A Little Bit About Us

Mission

Our mission is twofold:

1. To foster joy and togetherness among our members by organizing activities surrounding our shared interests in gardens, trees, and plants.
2. To positively impact the green space and tree canopy cover in the city, with a focus on creating new native plant gardens, planting native trees, and bringing nature to the historically gay neighbourhood in Ottawa, known as The Village.

Mandate

Our mandate is to create and maintain a network of gardens in the Centretown neighbourhood (which includes The Village) for the enjoyment of, and with the participation of residents. We also aim to create a more sustainable and environmentally resilient city by helping to plant native plants which support biodiversity, create pollinator pathways, reduce urban heat island effect, improve ground-water infiltration, provide necessary shade, and increase wildlife habitat. We are committed to planting Ontario native plants, and seek to create functional gardens that help our ecosystem and our city.

The OGGS is committed to nurturing and creating a respectful environment for all participants and volunteers at it’s social gatherings, events, and general meetings. Speakers and participants are expected to treat each other with respect, and our group will not tolerate any form of discrimination.

Membership is free, and open to all. Our community is founded on principles of equality and respect, for each other and for nature.