Green Innovation Weekend Wrap-up
Press Release
Over the last weekend of July visitors to the Port area of Centennial Park were treated to Sustainable Orillia’s wide-ranging exhibition of green products and experiences, all designed to reduce our collective impact on our immediate surroundings and on our planet.
The 2026 Green Innovation Weekend was made possible with the continued support of the City of Orillia and the Orillia Chamber of Commerce, both long-standing partners in Sustainable Orillia’s work to build a greener, more resilient community. Support was also welcomed from the Government of Ontario’s RT07.
Adults, families and children gained knowledge of a variety of ways their choices and actions can make a difference in protecting and sustaining our environment.Here are some examples of interaction at the event.
A young mom from Barrie drove up for the darning workshop and left with the skills to repair her now three-month old’s clothes for a potential lifetime of reduced textile waste in the landfill.
A man from Brampton chatted with local conservationist Matt Thomson who shared tips on how to make gardening easier using native plants, which require low maintenance and less watering, attracting pollinators and other wildlife as well.
A high school student spoke with learning booth presenter Dr. Laurie Houston and volunteered to help promote reduction of single-use plastics in the medical industry, locally and nationally.
A visitor who recently moved to Orillia talked with City of Orillia staff and Sustainable Orillia volunteers, sharing her experience with municipal programs promoting sustainable development. She offered to join SO’s efforts with her talents.
New this year was an electric farm tractor, demonstrating the transition is extending beyond electric cars into agriculture as well.
Among the range of learning activities on offer was a Speaking of Animals exhibit of live local animals recovering from injury. This demonstration was among the weekend’s most popular draws, especially with children. Organizers said the strong turnout at the animal display underscored the educational heart of the event by teaching the next generation the value of good stewardship of the natural environment.
Did the Green Innovation Weekend have a lasting impact? If someone installs a heat pump when their furnace needs replacing, that’s 20+ years of emissions avoided. If, after a conversation with a dealer or the EV Society, someone else switches to an electric vehicle or (as the electric farm tractor demonstrated) electric equipment on their own land, that could mean decades of fossil fuel consumption avoided.
The conversations, connections, and sparks of interest generated at Sustainable Orillia’s 2026 Green Innovation Weekend did indeed make a difference.
(Images Supplied) Main: Sustainable Orillia’s Danny Epstein at the Green Innovation Weekend welcome table
