Fwd: Concordia Greenhouse Newsletter: Summer (July 11, 2011)

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Cameron Stiff

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Jul 18, 2011, 12:57:37 PM7/18/11

to Greening Duluth, urbangar...@googlegroups.com, Lisa Le

great stuff at the Concordia greenhouse for all you UA enthusiasts!

Hours: Monday 10:00am - 12:00pm and Wednesday 10:00am - 12:00pm

For more information, please contact: Laurence Fauteux – mackay...@gmail.com

Loyola City Farm Project
The Loyola City Farm has now been planted, but there will still be much to do in the upcoming weeks and months. The Farm is located at the back of the Loyola Campus (7141 Sherbrooke W.) behind all of the buildings and to the right of the soccer field.
Weekly work sessions will be held starting Saturday June, 18. Come and help care for the garden and learn about growing food and herbs in the city. Workshops, BBQ's and special events will also be held during these work sessions.... stay tuned!

Hours: Wednesday 4:00- 7:00pm and Saturday 2:00 - 5:00pm

For more information, please contact: Marcus Lobb – concordiagr...@gmail.com

Vermicompost Project
This is the practice of composting organic waste with the help of worms and microorganisms. The aim is to educate the Concordia/Montreal community about the practice and benefits of vermicomposting and to provide ready-to-use worm bins at cost and to organize community worm swaps. Also, a new component of the project will be to enhance the space visually.

Volunteer activities include: Feeding the worms, checking moisture level, aerating the soil, general maintenance, promotional activities, occasional projects

Hours: Wednesday 4:00-7:00 pm

For more information, please contact: Noemie Messier Guimont – r4worm...@gmail.com

Atrium Tea Garden Project
A community green space for study and relaxation and an educational space for workshops and skill sharing. The production goal of the Atrium Tea Garden is to grow, harvest, and store teas to be brewed, steeped, and drank in the Greenhouse Atrium. The project will provide healthy and delicious medicinal teas to students while also educating tea drinkers on the identification and various uses of medicinal plants.
Volunteer activities include: General maintenance (watering, pruning, pest control, etc.), harvesting & drying tea leaves, occasional projects (building a dryer, completing a reference book, making posters, etc.)

Hours: Monday 1:30-3:30 pm and Wednesday 1:30-3:30 pm

For more information, please contact: Christina Bell – theatrium...@gmail.com

Four Seasons Growing
The four Seasons Growing Project aims to experiment with growing food organically inside a greenhouse year-round, ranging from vegetables like vertical climbers and salad greens, to tropical fruit like avocados and mangos. The harvest, currently microgreens and baby greens of all kinds, is being sold at the Frigo Vert, an organic grocery store situated on Mackay St, and at student cafes during the school year. The overarching goal of the Four Seasons Project is to provide organic, local food at affordable prices for students and to be an educational resource and demonstration site for innovative urban agricultural techniques. This summer, the project has two streams: growing greens for le Frigo Vert, and growing food in self-watering containers.
Volunteering activities include: Planting, harvesting, watering, pest control, fertilizing, building self-watering containers, documenting, experimenting with the current tropical plant culture.

Hours: Monday 1:00-4:00 pm and Thursday 1:00-3:00 pm

For more information, please contact: Stefanie Dimitrovas – fourseaso...@gmail.com

PROJECTS WITHOUT REGULAR VOLUNTEER TIMES:

Aquaponics
This is a system in its experimental stage, comprising of both aquatic and terrestrial environments, geared at becoming a productive ecosystem that both vegetables and fish can be harvested from. The system is comprised of three containers with recirculating water, where vegetables, fish and aquatic plants grow together in a balanced relationship: the fish create nitrogenous waste that the plants can take up, and the plants thus clean the water for the fish. For more information, watch this video.
Volunteer activities include: Fish feeding, basic cleaning & maintenance (clogs, leaks, health of fish, etc.), planting and harvesting, experimenting and troubleshooting, research on upcoming steps (other fish species, homemade fish food recipes, etc.)

Hours: No regular volunteer sessions over the summer, but contact the project coordinator if you’re super-interested.

For more information, please contact: Stefanie Dimitrovas – fourseaso...@gmail.com

Vert ta Ville
Vert ta Ville succeeded in producing 10,000 seedlings for Montreal's collective gardens and planted Concordia's first urban garden on Mackay at Concordia's downtown campus last year.
This project runs from early March to May and is now finished for 2011. To get on the contact list for next season, please email the project coordinator below.
Volunteer activities include: Planting, transplanting, watering, soil mixing, basic upkeep, pest management, fertilizing.

For more information, please contact: Laurence Fauteux – vertt...@gmail.com
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5. ***NEW WORKSHOPS THIS WEEK AT LOYOLA***

Fertilization Workshop

Date: Wednesday July 13th
Time: 4pm (during the regular volunteer work session)
Location: Loyola Campus

This workshop will introduce gardeners to the basic principles and components of fertilization for vegetable gardens. In it we will discuss the three elements most needed by plants (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium), their effects on plant growth, how to detect excess / deficiency and organic options for fertilization.

------

Horticultural Assessment Workshop

Date: Thursday July 14th
Time: 3pm *special day and time*
Location: Loyola Campus

Julie Gougeon, horticulture student at the Botanical Gardens and stagiaire with Alternatives Rooftop Garden Project will conduct an assessment of the progress of the Loyola gardens. This assessment will include recommendations for fertilization, organic pest control, organic fungus control, pruning and maintenance techniques. Come listen in and learn!
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6. Two Job Postings at Alternatives

Job Posting 1: Horticulture Coordinator

Length: 7 weeks
Hours: 40/week
Salary: $11 hour
*Starting Immediately*

Description:
- help with installation of new gardens and assist with gardening activities (gardens on balconies, roofs)
- act as coordinator for multiple groups of gardeners in a number of different garden settings ( schedule meetings, ensure that activities run smoothly, monitor gardens and write reports)
- represent the organization and the projects to our partners
- help with the diffusion of appropriate gardening techniques and the distribution of self-watering container kits
- help with the planning and organization of public events

Desired skills and qualities:
- good understanding of the issues surrounding urban agriculture and of community organizing
- autonomous and dynamic
- good technical / report writing skills
- able to work in a team
- good sense of organization
- experience with horticulture, good understanding of organic gardening
- bilingual English, French. Knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese is an asset.

*See below for Eligibility Criteria and how to apply

Job Posting 2: Urban Agriculture Education and Mobilization Agent

Length: 7 weeks
Hours: 40/week
Salary: $11 hour
*Starting Immediately*

Description:
- participate in the updating of urban agriculture pedagogical guides for diverse clients
- update website www.lesjardins.ca, manage the mailing list for volunteer gardeners
- produce bi-weekly newsletters with information on a diversity of urban agriculture issues for distribution to our members and volunteer gardeners
- inform people of best practices regarding healthy eating, composting, recycling, and recuperation of used materials, in diverse settings (public housing, retirement homes, kids day camps)
- help with the diffusion of appropriate gardening techniques and the distribution of self-watering container kits
- help with the planning and organizing of public events

Desired skills and qualities:
- good understanding of the issues surrounding urban agriculture and of community organizing
- autonomous and dynamic
- experience as group facilitator
- able to work in a team
- excellent communication skills
- understanding of horticulture techniques and urban gardening are assets
- bilingual English, French. Knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese is an asset.

*Eligibility Criteria – from Service Canada

(applies to both postings)

a) be between 15-30 years old at the beginning of the job;
b) be / have been enrolled as a full time student for both the past and next school year (2010-11 and 2011-12);
c) be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or be designated as a refugee under the Immigration Act and Refugee Protection Act;
d) be legally authorized to work in Canada in accordance with legislative regulations in force in the province or territory;
e) be a student in secondary school, post-secondary, CEGEP (Quebec only) or in a technical degree programme.

*International students are not eligible.

How to submit your application:

Email your CV, letter of intent/ cover letter with the title of the posting as the subject to:

Mélanie Hughes
mel...@alternatives.ca
Chargée du programme jeunesse à Alternatives
http://www.alternatives.ca/en
________________________________________________________

7. Join the David O’Brien Centre Summer Strolls!

Date: every Wednesday
Time: 12pm-12:50
Location: meet in the MB lobby at noon

Join us for our summer initiative, the David O'Brien Centre Summer Strolls every Wednesday where JMSBers get together and we all walk up the mountain together.

The summer strolls for the past 2 Wednesdays have attracted walkers from around Concordia. Bring your walking shoes and join us!

Everyone is welcome.
The David O'Brien Centre Team

For more information, please contact: Chantal Forgues cfor...@jmsb.concordia.ca
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8. La Journée des Possibles – doors open at the Champ des Possibles

Date: Saturday July 16, 2011
Time: 12pm – 8pm
Location: enterance behind café Falco (5605 avenue de Gaspé, at the corner of Bernard)

Come out and get to know the Champ des Possibles, an oasis of biodiversity in the city!

Come out and discover this hidden biodiversity park in the city. Free activities for the whole family - guided biodiversity tours, speakers corner, kids corner, yoga session (16h), dance performance , "picnic-dinner and a show" (17h) with FOLLY AND THE HUNTER .

For more information visit our Facebook page - La journée des possibles.

“La Journée des Possibles” is being hosted by Les Amis du Champ des Possibles and the ECO-stage Katimavik Montreal group, with cooperation from l’Eco-quartier du Plateau.

Further Information on the Champ des Possibles:

The “Champ des Possibles” is an abandoned green lot, covering an area of approximately one hectare, located in the east sector of the Mile End. The area is bounded by the CPR tracks to the north, rue Henri Julien in the east and in the west by the large, mostly warehouse, buildings on rue de Gaspé.

The Friends of the Champ des Possibles, a new not-for-profit organization, that formed to ensure the protection of this space, aims to bring together the people in the neighborhood and elsewhere who use, love and are interested in preserving this green space. The not-for-profit was born out of the efforts of the Champ des Possibles’ advisory committee, who has worked closely with the administration of l’arrondissement Plateau Mont-Royal and with the City of Montreal to plan the future of the green space to serve the well-being of the local community, all Montrealers, and to protect urban biodiversity.

Friends of the Champ des Possibles:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_129024043801740
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Did you know that the Greenhouse is wheelchair accessible? For more information contact Olga at communicateconc...@gmail.com **24hr notice is very, very appreciated!**

Find us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001586862375

--
Olga Perju
Communications Coordinator
Concordia Greenhouse
514.848-2424 ext.5134

http://greenhouseconcordia.wordpress.com/

We are located on the north-west corner of Concordia's Hall Building, 1455 de Maisonneuve West. To get here, go to the 12th floor and follow the signs to stairwell # 1285 (turn left, right, left from the elevator or right, left from the escalator) and go up!

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