For the past fifteen years Jode Roberts has been creating fun and engaging projects that help bring nature back into the lives and neighborhoods of Canadians. Through the David Suzuki Foundation’s Rewilding Communities program, he developed engaging and award-winning projects that have inspired communities and earned recognition locally, nationally, and internationally. His work is all about making cities greener, wilder, and more connected to nature. Learn more below.
The Butterflyway Project
The Butterflyway Project is a fun, resident-powered initiative that turns private and public spaces into pollinator-friendly habitat, bringing butterflies and wildflowers back to neighborhoods throughout Canada.
The Homegrown Park Crawl (2013-2016)
A volunteer-organized musical parade that brought Toronto residents together to celebrate green spaces through music, local food, and hands-on environmental action.
#gotmilkweed
Launched in 2014, the #GotMilkweed campaign played off the iconic Got Milk? ads to inspire urban residents to plant milkweed—the essential host plant for monarch caterpillars.
The Rewilding Arts Prize is a national award celebrating artists who explore the intersection of art and nature, reimagining how we connect with the wild.
The Homegrown National Park Project (2013-2016)
Focused on Toronto’s downtown west end, the project enlisted a team of volunteer "park rangers" to plant pollinator-friendly gardens, create green corridors, and install creative interventions like canoe gardens and pop-up parks.
#knit4monarchs
The Knit4Monarchs campaign called on Canadians to embrace a cozy, hand-knit solution to help monarch butterflies on their long migration.