April 6, 2016
It was a successful first day of soil testing for the Healing City Soils Team! The team will be taking samples from residential yards and boulevards for the next two months around Victoria and Esquimalt and the information collected will be uploaded into an interactive soil health map. Learn more about the project here.
February 25, 2016
We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with Royal Roads University and Danielle Stevenson of DIY Fungi to launch a new project called Healing City Soils. Bridging urban agriculture, composting, food literacy, ecological restoration and bioremediation, this initiative brings together the municipalities of Victoria and Esquimalt, local post-secondary institutions, food security organizations and people who are interested in growing food and building the soil beneath their feet.
This project is about getting to know the soil beneath our feet, and building community around healing it. Ensuring the soil is healthy is a first step to any urban agriculture project; from backyard growing to community and boulevard gardening. Urban soils can sometimes contain heavy metals and other contaminants as a result of our industrial past and present. This is not so great for our urban food gardens as the contaminants can get into or onto our veggies and fruits. Soil testing can be expensive, and the results can be confusing or disheartening, which ends up being a barrier to getting more folks growing.
The goal of Healing City Soils is to analyze the health of Victoria’s soils and create a virtual soil map of Victoria highlighting areas where heavy metals need to be addressed before growing food. This map will be paired with factsheets and workshops to empower people with the knowledge and skills to grow food safely or to heal the soil with compost, plants and mushrooms.
August 1, 2015
Continue reading “Organic Plant Sale on Sat Aug 22nd!”
Posted in Announcement, Blog, Events, Featured, News, Organic GardeningJuly 22, 2015
Drum roll, please! Presenting our OFFICIAL VIDEO!
Huge thanks to Aldridge Street Print & Media for doing such an awesome job!
May 13, 2015
Special lecture and workshops to celebrate compost, the “heartbeat” of our soil!
Continue reading “FOR THE LOVE OF SOIL EDUCATION DAY JUNE 6TH” Posted in Adult Education, Announcement, Blog, Events, News, Organic GardeningMay 9, 2015
Join us for a demonstration on how to convert an old freezer into an efficient composter that is completely rodent and bear proof!
Continue reading “Converted Freezer Composter Workshop on May 30th” Posted in Adult Education, Announcement, Blog, Composting, Events, News, Organic GardeningApril 30, 2015
After a bit of a wait (so hard when it’s spring and everyone is thinking about compost!) we are pleased to have Earth Machine composters back in stock. We have been carrying these composters for 15 years now and we love their rodent resistance, the fact that they’re made in Canada from post-consumer recycled plastic and above all, the beautiful soil they produce.
While we plan to keep carrying our beloved Earth Machines, we unfortunately need to raise the price due to the increased cost of plastic and shipping rates. As of May 10th, the price will go up from $89.95 regular / $80.05 member to $99 regular / $89.10 member price. You’ve still got a week and a half to snag one at the old price, so please do stop by and get a deal!
We value accessibility and never like to raise the price on any of our products, however, we do need to ensure that we are not losing money on the items we sell. As always, the Compost Education Centre is a social enterprise and all profits from our products go to support our community education programs. We appreciate your support!
Posted in Announcement, Blog, Composting, Featured, News, RetailApril 23, 2015
Saturday, May 9th from 10am-2pm! Amazing, all-organic, all-local veggie, herb and flower starts for your garden sold right outside the Compost Education Centre at 1216 North Park St.!
Continue reading “Spring Organic Plant Sale 2015!” Posted in Announcement, Blog, Events, Featured, News, Organic GardeningMarch 20, 2015
Continue reading “Join Us For Rainwater Harvesting Education Day on April 18th!”
Posted in Adult Education, Announcement, Blog, Events, News, Organic GardeningMarch 19, 2015
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.
Continue reading “You’re invited to our AGM!” Posted in AGM, Announcement, Blog, Board, Events, News