The document outlines the history and successes of the Grande Prairie Community Garden Project over five years. It describes how the garden was started by transforming an empty plot of land, including building beds out of cinderblocks and wood planks. Various groups donated seeds, flowers, tools and a shed. Challenges around watering were addressed by tying into the water line. The garden provides benefits like health, education, community building and crime prevention. Engaging youth is one success, and establishing policies around edible landscaping. Residents are encouraged to volunteer their time weeding, planting, harvesting or with site maintenance.
Accessibility & Inclusion: Creative Content Choices (Presented at AAM2015)Sofie Andersen
What strategies help create great content for diverse museum audiences, including patrons with disabilities? Should we aim at a single specific audience or incorporate a more inclusive, universal design approach? How might this material be sourced, funded and implemented? We will address these questions and more in a lively in-depth discussion, examining verbal description for visitors with low or no vision as one model to illustrate the wide variety of options and the decision-making process.
Session Format : Talk Show
Learner Outcomes
1. Learn ways to think about the balance between best practices for access audiences and the unique needs and resources of each institution.
2. Consider strategies for creating content and programs for targeted audiences versus using a more universal design approach, and how to apply both.
3. Understand the variety of ways to source, generate and evaluate accessible and inclusive content, and learn real options for funding such efforts.
This document summarizes Jessica Wiggins' community service, education, work experience, languages, and skills. She has a Bachelors of Science in General Studies from Wilmington University and work experience in pet care, retail, and lifeguarding. Her community service involvement includes activities at local churches such as Vacation Bible School and assisting praise teams.
The Cambridge City Green Annual Event will be held on March 30th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Cambridge City Hall Atrium. There will be displays from various community food organizations about their programs and activities. The event will feature kids crafts and seed planting. There will also be two speakers, Patrick Rittinger discussing edible landscaping projects at Kitchener Collegiate Institute, and Mario Muniz on sustainable practices at Langdon Hall gardens. The free event is open to the public and aims to showcase local food initiatives in schools, businesses and the community.
Lindsey Waugaman has experience leading conservation crews and supervising volunteers on projects that restore and improve trails, riparian areas, and recreational facilities. She has a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College and field study experience in sustainable development from the School for Field Studies in Costa Rica. Her work includes removing burned trees from a trail, clearing dead forest to create wildlife habitat, restoring an historic wading pool, and coordinating volunteer events and education activities to clean up rivers and recruit volunteers.
Internety provides a range of IT solutions including large, medium, and small scale solutions for businesses. They have expertise in platforms like .NET, C#, SQL Server, and Oracle. Their solutions include real estate management systems, marketing solutions, and workforce management. They also offer scripts and application upgrades, intranet/internet solutions, and helpdesk outsourcing services.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms.
This document outlines an oral presentation assignment for a group of students. It asks students to research and present on modern architecture designs inspired by nature. Students will present in groups of four and the 20-minute video presentation is due November 6th, 2014. The presentation should cover biomimicry, design principles and background of architects, materials used, and green features. Students will be assessed on their understanding of the brief, content, organization, use of references, and grammar. Suggested references and a cover page template are also provided.
Accessibility & Inclusion: Creative Content Choices (Presented at AAM2015)Sofie Andersen
What strategies help create great content for diverse museum audiences, including patrons with disabilities? Should we aim at a single specific audience or incorporate a more inclusive, universal design approach? How might this material be sourced, funded and implemented? We will address these questions and more in a lively in-depth discussion, examining verbal description for visitors with low or no vision as one model to illustrate the wide variety of options and the decision-making process.
Session Format : Talk Show
Learner Outcomes
1. Learn ways to think about the balance between best practices for access audiences and the unique needs and resources of each institution.
2. Consider strategies for creating content and programs for targeted audiences versus using a more universal design approach, and how to apply both.
3. Understand the variety of ways to source, generate and evaluate accessible and inclusive content, and learn real options for funding such efforts.
This document summarizes Jessica Wiggins' community service, education, work experience, languages, and skills. She has a Bachelors of Science in General Studies from Wilmington University and work experience in pet care, retail, and lifeguarding. Her community service involvement includes activities at local churches such as Vacation Bible School and assisting praise teams.
The Cambridge City Green Annual Event will be held on March 30th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Cambridge City Hall Atrium. There will be displays from various community food organizations about their programs and activities. The event will feature kids crafts and seed planting. There will also be two speakers, Patrick Rittinger discussing edible landscaping projects at Kitchener Collegiate Institute, and Mario Muniz on sustainable practices at Langdon Hall gardens. The free event is open to the public and aims to showcase local food initiatives in schools, businesses and the community.
Lindsey Waugaman has experience leading conservation crews and supervising volunteers on projects that restore and improve trails, riparian areas, and recreational facilities. She has a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College and field study experience in sustainable development from the School for Field Studies in Costa Rica. Her work includes removing burned trees from a trail, clearing dead forest to create wildlife habitat, restoring an historic wading pool, and coordinating volunteer events and education activities to clean up rivers and recruit volunteers.
Internety provides a range of IT solutions including large, medium, and small scale solutions for businesses. They have expertise in platforms like .NET, C#, SQL Server, and Oracle. Their solutions include real estate management systems, marketing solutions, and workforce management. They also offer scripts and application upgrades, intranet/internet solutions, and helpdesk outsourcing services.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms.
This document outlines an oral presentation assignment for a group of students. It asks students to research and present on modern architecture designs inspired by nature. Students will present in groups of four and the 20-minute video presentation is due November 6th, 2014. The presentation should cover biomimicry, design principles and background of architects, materials used, and green features. Students will be assessed on their understanding of the brief, content, organization, use of references, and grammar. Suggested references and a cover page template are also provided.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise has also been shown to boost self-esteem and can serve as a healthy way to manage stress.
The document provides information about Christmas in Chinese. It discusses the terms for Christmas ("Shèngdànjié"), Santa Claus ("Shèngdàn Lǎorén"), and Christmas tree ("Shèngdàn shù"). It notes the date of Christmas is December 25th. It also lists some Christmas traditions like the big Christmas meal ("Shèngdàn dàcān") and going to church ("qù jiàotáng"). Finally, it discusses common Christmas gifts like chocolate ("qiǎokèlì"), perfume ("xiāngshuǐ") and asks what one's favorite present is ("wǒ zuì x
Urban planning is the process of formulating plans for the development and use of land in urban areas. It involves identifying goals and objectives, assessing issues and priorities, developing alternative plans, and selecting the most appropriate plan to guide how land will be used for socio-economic and physical activities. It is a cyclic process of plan preparation, implementation, and review to determine if the plan should be repeated, refined, or abandoned. Urban planning addresses issues related to socio-economic development, infrastructure provision, land use, financing, management, environment, heritage, disasters, and politics. The goal is to guide public and private development in a settlement or region.
Contraception, who should take responsibility Alejo Colorado
Presentation that informs about meaning, implications, types and other data about contraception as term as methods, aswell as a discussion and recommendations about it
Tamer Mohamed Masha'l is applying for a Unit Sales Manager position. He has over 15 years of experience in sales and merchandising management in the retail sector, currently working as an Area Sales & Merchandising Manager for Unilever Mashreq. He is a self-motivated individual who is able to perform well under pressure and has a proven track record of delivering results on time and within budget. He is seeking an interview to explain how he can contribute to the company.
The document summarizes the independence missions from the Philippines to the United States from 1919 to 1934 seeking independence, including the OSROX mission led by Sergio Osmeña and Manuel Roxas. It also discusses the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act passed by the US Congress in 1932 granting independence but vetoed by the president, and the subsequent Tydings-McDuffie Act passed in 1934 and signed into law, which finally established the process for Philippine independence.
Nehru Place is a large commercial center in Delhi known as one of Asia's largest IT hubs. It houses over 1500 offices and 400 registered IT dealers selling computers, hardware, and software. While originally planned as a formal business area, it now has a mix of formal offices and retailers alongside hundreds of informal hawkers. It sees over 130,000 visitors daily traveling via metro, bus, or auto to access its shops and low prices goods but suffers from congestion due to its high density of activities.
The document summarizes the story of Madoc Township Public School in Ontario. It discusses how:
- The school was opened in 1961 and became grades K-6 in the 1970s, with an emphasis on academic excellence.
- In 2016, the local school board recommended closing the school and busing students elsewhere, sparking community opposition.
- Local residents organized under the group "Rural Schools Matter" and advocated to keep the school open, showing the power of community voices.
- Ultimately, the school was kept open, showing that community efforts can overcome closure recommendations.
Fifth grade students at G Ross Elementary School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania took on the challenge of creating bike paths in their city through the Design for Change contest. They felt that childhood obesity was a problem and that kids needed safe places to exercise by biking. Their plan was to write a letter and start a petition to support bike paths being included in a new urban parkway project. They organized a Bike Rodeo community event to raise awareness of bike safety and their goal of creating bike paths. They worked with various local organizations and officials to plan and promote the event to help more kids safely bike in their community.
The Next Big Thing Urbanism Workshop was an initiative to take previous design and community development efforts of Glass House Collective to the next level.
During a two-day intensive design workshop, over 100 workshop participants proposed ways to improve Glass Street while maintaining a realistic attitude about both big and small moves that, collectively, could begin to enhance the prospects for the neighborhood and its citizens.
Teams were asked to consider how improved urbanism could have a positive impact on various aspects of the neighborhood, including business viability, quality public spaces, access to services, improved housing options, increased public safety, and opportunities for the community to engage and contribute.
Designs needed to leverage the variety of assets that already exist in the community including physical places, existing businesses, individuals, organizations, previous accomplishments, and sections of the built environment.
What resulted were dozens of creative, realistic, and scalable urban revitalization tactics for improving residential, commercial, and public space within a 5 minute walk radius surrounding historic Glass Street, each contributing to the revitalization effort already underway. Designs specifically addressed implementation within 1 month, 1 year, 3 year time frames, prioritizing lighter, quicker, and cheaper techniques.
While not all the proposals generated will be implemented as designed, they will be the basis of successive small neighborhood workshops to explore specific concepts, projects, and implementation tactics reflecting the residential, commercial, and public space needs of the Glass Street community. Glass House Collective will work with the neighborhood to adapt designs, ultimately using a bunch of little things to create the next big thing on the street.
Using the lenses that Glass House Collective sees their work through, the Outcomes of The Next Big Thing Urbanism Workshop have been organized into three categories:
• Here Because We Love It Here, proposals focused on Creative Placemaking
• Bringing Life Back to Glass Street, proposals focused on Feet on the Streets
• The Next Big Thing, proposals focused on New Partnerships
Not all proposals developed during the workshop are included in this document; however, those that most closely meet the mission of Glass House Collective have been compiled and described in the pages that follow. The appendix lists all project proposals from each team.
The village road near the school was dirty with pebbles and garbage, posing a hindrance to children and a risk of disease spread. The children formed a work group with brooms and shovels to clean the roads. Their efforts encouraged other children and adults to help. They also created posters and rallies to raise awareness among the community about cleanliness. After rains left slush, the children filled puddles with sand and further cleaned the roads. Their work successfully made the road near the school free of garbage and educated villagers about the problems of litter.
Fifth grade students at G Ross Elementary School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania created a project to address the lack of safe bike paths in their city. They went through a four step process of feeling the problem, imagining solutions, taking action, and sharing their project. The students met with city officials, created a petition and letter of support, and planned a Bike Rodeo community event to raise awareness of the need for designated bike paths. Their goal is to encourage the development of bike paths in a new urban parkway to promote exercise and bike safety for children in their community.
The document appears to be an architecture portfolio for Caitlin McKaughan. It includes sections on her education, skills, experience, awards, involvement and employment. Project examples are also summarized, including a musical performance space featuring found objects, a sensory pavilion built for a garden using mass timber and rammed earth, and a mixed-use building in Kansas City proposing a health center to connect parks and provide community spaces. The portfolio demonstrates McKaughan's range of technical skills and focus on design-build projects that serve community needs.
WS 2B-2 Your Street. Your Day. Centering Community at Open Streets San Fran...TheOpenStreetsProject
This document discusses Sunday Streets, a program that opens streets to community activities in San Francisco neighborhoods. It provides a history and overview of Sunday Streets since 2008, highlighting key partnerships and pillars of community engagement. A case study of an event in the Bayview and Dogpatch neighborhoods describes challenges with outreach in different communities and how an open approach to communication and programming helped address blind spots and build community ownership. The goal is to create a citywide network of weekly car-free streets.
cd40b7a6-a50b-417f-8bf8-06f7668fec46-161123063011Rose D Chávez
The document summarizes accomplishments of the Healthy Places program in Arvada, Colorado from 2014 to 2016. It describes over 125 healthy programs and events that engaged the community. It highlights improvements to parks, trails, sidewalks, and bike infrastructure including new bike racks, share lanes, and repair stations. Community grants activated two neighborhood parks through additions like exercise equipment, lighting, and programming. The initiatives leveraged $3 million and aim to create a healthier future through master planning and policies.
This document summarizes the activities of the NSS unit of Kishinchand Chellaram College. It outlines two area-based projects focused on village development, education, environment, and more. It also discusses Red Ribbon Club activities related to HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as university-level activities like immunization drives and rallies. Finally, it provides details of the residential camp held from December 22-29, 2011 which involved construction projects, health checkups, and cultural programs in the adopted village.
On May 1st the Parks Foundation and Minneapolis Park Board hosted a community open house, unveiling the evolved design concept for Water Works park on the Mississippi riverfront in downtown Minneapolis. At the open house, community members were invited to offer input on the new design concept. This presentation was given by the design team during the open house, highlighting the history of Water Works, project timeline, and cultural resources.
The presentation was given by:
Bruce Chamberlain – Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Kate Lamers - MPRB Water Works Project Manager
Anne Ketz - The 106 Group
Tom Whitlock – Damon Farber Landscape Architects
Joan Soranno – HGA
Max Musicant – The Musicant Group
Learn more about Water Works at https://goo.gl/x03GKe
Special thanks to all the S.I.T. members that attended our last meeting. If you missed the meeting, please feel free to view the concept and comment here.
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise has also been shown to boost self-esteem and can serve as a healthy way to manage stress.
The document provides information about Christmas in Chinese. It discusses the terms for Christmas ("Shèngdànjié"), Santa Claus ("Shèngdàn Lǎorén"), and Christmas tree ("Shèngdàn shù"). It notes the date of Christmas is December 25th. It also lists some Christmas traditions like the big Christmas meal ("Shèngdàn dàcān") and going to church ("qù jiàotáng"). Finally, it discusses common Christmas gifts like chocolate ("qiǎokèlì"), perfume ("xiāngshuǐ") and asks what one's favorite present is ("wǒ zuì x
Urban planning is the process of formulating plans for the development and use of land in urban areas. It involves identifying goals and objectives, assessing issues and priorities, developing alternative plans, and selecting the most appropriate plan to guide how land will be used for socio-economic and physical activities. It is a cyclic process of plan preparation, implementation, and review to determine if the plan should be repeated, refined, or abandoned. Urban planning addresses issues related to socio-economic development, infrastructure provision, land use, financing, management, environment, heritage, disasters, and politics. The goal is to guide public and private development in a settlement or region.
Contraception, who should take responsibility Alejo Colorado
Presentation that informs about meaning, implications, types and other data about contraception as term as methods, aswell as a discussion and recommendations about it
Tamer Mohamed Masha'l is applying for a Unit Sales Manager position. He has over 15 years of experience in sales and merchandising management in the retail sector, currently working as an Area Sales & Merchandising Manager for Unilever Mashreq. He is a self-motivated individual who is able to perform well under pressure and has a proven track record of delivering results on time and within budget. He is seeking an interview to explain how he can contribute to the company.
The document summarizes the independence missions from the Philippines to the United States from 1919 to 1934 seeking independence, including the OSROX mission led by Sergio Osmeña and Manuel Roxas. It also discusses the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act passed by the US Congress in 1932 granting independence but vetoed by the president, and the subsequent Tydings-McDuffie Act passed in 1934 and signed into law, which finally established the process for Philippine independence.
Nehru Place is a large commercial center in Delhi known as one of Asia's largest IT hubs. It houses over 1500 offices and 400 registered IT dealers selling computers, hardware, and software. While originally planned as a formal business area, it now has a mix of formal offices and retailers alongside hundreds of informal hawkers. It sees over 130,000 visitors daily traveling via metro, bus, or auto to access its shops and low prices goods but suffers from congestion due to its high density of activities.
The document summarizes the story of Madoc Township Public School in Ontario. It discusses how:
- The school was opened in 1961 and became grades K-6 in the 1970s, with an emphasis on academic excellence.
- In 2016, the local school board recommended closing the school and busing students elsewhere, sparking community opposition.
- Local residents organized under the group "Rural Schools Matter" and advocated to keep the school open, showing the power of community voices.
- Ultimately, the school was kept open, showing that community efforts can overcome closure recommendations.
Fifth grade students at G Ross Elementary School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania took on the challenge of creating bike paths in their city through the Design for Change contest. They felt that childhood obesity was a problem and that kids needed safe places to exercise by biking. Their plan was to write a letter and start a petition to support bike paths being included in a new urban parkway project. They organized a Bike Rodeo community event to raise awareness of bike safety and their goal of creating bike paths. They worked with various local organizations and officials to plan and promote the event to help more kids safely bike in their community.
The Next Big Thing Urbanism Workshop was an initiative to take previous design and community development efforts of Glass House Collective to the next level.
During a two-day intensive design workshop, over 100 workshop participants proposed ways to improve Glass Street while maintaining a realistic attitude about both big and small moves that, collectively, could begin to enhance the prospects for the neighborhood and its citizens.
Teams were asked to consider how improved urbanism could have a positive impact on various aspects of the neighborhood, including business viability, quality public spaces, access to services, improved housing options, increased public safety, and opportunities for the community to engage and contribute.
Designs needed to leverage the variety of assets that already exist in the community including physical places, existing businesses, individuals, organizations, previous accomplishments, and sections of the built environment.
What resulted were dozens of creative, realistic, and scalable urban revitalization tactics for improving residential, commercial, and public space within a 5 minute walk radius surrounding historic Glass Street, each contributing to the revitalization effort already underway. Designs specifically addressed implementation within 1 month, 1 year, 3 year time frames, prioritizing lighter, quicker, and cheaper techniques.
While not all the proposals generated will be implemented as designed, they will be the basis of successive small neighborhood workshops to explore specific concepts, projects, and implementation tactics reflecting the residential, commercial, and public space needs of the Glass Street community. Glass House Collective will work with the neighborhood to adapt designs, ultimately using a bunch of little things to create the next big thing on the street.
Using the lenses that Glass House Collective sees their work through, the Outcomes of The Next Big Thing Urbanism Workshop have been organized into three categories:
• Here Because We Love It Here, proposals focused on Creative Placemaking
• Bringing Life Back to Glass Street, proposals focused on Feet on the Streets
• The Next Big Thing, proposals focused on New Partnerships
Not all proposals developed during the workshop are included in this document; however, those that most closely meet the mission of Glass House Collective have been compiled and described in the pages that follow. The appendix lists all project proposals from each team.
The village road near the school was dirty with pebbles and garbage, posing a hindrance to children and a risk of disease spread. The children formed a work group with brooms and shovels to clean the roads. Their efforts encouraged other children and adults to help. They also created posters and rallies to raise awareness among the community about cleanliness. After rains left slush, the children filled puddles with sand and further cleaned the roads. Their work successfully made the road near the school free of garbage and educated villagers about the problems of litter.
Fifth grade students at G Ross Elementary School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania created a project to address the lack of safe bike paths in their city. They went through a four step process of feeling the problem, imagining solutions, taking action, and sharing their project. The students met with city officials, created a petition and letter of support, and planned a Bike Rodeo community event to raise awareness of the need for designated bike paths. Their goal is to encourage the development of bike paths in a new urban parkway to promote exercise and bike safety for children in their community.
The document appears to be an architecture portfolio for Caitlin McKaughan. It includes sections on her education, skills, experience, awards, involvement and employment. Project examples are also summarized, including a musical performance space featuring found objects, a sensory pavilion built for a garden using mass timber and rammed earth, and a mixed-use building in Kansas City proposing a health center to connect parks and provide community spaces. The portfolio demonstrates McKaughan's range of technical skills and focus on design-build projects that serve community needs.
WS 2B-2 Your Street. Your Day. Centering Community at Open Streets San Fran...TheOpenStreetsProject
This document discusses Sunday Streets, a program that opens streets to community activities in San Francisco neighborhoods. It provides a history and overview of Sunday Streets since 2008, highlighting key partnerships and pillars of community engagement. A case study of an event in the Bayview and Dogpatch neighborhoods describes challenges with outreach in different communities and how an open approach to communication and programming helped address blind spots and build community ownership. The goal is to create a citywide network of weekly car-free streets.
cd40b7a6-a50b-417f-8bf8-06f7668fec46-161123063011Rose D Chávez
The document summarizes accomplishments of the Healthy Places program in Arvada, Colorado from 2014 to 2016. It describes over 125 healthy programs and events that engaged the community. It highlights improvements to parks, trails, sidewalks, and bike infrastructure including new bike racks, share lanes, and repair stations. Community grants activated two neighborhood parks through additions like exercise equipment, lighting, and programming. The initiatives leveraged $3 million and aim to create a healthier future through master planning and policies.
This document summarizes the activities of the NSS unit of Kishinchand Chellaram College. It outlines two area-based projects focused on village development, education, environment, and more. It also discusses Red Ribbon Club activities related to HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as university-level activities like immunization drives and rallies. Finally, it provides details of the residential camp held from December 22-29, 2011 which involved construction projects, health checkups, and cultural programs in the adopted village.
On May 1st the Parks Foundation and Minneapolis Park Board hosted a community open house, unveiling the evolved design concept for Water Works park on the Mississippi riverfront in downtown Minneapolis. At the open house, community members were invited to offer input on the new design concept. This presentation was given by the design team during the open house, highlighting the history of Water Works, project timeline, and cultural resources.
The presentation was given by:
Bruce Chamberlain – Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Kate Lamers - MPRB Water Works Project Manager
Anne Ketz - The 106 Group
Tom Whitlock – Damon Farber Landscape Architects
Joan Soranno – HGA
Max Musicant – The Musicant Group
Learn more about Water Works at https://goo.gl/x03GKe
Special thanks to all the S.I.T. members that attended our last meeting. If you missed the meeting, please feel free to view the concept and comment here.
1. August 25, 2016
Grande Prairie Community Garden Project
Five Years: Our successes, challenges,
opportunities and policy development
2. Benefits of Community Gardens
Health Gains
Educational opportunities
Economic benefits
Environmental benefits
Cultural opportunities
Community Building
Youth Engagement
Crime Prevention
Urban Improvements
Strengthened governance
October 3, 2016
2
3. How we got started
We took this plot of land
And made this!
31. What if I don’t know anything
about gardening!
Learn by working beside others!
Areas to get involved in could be:
• building beds,
• planting/watering/weeding,
• harvesting,
• site maintenance,
• fundraising,
• promotions, and
• vision setting.
October 3, 2016
31
The community garden had been discussed for several years prior to the actual build of the garden. We encountered obstacles such as
No one wanted us on their property concerned that it would impact operations, future use of the land, safety concerns
Finances – always a challenge!
Once we found the site we had challenges such as
Water – where were we going to get it from
How would we store tools, watering supplies, taps
The idea for a community garden from our now defunct Communities in Bloom Committee. As we were growing we were noticing the disconnect between the community and how our food is produced. A group of volunteers got together and we developed a plan on what we thought we could do. Over coffee, the plans slowly grew. The group decided that we would utilize the garden to grow food for those who would need it and to show that community that food could be grown in a variety of methods. We discussed having beds available for the community to rent but decided against it based the fact that there were too many unknowns.
One of our biggest challenges was finding a location. We finally obtained permission to temporarily place the garden on City owned property in the Downtown. The garden is located close to Rotary House, an organization that provides housing on a single night basis to short term stays. This worked into our plan of providing the harvest to the community.
Our small group consisted of 5 members of the public and 2 staff (myself and my co-worker Lucy). Our job as staff was to facilitate the group. We wrote a grant and obtained funding from TD Friends of the Environment to construct the garden.
13 raised beds were constructed of cinder block (we paid $.25/block from a farmer who really liked our project), wood plank and cedar that was not treated and we chose to not paint, keeping with our theme of an environmentally friendly garden. No chemicals or fertilizers are used and we mow the lawn with a manual reel mower.
The first year we developed theme beds and provided signage
1) Dan’s Salsa Bed, 2) Borsch Bed, 3) Herb Bed, 4) Three Sisters’ Bed, 5) Eat your Vegies
6) Strawberry Fields Forever, 7) North Square Garden, 8) South Square Garden, 9) Has Beans
10) Peas, Please, 11), 12), 13) Potatoes
We have been truly fortunate in that one of our volunteers works for Dunvegan Gardens and they have provided us with plants from the very first year. All of our flowers come from Dunvegan as well as many of our tomatoes.
Most of our vegetables were grown from seed. McKenzie Seeds donated a wide variety of seeds. We also received donations from residents who had too many plants.
The beds that were built and the soil that was moved into each of the beds would not have occurred without the help of volunteers. While many people were concerned about the location of the garden – its close proximity to Rotary House and being Downtown – the group had made the decision that the garden was for the whole community. We embraced the transient population and explained the project to many of those folks when they stopped by. We were fortunate that several of the men saw that this group or primarily women were struggling with some of the labour and they generously volunteered. While this was not something we had planned – it was probably one of the best spur of the moment decisions we made. The vulnerable population that we were growing the food for took ownership and pride in the garden.
We were able to thank those volunteers with gift cards to Subway, they did appreciate the gesture. It was truly heartwarming as we had struggled with our choices on location as well as deciding not to fence the garden off.
The land that we are situated on was housing at one time and the City had purchased it as right of way access for potential growth. Nothing had been done to the land after the houses had been demolished. So we had some drainage issues on the right side of the lot! This is also where the waterline access is and where we needed to put the shed!
Because it was so wet that summer they were not able to put in the water line, so we had to be creative. With the assistance of our Parks and Transportation Departments they would fill up rain barrels for us and we would water by hand. (that got old very quickly!) The challenge was that we needed more water than they were able to provide – they had other priorities. So we hired a company to water for us while we waited (not so patiently) for the soil to dry out so that they could dig in our water lines
Aquatera (our utility company) , gave us a $1500 discount but it was still a significant cost that we hadn’t considered. Plus we had incurred the $600 cost of having a company water for us for the month of July, thankfully I had the budget to cover the group’s shortfalls.
We were so happy to see the digging start! Bringing the water line from the sidewalk to where we needed it was approximately $6000,
The group had decided that our best way to store our tools and house the water tap was to have a shed on site. In order to place the shed we needed some on the land to be levelled – this was a great training opportunity for some our transportation staff.
We bought our shed from Totem Building Supplies who gave us a discount, then built it and delivered it to the site. So now we had a shed right in the Downtown and of course it was tagged really quickly! Our group considered our options and it decided we should have a mural on it. Working with our Crime Prevention Dept and the Centre for Creative Arts we found an artist who would paint the shed for us.
We provided the paint and the blank canvas and Kane provided the art. Best of both worlds – we thought. While many people liked the shed and they liked the anticipation of knowing the art would change, others didn’t like the art style and decided that we were encouraging graffiti. We had initially referred to Kane as our “Graffiti Artist” which we changed to our “Urban Artist”. The Beautification Committee for the Downtown Association expressed their concerns regarding the art on the shed, there was some discussions as how to resolve it and we suggested that we would heed to their request of having a white shed if they would keep it graffiti free. They decided that they could live with the art.
Janice, one of our founding members has always been in charge of the harvest. We checked with AHS regarding our ability to give away our produce and they advised that we should record where we are taking the food and the quantities. This food has gone to the Youth Emergency Shelter, the Soup Kitchen, Rotary House and Odyssey House (shelter for women).
It took a couple of years but we have encouraged our neighbours (primarily street folks) to pick and enjoy the fruits and vegetables as they are ready so that no food goes to waste. This has proven very also to be very successful, our neighbours are quite protective and caring for the garden.
We have begun measuring the harvest in servings, it was easier for people to understand how much produce was coming out the garden. We harvest approximately 1500 servings of fruits and vegetables annually.
We have been truly blessed with successes. We have had some challenges but our successes outweigh the challenges.
The shed has continued to be a success. The artist who we had initially worked with passed away this winter and a new group has taken over the painting of the shed. They have worked very hard to keep it current, if you are familiar with Pokemon Go you may recognize the current art as part of that theme. We recently learned that we are a Poke stop and the artists wanted to incorporate that theme
Additions to the garden are:
Wood chip mulch – our Parks Dept chips up trees and branches as they are being removed or trimmed. Any of the wood chip mulch that they are not going to be using for City projects is placed in the garden for members of the community to come and take. There is no cost to take the mulch – you just have to shovel it into your pickup or container. We have encouraged this as a great environmental initiative and Parks staff are seeing the wood chip mulch in yards throughout the city
Wood – as the trees are taken down Parks will leave the wood, again for residents to take. This has also proven to be very popular.
This photo is of Cameroon Spinach. As many other communities throughout the province and across the country we have seen an increase in our immigrant population. We have worked closely with our Cultural Integration Academy to provide volunteer experiences for our newest members of the community as well as an introduction to our culture. We were approached this spring to have a bed for one of the newest members of our community. She hails from Cameroon (just arrived in November), and she has planted, maintained and harvested the spinach. She has educated us on how to cook with it and it has provided her with the opportunity to meet members of the community. It has been very successful and we are looking to expand it next year. The goal will be to add signage to help educate other members of the community about other cultures.
We have been fortunate to work some of the youth in the community, from schools to community groups. Youth have been actively involved in the garden.
Classes have come and planted, they have started plant material in the classroom and then transplanted the plants.
Youth groups have come in and helped with tasks such as watering, weeding and planting.
This year the Guides sponsored a bed and chose the plants and have helped with the maintenance.
Easter weekend 2013 the Community Garden experienced vandalism that could have been catastrophic to the program. Someone burned the shed (it was deliberately set on fire) but thanks to the great community that we live in, the shed was replaced and delivered to the site. Residents donated equipment, businesses provided us with new tools and the very day the shed was delivered, Kane painted!
In the 5 years of the program we have seen many changes and have interest peak and wane over time. We traditionally see an abundance of volunteers in May and June and then a decline for the rest of the summer.
Due to the success of the program the City has received enquiries about having community gardens in neighbourhood. We received direction to develop a policy regarding community gardens and the Community Growth Committee also added edible landscaping to the direction.
Policy 212 recognizes that food security is an important factor in our sustainability as a community. Community gardens aid in providing fresh fruit and vegetables as well as teach members of our community how to garden. As an organization we will provide support to various community groups and neighbourhood associations to incorporate community gardens into their neighbourhoods to benefit the City and its residents. It is expected that community groups or neighbourhood associations will meet established criteria, provide supporting documentation, and have the required community support to develop a community garden.
As an organization we commit to planting fruit bearing trees and shrubs as a portion of our annual plantings in parks to support food security and act as an educational tool for the community at large.
In 2014 Parks began adding fruit trees to parks. Sites were chosen based on close proximity to a school or in an area that has an active neighbourhood association. This year the trees are bearing fruit!
This September will be the first time that we work with a school on harvesting apples.
These mini orchards are fenced off to ensure that the trees had a good start.