Toronto

From left to right, CM HQ Sarah, CM Toronto Nico, CM Founder Brent and CM Boulder Nathaniel

While traveling and working in the United States, Carrotmob Toronto and Boulder Colorado organizers (long time friends) planned to meet up to travel around San Francisco. It just so happened to be a good time to meet the orginal mobsters in person. We met San Francisco organizers to chat up future of mobs around the world, the updated internet website, and random obscure trivia about the original Carrotmob video (name that intro song!). It was an exciting evening for all of us and we had good chat related to the upcoming 2nd mob in Toronto – details coming soon…

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Help us figure out how to make the next mob in Toronto better

Did you see the Globe and Mail yesturday? Missed up? shame – check it out!

What a day it was.

Our mob increased the revenue of G’s Fine Foods by 48% as compared to the previous Saturday of $ 6440. The owner was so impressed by the turnout, he offered to increase to mob revenue for the whole day – why not! With his pledge of 100%, the final tally of the day was $ 9516…

$9516 !!! + Pledge to sell foods from 15 Certified Local Sustainable Farmers/Producers

We estimate that 200 good folks came down to mob between 12-4 which brought in 3000 of extra revenue. We are still tallying the customer transactions, but all in all, a major success.

So what’s next?

Let us mob again, shall we? How about June – you pick the business and the issue this time. Our questionnaire should be available soon to fill out which will help us decide where next to attack.

Keep the momentum and keep mobbing,

-Carrotmob TO Big Carrot

Today. We mob. Noon-4pm at G’s Fine Foods 351 Bloor St.

Can’t be here? Why not see us on the first ever Carrotmob live-stream!
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/carrotmobto

We will be streaming at Noon and then again throughout the day, check our twitter account for details.

See you there. Watch out for the dancing Carrot

Once the train starts going, people seem to jump on board.

We are less than a week away from our big day, and some generous groups have decided to help us make this one of the biggest and most exciting Carrotmobs to date.

Oxfam Canada will be presenting “At the Table 2010″ outside of G’s Fine Foods , an informal activity meant to be educational, fun & participatory for everyone in the community. The purpose is to educate members of the Canadian public on issues around poverty, climate change and the global economy and help them realize that they have a critical role in voicing their concerns on these issues.

http://atthetable2010.org

Inspiring youth-led organization that travels across Canada on bikes! They will be arriving in style to provide a wicked performance for mobbers in line.

http://www.otesha.ca/

Along with York University Professor Jose Etcheverry, Windfall Ecology Centre will be providing energy efficiency policy and technical advice for G’s Fine Foods – to make sure the money you pay goes to make the biggest difference in the store.

http://www.windfallcentre.ca/

AFTER PARTY

In true Carrotmob form, we will be finishing off our day with the official After Party at The Central Bar. http://www.thecentral.ca/

The party will begin at 7:30 and will go late into the Saturday night – feel free to drop by for a drink – donations to go to future Carrotmob events in Toronto. In addition to partying with other mobbers , there will be two rocking bands playing (one kicking Irish band!)

Join the EVENT: here->

http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=106216532750373&ref=ts

There will also be a performance by Popular Theatre Group In Forma!

http://web.mac.com/if.theatre/www.iftheatre.ca/Home.html

More quick updates to come,

-The CM Toronto Team

Help us Tell Toronto

Go to our Press Release,  copy and paste into an email or print to show to friends

Go to our Flyer , print, put up on the wall and rub it in your friends face chanting “CARROTMOB! CARROTMOB!”

Time: Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Location: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) 252 Bloor Street West, 7th Floor Peace Lounge

We are having the first major brainstorming session open to everyone. We hope to grab everyone’s ideas on how, to who and where to promote the Big Event.

GO 7th Floor and you will see us there! Bring ideas and friends, this should not take longer than an hour. Also go to the Fan Page and see the official Facebook Invite

The final date has been confirmed. Start spreading the word about Toronto’s first Carrotmob, arrive Saturday April 10th 12pm to G’s Fine Foods at the corner of Bloor and Huron, see map below.

After more than a week of inviting 14 small to medium sized independent grocery stores in the Bloor/ Annex area to the first Carrotmob in Toronto, 4 stores showed a commitment to the competition. The results are as follows – showing the percent of revenue from mobsters to be given back into energy efficient renovations for their stores, and the number of Local Food Plus (LFP) certified producers and farmers they are willing to sell when available at their stores.

Bloor Village Market (25%) (20 LFP Foods)

Emart (25%) (Low LFP Foods)

Food Plus (5%) (Uncertain LFP Foods)

with the winner…

G’s Fine Fine Foods ( 100%) (15 LFP Foods)!

In the end, it was like playing basketball for the first time. Stores came to the court to try it out, and then the All-star comes in with a slam dunk of 100% and everyone gives up. As much as we wanted a fun auction style of bidding, G’s Fine Foods did not even bother and stepped up big time with their massive bid – leaving everyone else in the dust.

View Carrotmob Toronto Winning Store in a larger map

View Carrotmob Toronto Winning Store in a larger map

Their win MEANS that every single dollar any customer spends at their store during the mob day (for example during one single afternoon on Saturday) will go directly into paying for energy efficient renovations. Buying 20 dollars of groceries, all 20 dollars will go to their store for this purpose. ALSO G’s will pledge to sell, when seasonally available , foods coming from a minimum of 15 Local Food Plus certified farmers and producers.

Now What

We have met the owner of G’s Fine Foods a number of times now and he is committed to doing massive energy efficient renovations to his store and the research into providing local and sustainable foods in his store for the long term. Over the next couple weeks Carrotmob Toronto will connect G’s with environmental consultants to establish the best way funds can be spent at his store to lower his energy use. LFP representatives have already been in touch with G’s and are  prepared to guide them for the selling and advertising of LFP foods year round.

The day the Carrotmob “Attacks” G’s Fine foods should be a fun community event. We will be discussing with the owner which day works best and what kind of activities are possible (think music and dancing with groceries). The Final Date will most likely be a Saturday Afternoon next month (Suggested dates are Earth Hour day March 27th, or April 3rd, 10th, Earth Day weekend April 24)

Keep posted with the blog and become a Facebook Fan if you can – if any of you are interested in serious community organizing – we will be having a small organizing committee meeting within the next week.

Spending G’s at G’s,

Carrotmob