Let’s Depave!
Depave Paradise is a program Green Communities Canada introduced to Canada in 2012. The program brings community members together to remove unused pavement and replace it with native planted green spaces.
Reasons To Depave
Hard surfaces like driveways, parking lots and buildings interrupt the natural water cycle. This creates heat sinks, prevents rain from soaking into the ground and compounds flood risk. Stormwater runoff collects pollutants and carries them to the nearest surface water, closing beaches and compromising drinking water sources.
Removing pavement and replacing it with native plants, trees and shrubs helps offset and reduce these issues.
Depaving has many benefits:
- Naturally cools urban areas.
- Restores the natural water cycle.
- Absorbs rainfall and reduces the risk of flooding.
- Creates habitat for native birds, pollinators, and animals.
- Supports urban cooling and beautification.
- Builds awareness, skills and motivation to create more resilient neighbourhoods
Learn more about Depave Paradise
History of Depave Paradise
Depave Paradise drew its initial inspiration from Depave in Portland, Oregon. Since their first event in 2007, Depave has removed more than 100,000 square feet of pavement.
In 2012, Green Communities Canada brought this exciting project to Canada and conducted the first Depave Paradise event at The Mulberry School in Kingston. Red Squirrel Conservation (now Sustainable Kingston) organized this debut event and provided a hands-on training opportunity to the first depavers who went on to host their own events in cities across Ontario.
Soon after, the depaving trend started catching on across Canada with ever growing results.
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