Toronto’s Greenest Choice

Beach

Winner – Woodbine Beach

• Woodbine Beach is large and beautiful. Located in the Beach Neighbourhood of Toronto, it’s a great spot for picnics, sunbathing, swimming and beach volleyball.

Runner-ups

• Bluffer’s Park Beach
• Ward’s Island Beach

Bike Shop

Winner – MEC

• MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) is Canada’s largest consumer co-operative with more than 4.5 million members across the country. MEC offers a wide selection of bikes, bike components, accessories, clothing, servicing and more.

Runner-ups

• Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop
• Duke’s Cycle

Bird

Winner – Blue Jay

• The blue jay is a native bird known for its distinctive colour and call. It’s also  associated with Toronto’s Major League Baseball team.

Runner-ups

• Northern Cardinal
• Red Tailed Hawk

Toronto Park

Winner – High Park

• High Park features a mix of natural areas, maintained parkland, recreational facilities and attractions – all of which make it a popular year-round destination.

Runner-ups

• Toronto Island Park
• Trinity Bellwoods Park

Coffee

Winner – Balzac’s Coffee Roasters

• Balzac’s roasts a wide selection of beans in small batches at their Ontario roastery and serves a variety of organic, bird-friendly and Fairtrade coffees.

Runner-ups

• Birds and Beans
• Propeller Coffee

Brewery

Winner – Steam Whistle Brewery

• Steam Whistle produces a pilsner enjoyed by beer-lovers across Toronto. Inspired by European tradition, it’s brewed fresh at the historic Roundhouse in downtown Toronto.

Runner-ups

• Amsterdam Brewing Co.
• Bellwoods Brewery

Bike Trail

Winner – Toronto Islands

• Toronto Islands. End to end the flat bike trail is 5.5 km but can be easily tripled if you include the various side trails that lead to beaches, lookouts and other interesting places.

Runner-ups

• Martin Goodman Trail
• Humber River Trail

Day Trip

Winner – Toronto Island Park

• Toronto Island Park: A short ferry ride from downtown, Toronto Island Park offers activities and attractions for all ages, including picnic areas, swimming, fishing, bird watching, an amusement park, Far Enough Farm, the Franklin Children’s Garden, disc golf, and more.

Runner-ups

• Evergreen Brick Works
• Edwards Gardens / Toronto Botanical Gardens

Eco-conscious Clothing

Winner – MEC

• MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) offers lots of gear, know-how and inspiration for outdoor enthusiasts. It’s Canada’s largest consumer co-operative with more than 4.5 million members. MEC’s missions statement includes making and marketing products sustainably, and striving to build and operate their facilities with minimum ecological impact.

Runner-ups

• Preloved
• Logan & Finley

Eco-friendly Baby and Kids

Winner – MEC

• MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) offers lots of gear, know-how and inspiration for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. MEC is Canada’s largest consumer co-operative with more than 4.5 million members, offering an extensive selection of baby and kids clothing, accessories and gear.

Runner-ups

• Baby on the Hip
• Mini Mioche

Farmers' Market

Winner – St. Lawrence Market

• St. Lawrence Farmers’ Market: A city landmark for more than 200 years, the St. Lawrence Market features more than 120 specialty vendors that sell a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, grains, baked goods, and dairy products.

Runner-ups

• Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers Market
• Saturday Farmers Market at Evergreen Brick Works

FeastON Restaurant

Winner – 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower

• 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower’s Canadian cuisine features Ontario-grown ingredients with a spectacular view of the city, more than 350 metres above the city.

Runner-ups

• Le Select Bistro
• Richmond Station

 

FeastON is a certification program that recognizes restaurants committed to sourcing Ontario grown and made food and drink.

Garden Escape

Winner – Allan Gardens Conservatory

• Allen Gardens Conservatory is an indoor botanical garden where you’ll find a wide variety of plants, such as orchids, bananas, cacti, hibiscus in six greenhouses. It dates back to 1858 when prominent local politician George Allan offered the Toronto Horticultural Society a five-acre parcel of land to develop a garden.

Runner-ups

• Edwards Gardens / Toronto Botanical Gardens
• Toronto Music Garden

Grown at Home

Winner – Tomatoes

• Toronto’s favorite, the tomato, can be grown easily on balconies, decks and in gardens.

Runner-ups

• Hot Peppers
• Kale

 

Hiking Trail

Winner – High Park

• High Park: Over one-third of High Park remains in its natural state and is home to turtle ponds, rare black oak savannah, native flowers, and more. The park is also home to it’s famous capybaras, spring cherry blossoms, Jamie Bell Adventure Park, and an extensive off-leash area, known as ‘Dog Hill’.

Runner-ups

• Don Valley Brick Works Park
• Rouge Park

Native Tree

Winner – Red Maple

• Red maple:  A beautiful shade tree, Red Maples can grow up to 25 metres tall.

Runner-ups

• Sugar Maple
• Redbud

Organic Food Delivery

Winner – Mama Earth Organics

• Mama Earth Organics offers a selection of fresh local and/or organic food delivered right to your front door.

Runner-ups

• Fresh City Farms
• The Healthy Butcher

Organic Grocer

Winner – The Big Carrot

• The Big Carrot is a worker-owned natural food market committed to local, organic, non-GMO and sustainable food systems. They recently opened a second location in the Beaches.

Runner-ups

• Fiesta Farms
• The Sweet Potato

Seafood Store

Winner – Hooked

• Hooked believes that small boats, responsible fishing practices, and direct relationships between fishers and consumers.

Runner-ups

• The Big Carrot – Danforth Community Market
• Seafront Fish Market

Sharing and/or Second Hand

Winner – Value Village

• Value Village, is a thrift retailer offering gently used clothing, accessories and household goods.

Runner-ups

• The Salvation Army Thrift Store
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Sustainable Butcher

Winner – Rowe Farms

• Rowe Farms offers sustainably raised, locally grown, minimally processed, organic foods at six Toronto locations.

Runner-ups

• The Healthy Butcher
• The Friendly Butcher

Urban Wildlife

Winner – Chipmunk

• Found in Toronto’s many forested areas, chipmunks are known for stuffing their large cheeks with nuts and seeds.

Runner-ups

• Raccoon
• Eastern Cottontail

Vegetarian or Vegan Restaurant

Winner – Fresh

• Fresh offers modern vegan and vegetarian food, to eat in and take away. They offer a full line of raw, organic cold pressed juice, and a traditional made-to-order gourmet juice bar.

Runner-ups

• Kupfert & Kim
• Planta

Wet Cleaner

Winner – Riverdale Cleaners

• Riverdale Cleaners, at 746 Broadview Ave, offers wet cleaning, a non-toxic alternative to dry cleaning.

• Glenforest Cleaners – 3309 Yonge Street

 

Wet cleaning is a eco-friendly alternative to traditional dry cleaning that doesn’t require use of toxic chemicals.

Vintage and Consignment

Winner – Courage My Love

• Located in Kensington Market, Courage My Love offers vintage clothing, clothing, jewellery, accessories and  more.

• Kind Exchange – now closed
• Bunz

About Toronto's Greenest Choice

Toronto’s Greenest Choice asks Torontonians to vote for their favourite places, spaces and businesses that are helping to make Toronto a great, green city.

The City of Toronto makes no endorsement, representation or warranty, express or implied, relating to the competence, quality, or suitability of any business or place part of Toronto’s Greenest Choice. It is the responsibility of the user to perform due diligence into the merits of the businesses, places or things that are part of Toronto’s Greenest Choice.

 

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