Author: SCAN

On Monday, June 26th, the Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) concluded its 2022/23 Sustainability On My Mind Series. This series ran from November 29th, 2022, to June 26th, 2023, and held eight workshops in three locations – the Malton Community Centre, Ridgeway Public School and the Seva Food Bank. The primary focus of these workshops was to teach Malton, Mississauga residents about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice independently for minimal cost and practical self-sufficiency methods.

Over the eight months that the series of workshops ran, they were focused on a variety of topics, including moisturizing hand and body butter, candle making, homemade laundry detergent, homemade moisturizing soap, mason jar herb garden, food preservation, tin can luminaries and green cleaning products. Almost all of the workshops were organized and taught by SCAN except the green cleaning products workshop and the homemade moisturizing soap, which were orchestrated by My Centrepeace, a small Black-owned business based in Toronto, the Bare Market, a zero-waste grocery store that ran the homemade laundry detergent workshop and the moisturizing hand and body butter workshop which Soft & Butter, a Black-owned skincare company facilitated. Some of the workshops were also supported by other groups that work in Malton, like the Malton Black Development Association, which collaborated with SCAN to host the moisturizing hand/body butter workshop, the Value Life Humanitarian Services, which SCAN collaborated with for the homemade laundry detergent workshop and the Malton Women Council, who collaborated with SCAN on the candle making workshop. These groups all provided essential assistance with recruiting and set-up, making the workshops run smoothly.

The participants of these workshops were diverse. There was an extensive age range of participants, with some attendees bringing their children and grandchildren as young as six years old and some senior citizens participating. Mostly, the attendees were all women, with men occasionally attending with their partners or families. The attendees primarily identified as South East Asians, West Indians, Black, North African/Middle Eastern. There were many regular attendees of the workshop who participated in at least three of the workshops and would also bring other people that they knew. Although there are no exact numbers, as there were many repeat attendees, it can be estimated that these workshops served at least 80 different participants of the Malton community.

Overall, the workshops were all successful. Attendees were engaged and visibly pleased with their final products at the end of each workshop. In the feedback forms collected after each workshop, attendees noted how easy the instructions were and how smooth the workshops went. These workshops also provided a space where Malton residents could connect with fellow residents and build friendships. Through planning ahead of time and the assistance of other groups, SCAN provided participants with all of the ingredients and materials needed to complete the workshops and easy to disseminate knowledge that would allow them to recreate their products without assistance.

A frequent feedback received at the end of the workshops was that SCAN continues to run more workshops like this past series in the future. There were also requests for specific workshops to be done in the future that SCAN hopes to consider. Thus far, the Sustainability On My Mind Workshops have been funded by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative and the Community Foundations of Canada. However, for the future 2023/24 series, SCAN needs further funding. These free workshops are very beneficial to the low-income Malton community. Through participating, residents learn sustainable ways to make daily used products with ingredients they often already have at home, saving them money and connecting with their neighbours. If you are interested in assisting with funding the future Sustainability On My Mind series or know of places where SCAN can receive funding, please email programs@s-can.org. Reports on all the individual workshops can be viewed here.

Please watch this short summary video of this program session:

The Sustainability On My Mind Program was successful due to the partnerships with:

The Sustainability On My Mind project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative

On Monday, June 26th, the Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) had its last Sustainability On My Mind workshop of this session. This workshop taught participants how to make environmentally clean products. This workshop was facilitated by My Centrepeace, an environmentally friendly small business that sells handmade, sustainable and plant-based products. The workshop was the final part of this Sustainability on My Mind program session, which aims to teach the residents in the low-income neighbourhood of Malton, Mississauga, about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice independently for minimal cost.

Participants learned to make two products – an all-purpose cleaner and a soap scrub cleaner. The all-purpose cleaner required mixing 1 tbsp of Castille soap with 1 cup of distilled water in a spray bottle and shaking until combined. The soap scrub cleaner mixes 4 tbsp of Castille soap and 1 tbsp of water into a mason jar filled with 3/4 cups of baking soda to create a gritty texture that can be used as a scrub. Once finished with their products, participants could label their items and bring them home. All the ingredients are easy to purchase, allowing participants to make these products again.

Preparing for the workshop was relatively easy for SCAN as My Centrepeace was hired to orchestrate the workshop. They brought all the materials needed in ready-to-distribute paper bags, including a tube of Castille soap, a glass spray bottle, a microfibre cloth, a mason jar already filled with baking soda, three spoons and four blank labels, as well as multiple large bottles of distilled water for the all-purpose spray and paper cups to distribute the water.

Overall, thanks to Angie Minnick and Clovalyn Wilson, who helped with recruitment for the workshop, the workshop was successful, with a great turnout. There were around 20 participants, ranging from children to senior citizens. The demographic makeup of the workshop was diverse, with the registered participants being 38.9% Black, 33.3% West Indian, 22.2% South East Asian and 5.6% North African/Middle Eastern. Attendees left with their final product, easy-to-recreate green cleaning products and the knowledge of how to recreate them at home.

As mentioned above, this was the final Sustainability On My Mind Series workshop. In the past, we have had workshops on tin can luminaries, food preservation, mason jar herb gardens and other sustainable practices and activities. We plan to do another session with similar workshops starting this September. The Sustainability on My Mind Workshop series is funded by the Community Foundations of Canada, the Community Foundation of Mississauga and The Government of Canada. You can get more information about the workshop on the SCAN website and social media channels or email programs@s-can.org or call 1800-687-1351 for details about the upcoming workshops or how to support the organization.

The Sustainability on My Mind project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative.

The Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) hosted its fourth workshop as part of the Sustainability on My Mind project in Malton on February 23, 2023. The workshop is the fourth out of eight workshops that will teach the residents in the low-income neighbourhood of Malton, Mississauga about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice on their own for very little cost. SCAN has partnered with local volunteers across Malton to ensure the successful delivery and implementation of this project.

Participants were Malton residents across different demographics, namely Black (35%),West Indian (28%),  and South East Asian (37%). The workshops were a point of cultural exchange as well as fostering a sense of community amongst residents of the Malton neighbourhood. Participants left with awareness on how to make their own personal care products with easily accessible, eco-friendly ingredients. Participants also took home tool kits and ingredients used in the workshop to enable them to make the moisturizing foaming soap at home.

The moisturizing foaming soap workshop was facilitated by Denee Rudder, owner of My Centre Peace, a sustainable personal care brand based out of Toronto. My Centre Peace mission is to promote health and wellness through organic personal care products while reducing plastic consumption and carbon footprint.

You can learn more about the Sustainability on My Mind project here:https://bit.ly/3EZBRV3

We invite Malton residents interested in participating in this project to sign up at http://bit.ly/3XI33iD

The Sustainability on My Mind project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative.

The Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) hosted its fifth Sustainability on My Mind workshop, Mason Jar Herb Garden, at the Malton Community Center on April 28th, 2023, at 6:30 pm. The workshops aim to teach the residents in the low-income neighbourhood of Malton, Mississauga, about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice independently for minimal cost.

The Mason Jar herb garden workshop was an environmental-themed workshop with a social impact. Participants planted herbs in mason jars and took home a herb garden. Herbs included parsley, thyme, Cilantro, Rosemary, Sage and Basil. There was knowledge transfer by the participants from various cultures about the herbs and their use to foster wellness. For example, did you know that Cilantro and Coriander are different parts of the same Coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum)? The leaves are called Cilantro, while the seeds are Coriander. Cilantro is said to be medicinal and can treat various illnesses like cancer, measles, toothache, and many other conditions.

Preparing for the workshop required we plant the herbs in the mason jars before the workshop day so that participants had herbs that had already sprouted to take home along with those they were to sow at the workshop. It was interesting to see how each herb sprouted at different times and grew at different rates. Thyme sprouted first, and Rosemary sprouted last. The coriander plant was the 3rd plant to germinate, but it quickly grew to be the tallest.

The Mason Jar Herb Garden Workshop was very successful, with a great turnout—special thanks to Angie Minnick and Clovalyn Wilson for helping with the workshop organization and implementation. We appreciate everyone that attended the workshop.

Participants were Malton residents across different demographics: West Indian (6 %) and South East Asian (94%). The workshops are a point of cultural exchange and foster a sense of community amongst residents of the Malton neighbourhood. Participants left with an awareness of how to plant herbs in mason jars and the importance of herbs in our daily diet.

The Sustainability on My Mind Workshop series is funded by the Community Foundations of Canada, Community Foundation of Mississauga and The Government of Canada. You can get more information about the workshop on the SCAN website and social media channels or email info@s-can.org or call 1800 687 1351 for details about the upcoming workshops or how to support the organization.

On Wednesday, June 14, 2023, the Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) had its 7th Sustainability On My Mind Workshop. This workshop focused on tin can luminaries and taught residents how to make homemade outdoor decorations using recycled tin cans in their homes. The past workshop was part of the Sustainability on My Mind program, which aims to teach the residents in the low-income neighbourhood of Malton, Mississauga, about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice independently for minimal cost.

Participants learned how to make tin can luminaries using recycled tin cans with ice in them, a hammer, a nail, parchment paper and markers for designing and acrylic paint. They drew designs on a piece of parchment paper, affixed it to the can and then used the nail and hammer to poke holes in that design on the can. Once finished, they painted the cans with black acrylic paint and placed a candle or a flameless tea light in the can to see their finished product. Participants were pleased with their final products and made some elaborate designs.

Preparing for the workshop required collecting and cleaning tin cans. We also had to fill them with water and freeze them so the cans maintained their shape while hammered. Besides some help with the cans, SCAN provided all the materials, including a hammer, nails, paint, parchment paper, sandpaper, tape and markers. 

Overall, thanks to Angie Minnick, who helped with the organization and recruitment for the workshop, the workshop was successful, with a great turnout. There were around 20 participants, ranging from children to senior citizens. The demographic makeup of the workshop was diverse, with the registered participants being 33.3% Black, 33.3% South East Asian, 23.8% West Indian and 9.5% South Asian. Attendees left with their final product, an easy-to-do outdoor decoration, and the knowledge of how to recreate this activity. 

This is not the first workshop that has taken place at the Malton Community Centre. In the past, there has been a Mason Jar Herb Garden Workshop and a Food Preservation Workshop. We have an upcoming Sustainability on My Mind workshop.

The Sustainability on My Mind Workshop series is funded by the Community Foundations of Canada, the Community Foundation of Mississauga and The Government of Canada. You can get more information about the workshop on the SCAN website and social media channels or email info@s-can.org or call 1800 687 1351 for details about the upcoming workshops or how to support the organization.

The Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) hosted its 6th Sustainability on My Mind Workshop on May 31, 2023, at 6:00 pm. This workshop was centred around Food Preservation and taught participants two ways to preserve food, refrigeration and pickling. The past workshop was part of the Sustainability on My Mind program, which aims to teach the residents in the low-income neighbourhood of Malton, Mississauga, about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice independently for minimal cost.

Participants learned how to preserve vegetables in mason jars using carrots and pickles. They were taught two methods, refrigeration and pickling. Refrigeration entailed cutting clean carrots, placing them in mason jars and submerging them in water, sealing them, and putting them in the fridge. The water must be changed every couple of days to ensure freshness. Pickling was used with Kirby cucumbers and required the participants to cut the cucumbers and fill their mason jar, then mix ½ cup of vinegar, ½ tablespoon of salt and either 2 tablespoons of dill (for dill/sour pickles) or ¼ cup of sugar (for sweet pickles) and pouring it into the jar. The mixture had to be shaken every few hours and refrigerated for at least 6 hours before it would be ready; however, the longer it was kept in the fridge, the more the mixture could seep in. Both methods require refrigeration and prolong the produce’s lifespan by two to three weeks.

Preparing for the workshop required that the vegetables were all washed and cleaned prior so that the workshop could run smoother. Other than the carrots, cucumbers and mason jars that were given to the participants, SCAN also provided all the other ingredients, including the vinegar, salt, sugar and dill and provided the materials used in the workshop like the measuring cups, knives, large mixing jar and cutting boards. The two different pickling methods were also tested out before the workshop to ensure that the process would result in the desired outcome. Double-sided pages with both recipes were printed beforehand to give participants to take home with them. This allows the participants to recreate these preservation methods at home, teach others, and try them with other fruits and vegetables.

Overall, the workshop was very successful, with a good turnout, thanks to Angie Minnick, who helped with the organization and recruitment for the workshop. Participants were almost all Malton residents, with one person from Brampton attending. The demographic makeup of the workshop was diverse, with 18.8% North African/Middle Eastern, 31.3% West Indian, 18.8% South East Asian, 18.8% Black, 6.3% European and 6.3% Biracial (Black and Southeast Asian). Participants left the workshop knowing how to use cost-efficient methods to preserve food in mason jars and the benefits of doing so. We appreciate everyone who came and participated in our workshop. 

The Sustainability on My Mind Workshop series is funded by the Community Foundations of Canada, the Community Foundation of Mississauga and The Government of Canada. You can get more information about the workshop on the SCAN website and social media channels or email info@s-can.org or call 1800 687 1351 for details about the upcoming workshops or how to support the organization.

The Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN) in collaboration with Malton Black Development Association (MBDA) hosted its first workshop as part of the Sustainability on My Mind project in Malton on November 29th 2022. The workshop is the first out of eight workshops that will teach the residents in the low-income neighborhood of Malton, Mississauga about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice on their own for very little cost. SCAN has partnered with local non- profits  across Malton to ensure the successful delivery and implementation of this project, one of which is the Malton Black Development Association.

Malton Black Development Association is a Black-owned Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to fostering good inter-community relationships through educational, cultural, and social activities. Their mandate is to promote the well-being of the Black Community through cultural, recreational, social, and educational activities. MBDA leveraged this project to meet their mandate and had full autonomy over the selection of participants from within their community. Participants were Malton residents across different demographics, namely of Black (50%), West Indian (20%), South East Asian (20%) and North African/ Middle Eastern (10%) descent and were women (99%) and men (1%). The workshops were a point of cultural exchange as well as fostering a sense of community amongst residents of the Malton neighborhood. Participants left with awareness on how to make their own personal care products with easily accessible, eco-friendly ingredients. Participants also took home tool kits and ingredients used in the workshop to enable them to make hand/body butter at home.

The moisturizing hand/butter workshop was facilitated by Jasmine Swimmer. Jasmine is the founder of Soft & Butter, an organic and vegan skincare company that offers body butters, oil, moisturizers and cleansers. In Addition to the Sustainability on My Mind program, Jasmine is also partaking in SCANs Youth Entrepreneurship and Job Creation Pathway program as well as the Virtual Career Fair program.

You can learn more about the Sustainability on My Mind project here: https://bit.ly/3EZBRV3

The Sustainability on My Mind project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative.

The Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN), in collaboration with Value Life Humanitarian Services and  Ridgewood Public School,  hosted its third workshop as part of the Sustainability on My Mind project in Malton on February 15th, 2023. The workshop is the third out of eight workshops that will teach the residents in the low-income neighbourhood of Malton, Mississauga, about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice on their own for minimal cost. SCAN has partnered with local non-profits and schools, such as Value Life Humanitarian Services and Ridgewood Public School, across Malton to ensure the successful delivery and implementation of this project.

Value Life Humanitarian Services is a non-profit organization that provides services such as literacy, women empowerment, civic engagement, multiculturalism, sustainable food production, leadership and communication training and corporate partnership. Ridgewood Public School is a middle school in Malton, Mississauga, with a mission to promote a learning community where staff, students and parents are committed to fostering individual excellence and leadership in a caring community of learners. Ridgewood Public School leveraged this project to meet its mandate and had full autonomy over the selection of participants from within its community. Participants were Malton residents across different demographics, namely West Indian (6 %) and South East Asian (94%). The workshops were a point of cultural exchange as well as fostering a sense of community amongst residents of the Malton neighbourhood. Participants left with an awareness of how to make their own personal care products with easily accessible, eco-friendly ingredients. Participants also took home tool kits and ingredients used in the workshop to enable them to make hand/body butter at home.

Dayna facilitated the Homemade laundry detergent. Dayna is the manager of Bare Market. The Bare market is a zero-waste grocery store with a mission to make sustainable and ethical living easy and accessible everywhere. It is Toronto’s first one-stop shop for package-free goods, locally grown and sourced produce, dry goods, oils+ vinegar and body and home care products. 

You can learn more about the Sustainability on My Mind project here:https://bit.ly/3EZBRV3

We invite Malton residents interested in participating in this project to sign up at http://bit.ly/3XI33iD

The Sustainability on My Mind project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative.

The Sustainable Community Aid Network (SCAN)  in collaboration with Malton Women Council (MWC) hosted its second workshop as part of the Sustainability on My Mind project in Malton on December 1st 2022. The workshop is the second out of eight workshops that will teach the residents in the low-income neighborhood of Malton, Mississauga about eco-friendly lifestyle strategies that households can practice on their own for very little cost. SCAN has partnered with local non- profits  across Malton to ensure the successful delivery and implementation of this project, one of which is the Malton Women Council.

Malton Women Council is a non-profit organization that empowers women and enhances their overall wellbeing by providing platforms and creating opportunities to excel. MWC serves as a strong network and support system for women, families, youth, seniors and newcomers receiving services in the areas of holistic health and well-being, information and resource sharing, education and awareness,  peer support,  civic engagement, cultural connections, intergenerational activities, skills development, and training. MWC leveraged this project to meet their mandate and had full autonomy over the selection of participants from within their community. Participants were Malton residents across different demographics, namely of Black (5%) and South East Asian (95%) and were all women. Participants were part of the MWC support group and constituted of newcomers, single moms, youth and domestic abuse survivors. The workshops were a point of cultural exchange as well as fostering a sense of community amongst residents of the Malton neighborhood. Participants left with awareness on how to make their own personal care products with easily accessible, eco-friendly ingredients. Participants also took home tool kits and ingredients used in the workshop to enable them to make candles at home.

The candle making workshop was facilitated by Cavelle Wilson. Cavelle is the founder of Inheyl candle co, an organic candle making company that uses pure soy wax, paraben/phthalate-free fragrance oils, as well as unbleached cotton wicks infused and slowly hand poured candles in small batches with locally sourced Canadian ingredients.

You can learn more about the Sustainability on My Mind project here:https://bit.ly/3EZBRV3

The Sustainability on My Mind project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative.