Port Alberni Community Garden
The Community Garden project will enhance the quality of life for many citizens of Port Alberni by providing a safe space to grow healthy nutritious food.
About You
About You
First Name
Guy
Last Name
Langlois
Twitter URL
Facebook URL
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Alberni Valley Transition Towns Society
Organization Website
Organization Country
Canada, BC, Port Alberni
Country where this solution is creating social impact
Canada, BC, Port Alberni
Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Vancouver Island.
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
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Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Idea (you're poised to launch)
How long have you been in operation?
Still in idea phase, but looking to launch soon
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
Many citizens of Port Alberni are unemployed and finding it difficult to provide for their families. The garden will provide a means of growing food for these families. This project will enhance the quality of life for many citizens of Port Alberni. The garden will provide a place to meet. Members of the Community Garden will benefit directly from social interaction with other members. The community garden will give youth a safe place to interact with peers. Members will benefit from healthy environment that the garden will provide, improving their mental health. This project will enhance the beauty of the area. This will draw tourist and improve business.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
A 12,000 SF lot has been provided by a local business to the Society to use as a Community Garden. The society has developed a plan for the garden to construct several raised beds, a tool shed and a shelter for the gardeners. The garden beds are designed and will be constructed to be barrier free so as to provide access to persons in wheelchairs and the elderly.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
The garden will provided fruit and vegetables to many families, improving their nutritional health. Extra food produced from the garden will be donated to local food banks. This project will provide green space within the city that will attract birds and bees. Fruits and vegetables will be grown organically, decreasing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Many members of community gardens live in low cost housing, typically in apartments where they have no space to grow a garden. Community Gardens provide communal space for people to grow food. The garden will provide a place to meet. Members of the Community Garden will benefit directly from social interaction with other members. The garden will also provide a space to host gardening workshop on how to grow food. Growing food locally will reduce the carbon footprint of the participants.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
There is presently no Community Garden in Port Alberni. Two schols have garden programs for their students. The school programs are accessed by the students and teachers only. The Tseshaht First Nations and Hueacasath First Nations currently do not have community gardens. They have expressed interest in participating in the community garden. The Canadian Mental Health Association is running a gardening "Healthy Harvest" program for people with mental illness. The program is accessible only to CMHA clients.
Membership to the Port Alberni Community Garden will be open to everyone in the community, e.g. Low income families, elderly people, people with mental challenges, people with physical disabilities, children, youth and First Nations.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Social Impact
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
I spent a couple of years as working with people with developmental delays, mental illness and brain damage on a farm. At first I wasn't sure about my abilities to help these people. After a while I got to know each of them as individuals and their disabilities were not as apparent. I also recognized that they each had specific interest and abilities. I encouraged them to build on their strengths. This built their self esteem and confidence in their abilities. As they worked in the garden and greenhouse I observed that they were happy and talking more. The social environment we created helped them come out of their shell. As they cared for the chickens, sheep and goats I observed that they were gradually taking on more responsibility and were able to solve simple problems. From my experiences I learnt that the wellbeing of all people can be improved by providing a safe, supportive gardening environment and that people with disabilities and mental illness can be productive citizen.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
The principal goal of providing a community garden space is to address food insecurity in our community. The economy of the community is very depressed and there is a lot of unemployment. Fresh produce is trucked in from the mainland and is very expensive. People in our community living below the poverty live can not afford to purchase healthy and nutritious food. This includes a very large First Nations community that have very poor nutrition and high rates of diabetes. A community garden will provide access to affordable, healthy, nutritious food. An additional goal will be to improve food security in our community. At present only 5% of our food is grown locally. If this food supply system was disrupted food security would be jeopardized and we would run out of food within three days.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
As President of the Nanaimo Community Garden I oversaw the development of a successful social enterprise from our greenhouse plant sales. I also brought community groups together for food security forums to network and develop ways that we could work together on common goals. These initiatives created a stronger sustainable organization with ties to the whole community. After seeing a need for a community garden here in Port Alberni I organized a series of meetings to bring people together that were interested in starting a community garden. We are meeting regularly to move this initiative forward by hosing monthly potluck dinners. These meetings are very well attended with over 40 people in attendance. We are working to invite representatives of community groups that are involved with food insecurity such as soup kitchens and the Salvation Army. The community has been very supportive of the initiative with expression of interest in participating from the First Nations tribes.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
We anticipate that the community garden will be very successful because there is a need for accessible space for growing affordable food. The business community will get behind this initiative because it will make the area more attractive to tourist and improve the health of the community. The nutrition of participant will improve with access to locally grown food.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your six-month milestone
Task 1
Build awareness about the community garden by implementing a publicity campaign
Task 2
Build up membership and identify volunteers
Task 3
Plan fundraising activities, dances, seedling sales at farmers market
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Construct garden beds, compost bins and tool shed.
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your 12-month milestone
Task 1
Raise $10,000 through fundraising activities
Task 2
Organize work parties to construct garden beds and compost bins.
Task 3
Plant fruit trees and develop communal garden plots
Sustainability
Tell us about your partnerships
This initiative was taken on by a sub group of the Alberni Valley Ttransition Towns Society. Eventually this group will form it's own society. The Vancouver Island Health Authority has provided project funding to improve the capacity of our community to address food security and food insecurity. The community garden initiative is part of this project. Canadian Mental Health Association has donated the use of their clubhouse to conduct monthly meetings and potluck dinners. A local business has donated the property to use as a community garden. Tseshaht First Nations, Hueacasath First Nations
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
It recognized that community gardens should be developed in several areas throughout the community to make them accessible. A second site has been identified as a potential future community garden. The local Tseshaht First Nations and Hueacasath First Nations have expressed interest in developing community gardens on their land. We will work with them to assist them in developing these gardens. The Salvation Army is interested in creating a community garden on their property. We will present a resolution to city council to consider a policy to support the development of community gardens.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
Alberni Valley Transition Towns Society (AVTTS) is developing connections with local farmers and urban farming initiatives. Projects completed and ongoing include a bumper sticker campaign "I Eat Locally Grown"; creation and continual updating of an online food map and farmers directory; hosting monthly film and discussion evenings for the public about food issues; membership with the Alberni Farmers Institute, Farmers Market and Agricultural Advisory Committee; providing articles for local media; sponsoring permaculture workshops; research concerning community gardens and gleaning; networking with community groups concerned with food security/insecurity. The AVTTS is currently engaged in a Community Food Action Initiative funded by the VIHA to improving local food security and insecurity.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Our major challenge to getting this project going is a lack of financial resources. The members the Community Garden are not well off financially. As community driven initiative we will pool our volunteer resources to complete the project. Many local business will be asked to sponsor the project by provide assistance either financially our with in-kind services and construction materials.
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 | 47 weeks ago Amanda Armstrong said: Hi there, You should check out Evergreen Brickworks in Toronto! The founder is an Ashoka Fellow with a phenomenal idea to create ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 47 weeks ago Sarah Mintz said: Hi Susan and Guy - yes indeed, we've been excited to see so many farm related entries. I do hope you collaborate. SeedPeer is another ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 51 weeks ago Susan Roth said: I read in your submission that you are in need of funding to help build a community garden. Another submission (Faires Farms) could use ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 51 weeks ago guylanglois updated this Competition Entry. |
| 51 weeks ago guylanglois submitted this idea. |
