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SPEC Releases Updated Compost Guide for Farmers in South Coastal BC

Food, News /

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 […]

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Britannia Community Elementary – Revitalizing their Garden Space!

Food /

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

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Happy World Soil Day!

Food, News /

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

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Growing Carrots and Confidence: Reflections on Learning and Teaching in an Outdoor Classroom

Food /

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

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Why Open Interactive Environments Can Foster a More Authentic Learning Experience

Food /

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

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Farm to Plate Marketplace – Rethinking Our Food Systems

Climate Change, Food /

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

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Fall Garden Maintenance

Food /

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

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