Park People’s Executive Director, Erika Nikolai, has been honoured with the Distinguished Individual Award from World Urban Parks—an international recognition that celebrates her leadership and the growing national movement Park People has helped build here in Canada.
Why are events in parks important? How do grants fit into Park People’s larger goals for creating change in city parks?
The emerging stream of the Park People Nature Connect Fund provides up to $5,000 to grassroots and registered organizations across Canada that connect people with nature, foster ecological stewardship, and restore urban parks and green spaces.
The scaling stream of the Park People Nature Connect Fund offers up to $20,000 to registered organizations across Canada that connect people with nature while fostering ecological stewardship and restoring urban parks.
Learn more about green social prescribing, an evolving practice that encourages individuals to reestablish connections with nature and one another to enhance their mental, physical, and social wellbeing.
A reflection on the BEING BLACK IN PUBLIC Survey Report, exploring how Black communities experience parks and public spaces, and what fosters joy and belonging.
How do we build a healthier, greener, more joyful Toronto? We start at the park. Discover how communities across the city have transformed their green spaces over the past fifteen years. Then roll up your sleeves and help shape what comes next.
By donating to Park People, you’ll support vibrant parks for everyone.
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Researcher and Political Strategy, Communications & Sustainability Consultant
Fernando Garci-Crespo Santaló is an MA student at IRES working under the supervision of Milind Kandlikar with an interest in environmental economics, sustainable development, electoral politics and public policy. He is deeply passionate about bridging the divide between knowledge, people and power; how researchers can drive public policy and fend off growing populist narratives that cast doubt on the value of science, research and academia.
Beyond his MA, Fernando is working as an researcher on a project analyzing the climate plans of the Pathways Alliance, a consortium of oil companies in the Albertan oil sands pledging to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Prior to IRES Fernando graduated with distinction from UBC with a BA Honours with a double major in Geography & Economics, and worked as a policy researcher for a joint project by the OECD and Global Methane Hub on the mitigation of methane emissions from waste.
Aside from research and academia, Fernando has been involved numerous projects in electoral politics and activism, from local campaigns in Vancouver to projects as far as New Zealand or Newfoundland and Labrador. As part of his work as an activist and political organizer, Fernando has attended various UN international conferences such as COPs or HLPF.