On Wednesday, 150 ING Direct employees, clients and local citizens rolled up their sleeves to build Vancouver, Canada’s first natural playground at Grandview/¿uuqinakuuh Elementary School. The build, organized by ING Direct , Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds and Grandview/¿uuqinakuuh, will help to revitalize the school’s outdoor community space and transform it into a hub for students and local residents.
The 10,000 square foot outdoor space, being built in just seven hours, will feature rolling hills, a climbing boulder, a mosaic water feature, an amphitheatre, fruit trees, driftwood from Pacific Rim National Park and logs recovered from neighbourhood parks, Stanley Park and pieces of the fallen elms along 6th Avenue.
The new space, designed by Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, is funded by a $100,000 community investment from ING Direct as part of its “Orange in the Community” program. Along with local fundraising, the project also received support from the Vancouver School Board, Parks Canada and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, which provided in-kind donations of materials, labour and expertise.
“Giving back to the local community by volunteering our time is very important to our organization,” said Peter Aceto, President and Chief Executive Officer of ING Direct. “Having the opportunity to work alongside our clients and local residents to beautify this outdoor space means a lot to our employees, and we hope that the community will benefit from our efforts for years to come.”
After working for several years with Parks Canada, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds designed the community commons as an Urban Microsite of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. Input from students, teachers, community members and the Vancouver School Board were included in the final renderings for the outdoor space. This will be the first Urban Microsite for Parks Canada, designed to reflect the natural features of the Pacific Rim and connect urban Canadians to their natural and cultural heritage. Parks Canada has generously donated driftwood from Long Beach in Pacific Rim National Park.
Grandview/¿uuqinakuuh Elementary is the first Earth School concept in the area providing experiential learning, community and stewardship program for students to engage and appreciate Mother Nature. The school has over 180 students and is part of the KidSafe Project, an initiative which provides a safe haven outside of school hours to 300 of the city’s most underprivileged children.
“Providing students with the opportunity to develop social responsibility and build their connection with the Earth is part of Grandview/¿uuqinakuuh’s educational philosophy as an Earth School,” said Gloria Raphael, the school’s principal. “This new outdoor space further encourages our students to engage with nature, and the involvement of our local community means everyone in the neighbourhood is accountable for this new space.”
“We are very excited to have the opportunity to transform this outdoor space for the local community, and to further Grandview/¿uuqinakuuh’s goal of reconnecting students with nature,” said Adam Bienenstock, President and Designer of Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds. “Were fortunate to find partners in ING Direct and the Vancouver School Board who share our commitment to providing safe and healthy outdoor spaces for children and local communities.”
Grandview/ ¿uuqinakuuh Elementary School is the fourth location to receive funding and in-kind donations from ING Direct Canada for a new, natural playground and revitalized public space. On each project, Bienenstock Natural Playground designed the new spaces and organized the community builds. In 2009, ING Direct helped to build Toronto’s first natural playground at McCleary Park in downtown Toronto. Since then, two more natural playgrounds have been built at Fairlea Park in Ottawa, and an east end Toronto Community housing complex.
