University of Alberta
ER-T2-2: Organic Garden

CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDEN - NORTH CAMPUS http://www.su.ualberta.ca/services/sustainsu/garden/ The Campus Community Garden on North Campus uses as many sustainable agricultural practices as possible in order to showcase environmentally-friendly gardening techniques. For three years, between 2003 and 2005, the 244 square meter garden was shared between Sustain SU and the surrounding Garneau Community, where volunteers worked their individual plots. In 2006, Sustain SU’s Community Garden merged with the Garneau plots to become one large co-operative garden where volunteers work collaboratively on learning about and tending to the entire garden. In 2008, the garden expanded four meters to the north and now measures more than 300 square meters. In addition to creating nature-connected recreational opportunities for students, the mandate of the garden is to: - Promote a sense of community and local, organic food production by harvesting food in a sustainable manner, without the use of pesticides, chemicals, or genetically-modified plants. - Provide the campus community with an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge within a living laboratory and amongst peers. - Provide organic, local, fresh, and healthy food for garden volunteers and the wider Edmonton community through either the Campus Food Bank or similar programs, promoting food security and community in the process. Students, staff, and community members are all welcome to participate in this garden project. Garden volunteers are responsible for preparing, planting, maintaining, and harvesting the garden. The level of experience in gardening ranges from first-time planters to dedicated gardeners. Since volunteers learn directly from seasoned gardeners and through organized gardening sessions, volunteer training is ongoing. Sustain SU hires a garden coordinator in the spring to provide support and knowledge to the volunteers. The garden coordinator also organizes several educational sessions over the summer that provides information on gardening techniques and management. CAMPUS COMMUNITY GARDEN - AUGUSTANA CAMPUS In 2011, the Augustana Campus also developed a community campus garden to provide a source of local food for the cafeteria. The Augustana Earthwise Club provided the student volunteers required to construct, plant, care for, and harvest the garden.

While Sustain SU's Campus Community Garden was included in this credit, additional UAlberta groups host gardens on our campuses, including: 1) Green and Gold Community Garden on South Campus http://www.publichealth.ualberta.ca/collaborators_partners/community_engagement/green_gold_garden.aspx 2) Campus Saint Jean's jardin communautaire http://www.csj.ualberta.ca/index.php/la-vie-au-campus/jardin-communautaire/