Category: Blog

FernFest is coming up on the summer solstice!

June 7, 2014

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Pollination Education Day on June 14th!

May 28, 2014

Without pollinators, humans and wildlife wouldn’t have much to eat! Bees, butterflies, wasps and even bats, ants, birds and beetles pollinate over 90% of the planet’s flowering plants and over 75% of human food crops.

Join us on Saturday June 14th from 10am-2pm for a day of education about creating habitat for pollinators, and what to plant in your garden to attract these valuable animals and insects.

We will also be hosting two free workshops:

Mason Bees from 10:00am-11:00am

Natural Beekeeping from 1:00pm-2:00pm

No registration is necessary, just come by and enjoy learning from local experts!

Posted in Adult Education, Adult Education, Announcement, Blog, News, Organic GardeningTagged adult education, announcement, event, free workshop, gardening for pollinators, news, organic gardening, pollinators, workshopLeave a Comment on Pollination Education Day on June 14th!

Grow A Row 2014 is underway!

May 16, 2014

We are excited to announce that the Grow A Row program has started up once again!

Grow a Row is a community of gardeners, businesses, groups and individuals gathering together to help those in need.

The concept is simple:

Grow an extra row of food in your garden and bring it to one of the drop off locations around town where it will be distributed to food lunch programs, community kitchens, food banks and Our Place Society.

Support food justice and security in your own backyard!

Starting Saturday May 17th, the Compost Education Centre will be accepting donations of excess garden produce from 10:00am-4:00pm.  All produce collected at our Centre at 1216 North Park St will be promptly delivered to Our Place and added to the nourishing meals they provide to people in need in our community.  Our Place serves over 1,200 meals a day, 5 days a week and your extra tomatoes, zucchini, kale or other veggies will help make them even more nutritious and tasty.

If you’d like to donate produce from your garden but live in a different part of town, please check out our list of drop-off locations to find the closest one to you:

Burnside Gorge
Burnside Gorge Community Association, 471 Cecelia Road

Mondays & Wednesdays: 7:30-9am & 5-8:30pm

Produce donated to Burnside Gorge Community Association.
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Sooke
Sunriver Community Gardens
(at the notice chalkboard)

Wednesday: before 4:00pm

Produce donated to Sooke Food Bank.
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Victoria West
Vic West Community Centre, 521 Craigflower Road

Monday: 9:00am-4:00pm

Produce donated to S.A.F.F.E. Monday Night group dinners/ Burnside Gorge Community Association .
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Posted in Announcement, Blog, Civic Engagement, Food Security, Fundraising, NewsTagged food justice, food security, fundraiser, grow a row, partnershipLeave a Comment on Grow A Row 2014 is underway!

We’re hiring! Site and Program Assistant

April 17, 2014

 

Job Posting 

Site and Program Assistant

Compost Education Centre

 

The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is a charitable, not for profit organization that provides composting, organic gardening and conservation education to residents of the Capital Regional District.

We are seeking an energetic and motivated person to join our team as the Site and Program Assistant.  This is a part-time position based on a 30 hour work week (0.86 FTE).

Work Week: Wednesday to Saturday, 8:30am – 4:30pm with a half hour unpaid lunch break.

Wage: $13.00 per hour

Start Date: May 14

End Date: August 30

Closing Date for Applications: 4:00pm, Tuesday, April 29, 2013

Applicants who have been selected for an interview will be notified by Thursday, May 1st.

* Only participants eligible for Canada Summer Jobs will be considered.

Eligibility criteria:

–          be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment;

–          have been registered as full-time students in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;

–          be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and,

–          be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.

Please submit your cover letter, resume and two references with the subject heading “Site and Program Assistant Application” by email to:

Alysha Punnett, Site Manager

E-mail: [email protected]

Compost Education Centre

1216 North Park Street

Victoria, BC  V8T 1C9

Phone calls and late or faxed resumés will not be accepted. We regret that only those applicants being considered will be contacted.

Job Description

The Site and Program Assistant reports to the Executive Director, the Site Manager, and the Education Coordinator.  Responsibilities include working with the Site Manager to maintain the demonstration site, assisting the Education Coordinator with site tours and providing support for other CEC programs. The Site and Program Assistant will also work in the office responding to customer questions and needs.

Job Summary

Site Assistance (70%):

–          Assist the Site Manager in the maintenance of the Demonstration Gardens including areas which highlight permaculture, native plants, organic vegetable gardening, rainwater catchment, and other techniques;

–          Assist the Site Manager in the maintenance of the composting program including worm harvesting, compost sifting, and building worm bins;

–          Assist Site Manager in organization and maintenance of site structures, including Strawbale building, composting toilet, micro-irrigation system, tool sheds, tools, storage areas, and greenhouse;

–          Assist Site Manager in the coordination of Site Volunteers.

Program Assistance and General Tasks (30%):

–     Assist with Site Tours for children and adults;

–     Assist with other ongoing programs and priorities;

–     Respond to hotline calls, emails and site visitors: Answer composting questions, sell composting supplies and promote the Centre’s services;

–     Assist with other general tasks of the Centre (newsletter articles, outreach, special events, etc).

Qualifications

–          Knowledge of composting practices and principles

–          Knowledge or experience in organic gardening practices and principles an asset

–          Ability to perform physical labour, must enjoy hands on physical work. Carpentry, construction or handyperson skills an asset

–          Experience working with children and youth

–          Flexibility, initiative, creativity and problem solving skills

–          Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate both verbally and in writing

–          Demonstrated organizational and planning skills, ability to meet deadlines

–          Experience working or volunteering in a non-profit environment is an asset

–          Experience providing supervision and training for volunteers is an asset

–          Experience with MS Office including Word, Excel, and Outlook

–          Experience with Access an asset

 

 

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You’re invited to our Annual General Meeting!

April 5, 2014

It’s that time of year again where we gather to review the past year, our plans for the new year, enjoy delicious food, and learn something new. This year’s AGM speaker will be Cat Orr. Cat will be speaking about some exciting new initiatives with rainwater catchment in schools. We will also be voting on the 2013 budget and will be voting on some membership pricing and benefits. Your input is vital – so we hope to see you there!

Everyone is welcome to attend the AGM.  Members who have been in good standing with the Compost Education Centre have voting rights at the meeting.

When:  Sunday April 13th, 1:00-3:00pm

Where:  The straw bale building at the Compost Education Centre, 1216 North Park St

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Join us for Rainy Days on Sat April 12th!

April 4, 2014

If the rainy days of early spring are getting you down, try thinking about rainwater as your friend and ally in the garden! In Victoria, we receive an average of 2 feet of rainfall each year. Most of the rain that hits our properties and streets is flushed away through a complex stormwater collection infrastructure and pours into harbours, lakes and river systems, often taking harmful pollutants and heavy metals with it.  By collecting and storing rainwater in your property, you can help prevent these pollutants from entering our waterways and treat rainwater as the precious resource it is.

Rainwater collected from a rooftop can be a high quality water source, as it contains none of the chlorine found in centralized water supplies and is the perfect temperature for plants, which makes it ideal for use in the garden.  Stored rainwater provides an ideal source of readily available water, particularly during long dry summers or in locations facing declining groundwater levels. Rain gardens, permeable paving, green roofs, rain barrels, cisterns and infiltration chambers are all examples of rainwater management methods. They can create natural, beautiful landscapes and public spaces.

Join us in our fabulous demonstration gardens to learn more about rainwater harvesting systems and practices in your community. In partnership with the CRD, we’ll be bringing together community and municipal groups involved in rainwater management, as well as hosting two free workshops about stormwater education, rainwater harvesting, and choosing the right systems. You will be entered to win a free rain barrel too!

Register for a FREE rainwater harvesting workshop here!

Rainy Days has received generous support from RBC and is proudly supported by the CRD.

Subsidized rain cisterns will be available on a first come first serve basis, with 10 of each size available for purchase. Limit one per household, payment options include credit card, debit, cash or cheque. Pick-up of the cisterns will be at Van Isle Water Systems with proof of purchase – 461 Dupplin Road, Victoria Store Hours: 7.30am-5.00pm Weekdays, 8.00am-Noon Saturdays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Adult Education, Adult Education, Announcement, Blog, News, PartnershipsTagged adult education, announcement, event, news, rain, rain water, rain water harvesting, water, workshopLeave a Comment on Join us for Rainy Days on Sat April 12th!

Thoughts on classroom worm bins

April 3, 2014

The list to the left has been living on my bulletin board for a few months and seeing it makes me smile every day.  It’s from a student in a grade 3 class at St Patrick’s Elementary who was excited to help harvest his classroom worm compost bin but who wasn’t completely enthusiastic about touching the worms and finished compost.  He put himself in charge of documenting all the organisms found in the worm bin and thoughtfully made me a copy of his list to take with me.

There are lots of reasons I get nerdily excited about worm composting (such as the beautiful finished product and how little time it takes for the worms to make it), but the most compelling one has to be what a great experience a classroom worm bin is for kids.  It is a little ecosystem tucked away in the class, it lets kids see and participate in the entire compost cycle, and it gets them into the habit of integrating positive environmental change into their daily routine.  Plus, it gives them an excuse to dig around in the dirt!

Posted in Blog, Child and Youth Education, Composting, Featured, News, RetailTagged child and youth education, reflections, vermicomposting, worm bin, wormsLeave a Comment on Thoughts on classroom worm bins

New Greenhouse: Lessons, Budget, Design

March 31, 2014

It’s a sad truth:  greenhouses don’t last forever.  At least not the common poly-and-PVC DIY kind.  Our plastic was tearing and I could stand the blaring red Tuck-Tape no longer, so it was time to tear down and build back up.

My dream: to be able to enter and exit the greenhouse without bumping my forehead, spin around inside it with my arms spread wide, and have it be roomy enough to grow some blue-ribbon tomatoes and peppers.  That last one will likely remain a dream, but the other two were accomplished!

I enlisted the expertise of Jesse Brown from Victoria Aquaponics to help me with the design and installation, as well as the muscles of a couple dear volunteers to help with the demolition of the old greenhouse.

Vital stats:

• Dimenions: 12’x12’x8′
• Length of hoops: 22ft
• Dimensions of plastic: 2 pieces at 12’x14′, 1 piece at 12’x16′
• Time to raise the frame and put roof plastic on: 7 hours (1 day)
• Time to wrap and tighten plastic on ends and roof: 4 hours
• Cost of materials: ~$600 (I bought everything new, and we get a discount at Castle Building, so true cost may be slightly higher.  This could definitely be off-set by scavenging for used/free materials.  Try UsedVictoria or Craigslist).

Here we go! (click the photos to enlarge)

What I learned:

Ask for help!  Wrapping the greenhouse in plastic and then tightening is something that can be done by one person, but you will never want to build another greenhouse again and your plastic will likely end up with holes/mis-cuts in it (either from you making a mistake or literally just loosing it and taking the scissors to it to release some frustration).  I could not have done this project as fast or with as much enjoyment without the help of Jess of Victoria Aquaponics, the always friendly and knowledgeable folks at Cook St. Castle and Louis, one of our long-standing (long-suffering?) volunteers.

Spray-paint the PVC before installing.  The PVC and the plastic react with each other in sunlight, making the plastic break down and split over time (note where the red Tuck-Tape is in the first picture). Having a protective layer between the plastic and the PVC extends the life of your plastic.

PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride.”Poly” refers to the polyethylene plastic you will cover your greenhouse in.  There are lots of different kinds of poly.  You want 6mm with a UV barrier, possibly a condensation barrier too.  Integrity Sales stocks this and sells it by the square foot.  BW Greenhouse in Abbostford has the UV + condensation barrier kind.

Always check that things are level, measure twice and take your time!

Open source

I wanted this to be a free and easily accessible project.  So: a rough budget for this greenhouse is below, you can click on the photos above to enlarge them and get a better view of how it’s put together and you can call the Centre if anything is unclear.  May the future bring you many, many completely ripe tomatoes! 

Posted in Blog, FeaturedTagged DIY, DIY greenhouse, greenhouse1 Comment on New Greenhouse: Lessons, Budget, Design

Earth Repair: An Introduction to Bioremediation on March 29th

March 14, 2014

We are excited to announce a full day bioremediation course taught by Leila Darwish, the author of Earth Repair and a general grassroots bioremediation all-star! Join us on Saturday March 29th from 10:00am to 3:00 pm for this informational and inspiring event. Continue reading “Earth Repair: An Introduction to Bioremediation on March 29th”

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Randolf The Red Wriggler Needs You!

March 8, 2014

Our friends at Reynolds Secondary are working on an amazing gardening project and could use your support!  They are entered in the BC Green Games, a province-wide competition for students in Kindergarten to Grade 12, designed to motivate action, enable sharing and reward and celebrate the green efforts of schools throughout BC. Continue reading “Randolf The Red Wriggler Needs You!”

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