The Concordia University Greenhouse Project

PLANT SALE at the greenhouse!!!

2010-04-05T18:05:00.002-04:00

April 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th : 11am-6pm

HERBS from $1 to $3:

* Culinary Herbs - parsley, cilantro, and basil

* Medicinal Herbs - yarrow, oregano, marjoram, feverfew, valerian, rosemary, sage, arnica, thyme, stinging nettle, calendula... and more!

...and house plants of all shapes and sizes from $2 to $15

EVERYTHING MUST GO!

Visual Moments

2010-03-23T10:14:00.006-04:00

A lot has been going on, in and around the greenhouse, check it out at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/concordiagreenhouse

Internship and Job Opportunities!

2010-03-22T16:22:00.002-04:00

Are you looking for an opportunity to connect with passionate "green-minded" people?
Check out the Good Work Canada website for internship and job opportunities across Canada!
http://www.goodworkcanada.ca/

Community University Research Exchange (C.U.R.E.)

2010-01-25T00:20:00.002-05:00

Conduct research for class credit on Food Policy for the Greenhouse, the Frigo Vert, or the People Potato through Qprig's C.U.R.E program. As well, there are many other research opportunity's in a variety of fields.

For more info, please visit
http://www.qpirgconcordia.org/cure/projects/21
or
email Ruby at communicateconcordiagreenhouse@gmail.com

Vert ta Ville!

2010-01-25T00:19:00.000-05:00

There is a new project starting in the Greenhouse and you are invited to come check out what it’s all about!

Information session

When: January 27 and 28 - 5 to 7:30pm

Where: Greenhouse Atrium

What: The project consists of free monthly workshops that will be given by professionals working in collective gardens around Montréal! The workshops will cover a wide range of topics (including urban agriculture, pest management and natural fertilizers, medical herbs and preparations, ect…) but will mainly focus on the large-scale production of seedlings in the Concordia Greenhouse. Students who participate in the workshops will have the opportunity to learn and practice notions and skills pertaining to greenhouse production and management.

The ultimate goal: establishing an urban garden on the Concordia campus!

Come hear more about the project and get involved!

Upcoming workshops!

2010-01-25T00:15:00.003-05:00

Don't miss any of the exciting workshops that are being offered at the Concordia Greenhouse in the winter semester of 2010! All workshops take place in the Greenhouse unless otherwise specified.

* Plant Guilds - Thursday, Jan 28th, 1pm

* Medicinal Herbs: intro to herbal first aid - Monday, Feb 8, 1pm

* Mushrooms: grow your own at home! - Monday, Feb 15, 2pm

JOB OPPORTUNITY in the Greenhouse

2010-01-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

*Please note, to qualify for this Work Study position the applicant must be an International Student paying the differential fees and must be registered in 4 classes.

Position: Projects Coordinator - Urban Sustainability and Food Security

Duties: The Projects Coordinator will be charged primarily with overseeing the development of the atrium project as a showcase for urban sustainability initiatives. The coordinator will play a secondary function of acting as a liaison between established and developing projects taking place within the atrium. As well, the coordinator will help link students to summer volunteer opportunities within the realm of urban sustainability.

1. Oversee the continuation of the development of the atrium project:
-integrate community vision into the development of the space
-facilitate the layout and design of the permaculture beds
-manage volunteers
-install irrigation system
-install a projector screen
-coordinate art installation
-write a mission statement for the space and display it near the door
-develop renting procedure / terms of agreement
-market the atrium as an event space

2. Act as a liaison between established projects and support the development of new projects that promote the greenhouse mission "to showcase urban sustainability initiatives":
Established projects:

-vermicomposting
-mushroom growing
-medicinal herbs
-concordia's home-grown greens project
-natural dyes 'color me rad' project
-seedlings and urban garden project

Developing projects:
-library
-alternative energy: passive solar, wind generator, bicycle

-bioremediation & greywater
-rainwater recuperation
-aquculture: living systems

3. Link students to volunteer opportunities in the community:
-organic farms
-urban agricultural organizations

Knowledge and Skills Required:

Familiarity with the fields urban agriculture and urban sustainability.
Basic ability to use construction tools.
Strong leadership skills.
Ability to engage volunteers and work in a team setting.

Capacity to work independently make independent decisions.

Student Gains: The student will gain skills and experience in the realm of urban sustainability and food security. The student will gain the ability to plan, implement, and oversee projects, to manage volunteers, and to work in a team setting.

Start Date: 1/22/2010
End Date: 4/30/2010

Hours/Week: 15

Hourly Wage: $11.5

Application Deadline: 1/20/2010

*only selected applicants will be contacted

Mapping Memories!

2009-12-22T18:20:00.003-05:00

Picasa Web Albums is an online tool that allows us to upload our photos and for you to download them! This is another way for us to visually record the constantly evolving Greenhouse Project, so the more people who want to help out the better!

It is not public for everyone to upload (unfortunately) so if you take pictures at the Greenhouse, and want to share them with everyone, email them to: communicateconcordiagreenhouse@gmail.com and they will be added to the archive.
Check out the photos on Picasa! http://picasaweb.google.com/concordiagreenhouse

P.S. If you see yourself in a photo, and you would rather others didn't, email communicateconcordiagreenhouse@gmail.com and it will be removed immediately!

Sprout it!

2009-11-24T00:38:00.002-05:00

Workshop facilitated by Rosemary Roberts from the Montreal Permaculture Guild www.montrealpermaculture.org

Through sprouting, you can have fresh, local greens year-round. Sprouts are fast, easy and fun to cultivate, and they are full of nutrients! There are so many different delicious foods that can be sprouted. We'll explore several different kinds of seed, grain and bean sprouts. Bring a jar so you can take home some beans for sprouting.

Mushroom Growing!

2009-11-24T00:27:00.004-05:00

Tuesday, October 20th, 4pm - 5:30pm
facilitated by Steve Leckman of the Montreal Permaculture Guild : http://www.montrealpermaculture.org/index.php/Main_Page

Fungi hold the forest together in a miraculous network, and they taste great! Here we will attempt to make the propagation and cultivation of these wonderful creatures accessible to the home scale by sharing these low-tech methods.

Learn about basic mushroom ecology and theory, the different methods for preparing spawn, innoculating substrate and log cultivation. There will be practical preparations for the greenhouse and demonstrations.

Garden Club

2009-11-23T23:04:00.004-05:00

This club meets Monday's 4pm - 5:30pm to design and build an urban-style garden. The focus of the club is to share and practice urban agricultural techniques: self-watering containers, bug repelling flowers, companion crops, staggered crops... and the ideas you bring! Our garden may be limited due to the season, but we have a book on winter harvesting in a greenhouse, so this will be an extra fun challenge.

Upcoming Events!

2009-08-17T10:41:00.004-04:00

The Concordia University Greenhouse would like to announce some exciting upcoming activities! Come take part in the exciting projects scheduled for the coming weeks.

-----------

1. The Atrium Project : volunteers needed!

We are renovating the first two compartments in the greenhouse and installing a unique design that incorporates medicinal herbs, native species, fruiting trees, and a living wall. The design incorporates aesthetic considerations (as it will be used as an event space and student space) and implicates an environmental, social, and political statement through the production of plants with medicinal and nutritional properties in an urban setting. All the materials for the renovation have been sourced and chosen based on an assessment of their environmental impact. The plants and materials have been selected using a sustainability framework created by Diana Kirkwood, a Concordia Gradute Student of Environmental Impact Assessment. The design and construction of the planters and benches is being led by Andrew Dolan, a Concordia Masters students of Design and Vadim Kravtchenko, a 3rd year undergraduate design student. Andrew Dolan has worked with Sustainable Concorida on previous previous projects and has produced incredible art by appropriating and modifing used materials in the creation of new objects.

This exciting and ambitious project is scheduled to be launched mid-September, so all of your help very welcome!

We will be meeting to work on the project on Wednesdays from 1pm to 6pm in the greenhouse:

Stage 1 : building trellises, planters, and a shading curtain
Wednesday, August 19th, 1pm to 6pm

Stage 2 : starting seedlings, mixing soil
Wednesday, August 26th, 1pm to 6pm

Stage 3 : planting the garden and installing the living wal
Wednesday, September 2nd, 1pm to 6pm

-----------

2. Propagation Workshop

We will be propagating various species to build up our stock for fall semester plant sales and, as well, starting seedlings for a herb garden that will be part of the Atrium project. Come learn how to help life flourish!

Wednesday, August 26th, 4pm to 6pm in the Greenhouse

-----------

3. Green roofs and greening workshop

Have you already heard about green roofs and would like to learn more? Would you want to know what 'white roofs' and 'garden roof' are, and how they can change the local environment? How about some different ways to green you backyard or your alley?
If you have ever wondered about these kinds of things then this workshop is for you! Come to learn more about the topic with Antoine Trottier, M.sc.env. Your questions can be answered in both English or French.

Wednesday, August 19, 7pm to 8:30 pm
Montreal Urban Ecology Centre, 3516 Parc Avenue (between Milton and Prince-Arthur
Cost : 10$

Mandatory registration. Please contact Marie-Joelle Carbonneau,
marie-joelle@ecologieurbaine.net or 514-282-8378

Job Opportunity: Compost + Worm Swap Coordinator

2009-08-17T10:34:00.003-04:00

Sustainable Concordia/R4 is looking for a Compost/Worm Swap Coordinator for the Hall Building Greenhouse! The Coordinator's role will be to ensure that the compost operations and facilities in the Hall Greenhouse on Concordia’s Sir George William campus are working properly. The position will play a key role in training new R4 Compost volunteers and maintaining the composting system. R4 is a working group of Sustainable Concordia which concentrates its efforts on environmental initiatives while integrating social and economic components in its decision making process.

Tasks will include:

- Train and motivate new volunteers
- Organize composting and vermicomposting monthly workshops at SGW
- Promote and operate the Worm Swap program (take orders, buy material, make and sell domestic vermicomposting units monthly)
- Perform guided tours of the R4 compost facilities
- General maintenance of R4 greenhouse vermicompost facility at SGW (upgrade vermicomposting tables, automated irrigation and ventilation system)
- Ensure compost facilities are properly operated (quality of end product, cleanliness)
- Weight compost inputs and outputs

Knowledge Required:

- Bilingual (English and French)
- Computer Skills (MS Word, Excel)
- Data Entry
- Research Methods Proficiency
- Tutoring/Coaching Skills

Other Skills:

- Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work with students and the public
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Strong communication skills (for workshops and guided tours)
- Strong ability to work in a self-directed and dynamic work environment
- Past R4 compost experience is an asset
- Good manual skills (ability to fix, build and upgrade things)
- Indoor and outdoor composting technical knowledge
- Ability to maintain an inventory, prepare orders and keep a budget

Student gains: The R4 Compost Coordinator will be a critical component in ensuring the smooth operation of R4 Compost greenhouse systems at SGW. Working with a diverse, dynamic group of people, the student will gain a variety of skills including volunteer management, technical composting skills, customer service experience and communication skills.

Complexity of position: 3 - Position requires previous training or experience, independent judgment and considerable mental activity.

Anyone interested is asked to send their cover letter and résumé to suscon.office@gmail.com by 5pm on Thursday, August 20th, 2009. Only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview.

2009-07-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

Hello again,

Thank you to all who showed up today and worked hard to get greenhouse cleaned up! We accomplished a lot, but there are still a few things to finish up.

We will be meeting again this Thursday from 1pm to 5pm, feel free to stop by and lend a hand for for the afternoon or just for a few minutes. I think Thursday is going be sunny, so be prepared for the heat. We will have juices, fancy pop, and sweet tunes to keep us refreshed

...and we will celebrate a job well done with ice cream at the end of the day!

(Concordia Greenhouse: Hall Building, 12th floor, follow signs to the stairwell up to the greenhouse)

Hope to see you Thursday!

Summer Schedule of Events

2009-07-01T13:35:00.003-04:00

The heat is ON in the greenhouse!

There are several projects underway in the greenhouse, and with the onset of the summer heat, we are looking for committed volunteers to join our team.

We will be hosting a clean-up party as well a series of volunteer orientation workshops including pest management, plant propagation, repotting and maintenance.

---

Clean-up party extravaganza!
Monday July 6th, 10am-12pm and 2pm-4pm (we'll break during the intense heat).
Come all day, or drop in when you can. There will be pizza and refreshing beverages.

Pest Management Workshop!
Wednesday July 15, 5pm-6:30pm
Facilitated by Louise Henault-Ethier (Environmental Coordinator, Concordia University)
How to recognize pests (such as aphids, mealy bugs, scaly bugs, and spider mites) and how to treat them with out using pesticides.

---

Follow the blog to stay up-to-date on events as we announce them!

The Concordia University Greenhouse Project has a Blog!

2009-06-30T23:41:00.004-04:00

Hello, and welcome to the official blog of the Concordia University Greenhouse Project! This will be an increasingly important tool for coordinating information about goings-on at the greenhouse, including events and workshops, as well as information for staff, volunteers, and the general public.

Keep up-to-date on developments at the greenhouse with the blog!