us at our table in the Christie Street Courtyard to find out how our programs directly increase access to cycling, whether it be Learn to Ride programs, Bike Match programs, group rides like Kidical Mass TO, etc., as well as working to improve Toronto’s Cycling Network through challenging Bill 212. We want to foster a culture of cycling in Toronto by offering Bike Valet services, organizing Bike Month and Bike to School day.
Give
Clothing Swap
Live Green Toronto and T.O. the Good Swap have teamed up to bring a clothing swap from 12 pm to 3 pm.
T.O. the Good Swap’s mission is to eliminate textile waste in Toronto and champion ethical and sustainable fashion practices globally by encouraging participation in the conscious fashion movement through swap events, advocacy, and education.
Why Swap?
By swapping instead of shopping (or dumping your clothes in a donation bin), you’re participating in the circular economy, keeping clothing out of landfills, saving money, updating your wardrobe, avoiding unethical fast fashion and resource depletion, and sharing with a community of like minded people… and sharing feels good.
All the sweet haul dopamine, none of the ethical dilemma!
How it works
Bring up to 10 items (or 2 grocery bags) of pre-loved clothing, footwear, jewellery, or accessories. Items must be clean, folded, and in good condition and swap for something new-to-you.
Register for the clothing swap for free here.
New Sock and Men’s Personal Care Products Drive
EcoFair attendees are encouraged to bring new socks to warm the feet of the men at Na-Me-Res. We also welcome new and unused men’s personal care products.
For the second year EcoFair is offering support to the equity-deserving Indigenous community by holding a New Men’s Sock and Personal Care Products Drive on behalf of Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence).
We are collecting new socks and unused items such as deodorant, disposable wipes, soap, razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrushes and underwear.
Na-Me-Res helps homeless Indigenous men in Toronto with temporary, transitional and permanent housing. Their street outreach and support services provide Indigenous-specific service using a mobile approach with support workers and Elders, who engage with homeless clients to secure housing, develop a crisis plan, access services, and foster a greater sense of cultural awareness.
Na-Me-Res takes care of the whole person with their Indigenous cultural-based approach filled with respect and spirit. More information on the many remarkable ways that Na-Me-Res helps is available at
https://www.nameres.org/programs/
We thank EcoFair attendees and volunteers for their donations to our New Sock and Personal Care Products Drive.
EcoFair attendees and volunteers are invited to bring a non-perishable food item or a $5 donation for The Stop’s food bank.
Your $5 donation to The Stop will be gratefully accepted at the EcoFair Silent Auction table.
While our EcoFair food vendors will be providing us with delicious healthyfood, regretfully, with rising food prices, The Stop’s food bank is struggling toprovide healthy food for everyone. Their food bank reaches over 2,000 households each month, and this year Mayor Olivia Chow declared food insecurity an emergency in Toronto. Drives like this are critical for The Stop’s success.
We are inviting EcoFair attendees to help by bringing a non-perishable food item that is safely within its “best before” date to donate to The Stop Community Food Centre.
We are focusing on protein this year, but all donations of any non-perishable food are welcome.
Examples:
- Canned protein items, such as tuna, salmon, and chicken
- Canned or dry beans and legumes
- Hearty soups
- Nuts
- Shelf-stable unsweetened milk alternatives such as soy or almond
Full details are available HERE
About The Stop: For over 41 years, The Stop has been dedicated to increasing access to healthy food in Toronto. We are proud to be an integral part of the community, offering support, fostering health and togetherness, and challenging inequality. We run extensive emergency food access and social service programs, aiming to address the effects of systemic poverty: food insecurity, social isolation, unequal access to land, and difficulty navigating health and government systems.
A huge thank you for helping The Stop meet the crucial need for nutritiousfood.
Free Geek Accepting E-Waste at EcoFair Toronto
Free Geek Toronto is a technology reuse not-for-profit organization that uses unwanted electronics/computers to increase access to technology, offer employment and training opportunities, and reduce the environmental impact of technology.
Come to our table to drop off your old tech.
We’ll be collecting unwanted electronics and computers for reuse and recycling, and promoting what tech looks like.
Kids, come see what’s inside a computer!
Recycle your batteries
Call2Recycle Canada, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 to protect and preserve the environment by offering safe and efficient collecting and recycling services across a range of batteries and devices, helping obligated producers meet Extended Producer Responsibility regulations across Canada.
Recycle your batteries for a greener planet by bringing your used batteries to 2025 EcoFair Toronto for safe disposal. There will be recycling bins close to both Welcome Desks for your convenience. Batteries contain valuable materials that can be recycled and reused, reducing waste and environmental impact. Please note that we are unable to collect lithium batteries that are used to power e-bikes and e-scooters.
Crafts
Make Traditional Corn Husk Dolls
Join the Therrien family (Laura Lee, Maya and Autumn), Métis educators in food safety and food security, for a hands-on activity making traditional corn husk dolls. In Anishinaabe teachings, corn is very important and is one of the “three sisters” corn, beans and squash. Corn husk dolls are another gift from corn and they have no faces. The story of how the doll became vain and lost her face reminds us of the value of humility and using our gifts wisely. As participants braid hair or arms and create their own dolls, they can learn about this teaching and even see how simple materials like corn husks can be given new purpose. A humble doll can carry joy to children and meaning to those who make it. All ages are welcome to take part and bring home a handmade doll filled with story and spirit.
Canadian Food Safety Training is three generations of Indigenous women operating our family business that is recognized by the Ministry of Health as equivalent to all public health units.
We deliver food safety certification training and exams to assist employment seekers and newcomers, enhancing job skill development and confidence. We offer exams in 25 different languages in person and online.
Come join us for an interactive hand-sewing workshop dedicated to all things fall! We’re getting crafty with reusable fabric leaves using scraps, swatches, stuffing, and pins. Whether ornamental or wearable, the design is up to you!
Games
New for EcoFair 2025: There will be a scavenger hunt! Visit the welcome table and receive a sheet full of activities/ questions to answer. Make your way around EcoFair and fill in the boxes one by one. Complete at least 20 actions, bring them back to the welcome table and you can receive a prize! Must be completed by 3 pm. While prizes last. One sheet per family. Have fun exploring!
Join us at our table to play our interactive and family-friendly Jeopardy-style game designed to educate people on climate change in a fun and engaging way.
Visitors will also learn about the Responsible Cafés TO initiative and what actionable steps you can take — like pledging to bring your own cups and supporting participating cafés.
Our mission is to make climate action local, personal, and impactful by creating inclusive spaces where youth and communities can learn, connect, and take empowered action on the climate crisis. Our flagship program, the Climate Fresk workshop, is a collaborative, game-based workshop built on the latest IPCC research. In small teams, you’ll piece together the puzzle of climate change, share ideas, and uncover “aha!” moments about what’s really driving the crisis – and what we can do about it.
Through our Nature Guardians Youth Program, youth participate in nature-based events and activities. Ontario Nature’s Youth Council, a group of dedicated young leaders across the province who guide the program, will be educating and inspiring EcoFair attendees about wetlands and their importance through games like biodiversity jenga!
Ontario Nature’s mission is to protect wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education, and public engagement. Since it was established as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in 1931, Ontario Nature has been a champion for nature. Our vision is simple: An Ontario where nature inspires and sustains us for generations to come.
We will guide children to play our program, reward them with virtual points and badges, and invite them to build their own solar ovens.
