The Compost Education Centre will be hosting the first Red Wriggler Revue on September 28th from 6:30-9. Come by for a screening of the 1998 Pixar classic, A Bug’s Life! Admission is by donation and there will be popcorn for sale. We invite you to bring other snacks and wear something cozy.
Accessibility: The pathways of the garden are comprised of woodchips. There is also about a 1″ step between the bathroom platform and the bathroom. There is wheelchair-accessible parking located directly outside of the Centre along North Park Street. There are three hoses with potable water located on site. There is a ramp into the strawbale building, chairs will be provided.
The fall is a time for fresh starts. As students head back to school and our child and youth programming kicks off, we’re laying the foundation for our three-year strategic plan. So much has happened in the past three years that we’re taking a moment to reflect on the challenges and successes, gather insights from our community, and come together and connect.
The CEC’s staff, board, and volunteers met the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with innovation, commitment, and care. External demand for the educational services offered by the CEC increased significantly in the first two years of the pandemic. COVID-19 greatly impacted supply chains and availability of food, and, in parallel, lockdowns and social distancing protocols offered a moment for community members to begin gardening and composting. The CEC was able to provide educational resources that were extremely popular and led to more people growing food and making compost. We observed a significant increase in our membership, retail sales, web hits, and phone calls.
The increase in demand for CEC’s services stretched the organization’s internal resources and capacity. The CEC’s five-person staff rapidly responded to the pandemic by teaching workshops over Zoom, creating take-home educational kits, and modifying the demonstration site’s visiting hours.
As a whole, the organization continues to adapt and grow, and in February 2023, the CEC hired me (hello!) as the new Executive Director.
Last week, we went out to Shirley, BC for our staff retreat. It was wonderful to take time for nature, snacking, and intentional conversations. We spent some time on Muir Creek Beach and French Beach: Elora wandered off looking at all the mosses and flowers; Zoe-Blue identified loons and sea lions through her binoculars; Kayla facilitated some funny team-building games; and Jeffrey and Claire almost lost a Frisbee to the ocean waves. We talked about our strengths and areas of growth, both as individuals and as an organization. We discussed how power works in our organization and how we hold ourselves accountable for how the organization wields its powers. Overall, we came away with a greater feeling of connection to each other and more clarity on how we might be more impactful as an organization moving forward.
We’re going to be taking those thoughts with us into the strategic planning days that we’re having with our board at the end of September. To help contextualize our conversations, we have been surveying our community via an online questionnaire.
Interested in helping shape our 3-year strategic plan? Fill out this form here – and enter in your email to win a prize!
We’ve already received such wonderful feedback from you all. In response to the question, “How will we know we are succeeding?” one respondent shared,
We have a team of staff who feel supported, thriving programs and services, connections with many partners in the community, and we are working in alignment with our organizational values and principles.
We’re so grateful for you all – and we do feel supported! We know that the next three years will be full of challenges, and we are confident in our ability as an organization to strengthen our community’s resilience and ability to adapt to those challenges.
Excited to hear about what happens behind the scenes? Become a member of our growing community today!
We are so grateful to have received funding through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF). The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support community service organizations, including charities, non-profits and Indigenous governing bodies, as they adapt and modernize their organizations. We have been able to engage in the staff retreat and other strategic planning activities with the support of the CSRF.
“I am continually impressed by the passion, dedication, and creativity of community service organizations, like Compost and Education Centre. I am equally proud the Government of Canada has supported their important work through the Community Services Recovery Fund. By investing in these organizations and their projects we can help to create a more just and equitable society, where everyone has opportunities to succeed. I look forward to seeing the positive impact of this investment in (community name) over the years to come.”
– Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Summer is here and we are so happy to welcome our newest staff member! Celia has been a longtime volunteer in the garden and the Healing City Soils program. We are fortunate to have her on our team this summer. Below are some get to know me questions.
What’s your favorite dish?Tabbouleh! So fresh and delicious.
What’s your favorite summer activity?Riding my bike to the lake.
What do you like about the Compost Education Centre?I like feeling connected to food, the land, and growing out food responsibly with reciprocity for the beings around us. I love sharing that education with everyone in our community who wants to learn. It’s been great working with the CEC and feeling connected to food and flowers!
What’s your favorite berry? I love strawberries, but when it comes to flavor, raspberries have my heart.
What do you do in your free time?I like to garden, sew, and read. Currently, I’m rereading the Lord of the Rings.
Our resident worm herder and child and youth education coordinator, Jeffrey was featured in a Saanich News article on work composting. In the article and accompanying video, Jeffrey demonstrates how worm composting can help us keep food waste out of the landfill and composting facilities, while creating a nutrient dense growing medium for gardeners. Click here to read the article ??
Claire Remington has joined the Compost Education team as the Executive Director.
She is a settler with German, British, and Irish ancestry who has lived on Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories for the past five years. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and grew up in Nairobi, Kenya where her parents worked for an international humanitarian agency. She holds a BA in Chemistry from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and a MASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Victoria.
Claire is an interdisciplinary researcher with a decade of work experience focused on improving communities’ sustainability and resilience. Before working for the CEC, Claire spent 8 years working for SOIL, a non-governmental organization that operates a household sanitation and thermophilic composting waste treatment service in Haiti. Her strengths include project management, financial analysis, stakeholder consultation, and technical communication. She has also taught university-level courses with a focus on sustainable natural resource management, public health engineering, and sustainable cities.
In her free time you’ll find Claire playing ultimate frisbee, reading a book, hiking, or playing board games with friends.
We are grateful to be this years recipients of the Good Food Champion Award in the Food Literacy Category. This recognition of our work is motivation for us to continue our mission and work closely with our communities as we build resiliency in the face of food insecurity, top soil depletion, and the other issues seen by climate change. We do not do this work in isolation! Congratulations to the other award winners: Iye Creative, Welcome Gardens, Community Fridge, Wild Mountain Restaurant, and Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture. May we all continue to cultivate resilient communities for years to come.
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 (CRD).
The CEC is seeking an Executive Director. The ideal candidate will have leadership experience in the non-profit sector, strong communication skills and a great capacity for innovative and strategic thinking.
Work Week: 32 hours per week to start, work week Tuesday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm. After 3-month training and probationary period, potential to expand the role to 40 hours per week, Monday-Friday 9:00am – 5:30pm. Occasional weekend and evening work.
The Compost Education Centre is seeking skilled leaders and innovators to serve on its Board of Directors.
The organization is looking to fill three positions at our AGM. Ideal candidates will bring some experience to the table and share our passion for composting, waste diversion, ecological conservation and food justice.
Our mission is to create resilient communities, which support the land and all living beings to thrive, and we want you to join us in this objective!
The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is a project of the Victoria Compost and Conservation Education Society, a not-for-profit, charitable organization. Since 1992, the CEC has provided in-school and community-centred educational programs for people of all ages throughout Greater Victoria and our Capital Regional District (CRD). The CEC is mandated to provide practical, hands-on education around composting, waste diversion, soil conservation and environmental stewardship while also promoting organic and ecological gardening practices as a means of reducing the health and environmental effects of chemical gardening practices, which can be harmful to natural systems, as well as promoting the environmental and social benefits of local food production.
Benefits of Participating
Fantastic opportunity to build experience in organizational growth, not-for-profit and charity work;
Connect & collaborate with a dedicated team that is passionate about waste reduction, soil conservation and local food production, as well as the intersections between food, land, and environmental justice;
Training and leadership development opportunities (soil conservation and composting, team building, social enterprise development, event coordination, sustainable living skills);
Contribute to your community and to the wellbeing of local ecosystems and the broader environment.
Helpful skills and experience:
Familiarity with not-for-profits;
Leadership experience;
Prior experience on or working with a Board of Directors;
Financial or accounting experience;
Team and/or project management experience
A business background or experience in ethical/green entrepreneurship or circular economies;
HR experience;
Familiarity with social enterprises or revenue generation in non-profit structures;
A love for composting, food & environmental justice, urban agriculture, waste diversion and of course, soil health!
Responsibilities
Attend Board meetings throughout the year, usually held monthly from 6-7:30pm at the Centre 1216 North Park Street in Fernwood, or online via Zoom;
Work as part of a dynamic team to maintain the successful long term operation of the CEC;
Contribute 4-8 hours per month working in your area of focus;
Commit to a 2 year term.
How to Apply: Please submit a PDF to Board Chair, Lisette Chevalier (board@compost.bc.ca) containing a concise Letter of Interest, outlining skills, experience or interests you possess that could benefit the Compost Education Centre’s Board of Directors by Saturday, November 12th.
If you are interested in learning more about the CEC’s Board of Directors or about the organization before applying, please email Lisette Chevalier at at the previously listed contact.
To learn more about the Compost Education Centre and its programs visit our website www.compost.bc.ca
Board of Directors FAQ
What is the Board of Directors? The Board ensures that the Compost Education Centre is fulfilling its purpose and vision and oversees the society’s finances & human resources.
What do Board members do? They attend meetings every other month and join 1-3 committees: Policy, Finance & fundraising, Board Development – each with their own goals.
Can anyone become a Board Member? Yes! Anyone can buy a membership ($30) and express interest in being nominated to the Board of Directors at our AGM on Thursday, November 17, 2022. If cost is prohibitive to membership, please reach out, bursaries are available to cover membership cost.
What are the perks of joining the Board? Volunteering with a charitable non-profit org provides practical work skills. It’s also a way to meet like-minded folks from other professions and disciplines.
Are Board Members paid positions? Unfortunately, no. The BC Societies Act prohibits us from paying Board Members. These positions are volunteer.
What is the orientation like? CEC board members are oriented to the society’s board work through a facilitated session led by Volunteer Victoria. Board Members have access to society docs that outline their roles and may also take free workshops. We also recommend reading the BC Societies Act.
The Compost Education Centre (CEC) is hosting our annual, all-organic spring plant sale! Located at the end of North Park near the Chambers Street intersection, this popular market-style event is on Saturday, May 7th, from 10am-2pm out front of our demonstration gardens and retail site located at 1216 North Park Street. Entry is by donation. The Spring Organic Plant Sale features local farmers offering a wide variety of organically grown vegetable, flower and herb seedlings to get you off to a successful start this growing season.
What you can look forward to:
The largest selection of organically grown heirloom tomato varieties all in one place for easy shopping, Organically grown vegetable starts from arugula to zucchini, Perennial edibles like berry bushes and other fruiting shrubs, Medicinal herbs, Culinary herbs like Genovese basil, dill and chives, Companion plants like marigolds, and comfrey, Native plants, and Live music!
VENDORS:
Saanich Organics
Metchosin Farm
Cam Kidd Perennials
City’s Edge Farm
Compost Education Centre
Crooked Fir Farm & Nursery
Fireweed Farm
Growceries
Joyful Agriculture
Little Crescent Farm
We host this event to highlight the importance of locally produced food and ecological gardening practices; support local organic growers; and supply difficult-to-find organic plant varieties to the community.
We’re Hiring: Marketing and Communications Assistant (Funding Dependent)
March 31, 2022
Please note: This position is dependent upon Canada Summer Jobs Funding.
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 (CRD).
Work Week: The workweek is currently Wednesday-Saturday, 9:00am – 4:30pm, (30-hour per week with a paid 30-minute lunch break; 60 hr pay period).
Job Start Date: April 27, 2022, runs for 16 weeks.
