Written by Easton Skara, School Gardens Program Assistant. My 8 week internship as the School Gardens Program Assistant, I was given the time to develop and reflect on my role as both an educator and gardener. During my experience in nature and outdoor learning environments, I gained valuable insights into patience, overcoming fear, and building […]
School Gardens Notes From Nature’s Classroom Read More »
Vancouver, BC – April 18, 2023 – The Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) is excited to announce the release of the updated version of the “South Coastal BC Compost Guide”, a comprehensive resource aimed at providing information to farmers about locally available composts. Purpose of the Guide The “South Coastal BC Compost Guide” is designed
SPEC Releases Updated Compost Guide for Farmers in South Coastal BC Read More »
Written by Sharlene Singh, SPEC School Gardens Program Coordinator As a Garden Educator, I’m an advocate for Ecological Literacy education, for every school aged child and youth to learn in an unstructured environment, often revealed by the natural world through interactions with wildlife, insects, plants, seeds, soil, and weather. I’m amazed by the resilience, empathy
Britannia Community Elementary – Revitalizing their Garden Space! Read More »
Written by Teresa Porter, Farmland Ecosystem Services Project Coordinator World Soil Day is celebrated every year on December 5th to highlight the importance of healthy soils. This year’s theme is ‘Soil: Where Food Begins’. Given that roughly 95% of our food comes from the soil, healthy soils are integral to our food systems! Plants obtain
Happy World Soil Day! Read More »
Written by Annie McLeod, School Gardens Program Assistant “We may think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it’s our garden that is really nurturing us.” – Jenny Uglow (British Historian and Garden Advocate. MY CHILDHOOD IN THE GARDEN I grew up in the garden. My favourite memories, songs, words and stories made their
Written by Tiffany Li , School Gardens Summer Intern This past summer, working with SPEC as the School Gardens Program Intern, I had the invaluable opportunity to slow down and reflect on the past year as a full time online student. Being outside in the gardens was a sharp contrast to the fifteen hours of daily
Why Open Interactive Environments Can Foster a More Authentic Learning Experience Read More »
There are many problems in today’s world, and two of the most pressing are climate change and species extinctions. It is easy to lose hope; when unable to imagine a happy healthy future, many of us throw our hands in the air. At SPEC however, we work with a group of people who instead throw
Ecosystem Services Are Important Read More »
Written by Christina Papadatos-Dupont (Farm-to-Plate Marketing Manager) In Canada, $8.11 billion worth of food is wasted every year at the distribution and retail stages of our food supply chain (source: The Avoidable Crisis of Food Waste: Technical Report). This does not include unavoidable, byproduct waste (such as animal bones); this speaks strictly of avoidable wasted food. When apples are
Farm to Plate Marketplace – Rethinking Our Food Systems Read More »
Written by Dr. Carole Christopher, SPEC Guiding Elder, Director, Master Gardener It’s mid November and we are in the middle of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of people took up food gardening this Spring and I know that gardening is an amazing passion but also has discouraging surprises, especially for new
Fall Garden Maintenance Read More »
Written by Nicole Greig This fall, I am starting my 3rd term at University of British Columbia (UBC) in the Behavioural Neuroscience program. The key thing I’ve learned in university is how essential taking care of your mental health is! Between the last minute scramble to answer questions on my exam to sprinting to a
The Neuroscience of Gardening Read More »
