Celia’s Research
January 1, 2026
As some folks may know from our newsletter, alongside my role as the Summer Site Assistant, I have been carrying out my research at the Compost Education Centre (CEC) for my master’s degree in environmental studies.
Several years ago, I became involved as a volunteer as the CEC, first working in the gardens with Kayla, then monitoring and processing samples for the Healing City Soils program, and have helped with various office tasks and fact sheet development. I also had the opportunity the last few summers to work paid positions in the garden. Through this work, I became curious about how people feel connected to the environments around them, and what role an organization like the CEC might play in supporting this. By connection, I mean connection to other people, community, plants, animals, and the land. For myself, my involvement has cultivated great relationships, made me think about urban food production, urban habitat creation, interaction with animals and soil – and the importance of composting in all these areas.
Because of this curiosity, and with the approval of the folks at the CEC, I decided my research would involve interviewing those involved with the organization in various roles.
The CEC does work that is very particular to this region (although it could be applied elsewhere if adapted), and for that reason it can be considered “place-based”. To me, this concept of “place” is the main question of my research, and I really wanted to explore what place, in relation to the work and physical space of the CEC, means to those involved, and how it might impact them in various ways.
It is very important to note that a lot of the concepts, like “relations” and “place-based knowledge”, I am exploring come from Indigenous ways of knowing and being and have come to be recognized by Western academia through the work of Indigenous scholars. As a settler, it is important that I recognize where these thoughts come from and acknowledge they are not my own, and conduct my research in ways that challenge Western worldviews.
My hopes in doing this research are to learn a bit more about the following:
- How do people involved with the CEC’s work understand and experience “place”?
- How does the experience of “place” that folks might have at the CEC impact individual relationships, experiences, attitudes and actions?
- Why might the cultivation of “place” be important to organizations like the CEC?
Over the summer and fall of this year, I have been given the amazing opportunity to interview ~15 people involved with the CEC, who graciously shared some of their experiences with me. My goal in doing this research is of course to learn, but mainly, to offer the CEC some data about what they are doing and offer a few insights into how they might move forward in the future in ways that create meaningful relationships amongst people, nonhumans, and the land. To me, research is a way of communicating what is already happening within the community, and hopefully, do justice to the voices and stories that were shared with me.
Stay tuned for an update next year, as I am currently headed into my data analysis phase. 😊
Posted in Blog, Civic Engagement, Reflections, Staff, Stategic Planning, Sustainability, Volunteer