MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release
Date:  June 8, 2005

City of Pickering and Durham Region
help polish
"green thumbs"

Pickering, June 6th, 2005 - Spring has sprung and many of us are now outside preparing our lawn and garden for the season ahead. Polish off that green thumb and attend the Property Green Up event at the City of Pickering's Operations Centre, 2570 Tillings Rd. on June 11th from 8 am to 12 noon. Tillings Rd. is located at the end of Dersan St. (Dersan St. is north of Third Concession Road when travelling along Brock Rd.)

Bring your shovel and a bag because free compost will be provided by the Region of Durham and free mulch will be given away by the City of Pickering. It is only while supplies last, so come early.

"The City of Pickering and the Region of Durham have partnered on this initiative to assist residents to naturally beautify their lawns & gardens," said Richard Holborn, Division Head, Municipal Property & Engineering. "Before you leave be sure to stop by the City's display to get your free educational material about how to improve and maintain the health of your lawn, control various insects and recipes for alternatives to traditional pesticides," said Mr. Holborn.

The Bloomers & Britches will be at the event to answer your gardening questions and to sell native & heritage perennial plants at a reasonable price. "Bloomers and Britches are an award-winning heritage gardening group that researches, plants and maintains the gardens at the Pickering Museum Village. Proceeds from their plant sale are ploughed right back into those gardens with the purchase of historically appropriate plants and seeds." said Julie Oakes, Head Gardener.

The Region of Durham will have Blue Boxes and Compost Boxes for sale and free rain gauges to give away. "The Region of Durham encourages Pickering residents to actively participate in the Property Green Up event", says Peter Watson, Durham's Manager of Waste. "This is a great opportunity to show environmental awareness in your community. Remember, recyclables and compostables do not belong in the garbage. So, stop by and get another Blue Box."