2014-15 Concordia Greenhouse Annual Report Table of contents Introduction WHO WE ARE OUR MISSION / VISION / VALUES OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS OUR COLLECTIVE / STAFF AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS OUR HISTORY Programming THE TEA ATRIUM PUBLIC LOUNGE 5 a 7 bookings Facul-tea party Workshop Series THE HOUSEPLANT COLLECTION FOUR SEASON’S GROWING AQUAPONICS CITY FARM SCHOOL BALCONY GARDEN PROJECT Partnerships and collaborations VISITING PROJECTS Window Farm Innovation Jeunes Dawson College Phytoremediation Project INTERNSHIPS Four Season’s Growing Internships Media Interns COLLABORATIONS Concordia Farmer’s Market Living Soils Conference McGill Sustainability Research Symposium West Montreal Re-adaptation Centre Grad Pro Skills CONSULTATIONS Soci 398C Volunteers District 3 Our Finances 2014-15 BUDGET AND ACTUALS 2013-14 AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Appendix FULL CALENDAR OF ATRIUM EVENTS 2014-15 STATS TABLE WHO WE ARE the use of these principles in the community. The Concordia Greenhouse Project is a Empowerment - Providing space collectively run, consensus-based, non- for experiential learning, capacity profit organization. It uses the Henry H. building, peer-to-peer learning, Hall Building rooftop greenhouse as an education, volunteering, internships all-organic space geared towards and DIY culture to flourish. community, education and sustainable horticulture. The Greenhouse is a year- Community partnerships - round green space that hosts Cultivating reciprocally-nurturing, workshops, projects and events raising collaborative networks with awareness around food issues and individuals, organizations and alternatives to mainstream community groups in our community. consumerism. Non-profit organization - We aspire to strengthen the urban Consciously governing our agriculture movement at Concordia organization as a collective, using University and in Montreal by growing non-hierarchical decision-making local produce using ecological principles. practices, providing experiential Food sovereignty - Fostering learning opportunities through space where education and dialogue volunteering, internships and jobs, and about food accessibility, security, and networking with other individuals and quality are implemented alongside organizations. local growing practice. Accountability and transparency - to stakeholders and the community at OUR MISSION large Our mission is to provide a welcoming, Inclusive and safe space - organic green space that fosters Providing a common space that is non- community by providing experiential judgemental, open to all, welcoming learning opportunities within a year- and positive. round growing environment. Openness to change - Honouring the richness of an environment that is OUR VISION constantly learning, evolving and growing towards positive change and Our vision is for locally empowered development. sustainable urban gardens at Concordia Celebration - Appreciating the joy University and beyond. of working with plants, a bountiful harvest, and the richness of people VALUES who contribute to the growth and development of our organization and Ecological principles - community. Maintaining healthy, organic and sustainable practices within the OUR COLLECTIVE & STAFF Greenhouse, as well as advocating for The Concordia Greenhouse is managed writing and setting policies, organizing by a consensus-based Collective, who and conducting the Annual General are responsible for the organization’s Meeting (AGM), facilitating professional primary day-to-day operations, development and mediation, ensuring programming, outreach, financial financial integrity and legal integrity, management, policy setting and and ensuring the organization’s strategic planning. During the 2014-15 mandate, mission and vision are year, our collective was made up of the respected. following people - Stefanie Dimitrovas During the 2014-15 year, the Concordia (Four Seasons Growing Coordinator); Greenhouse membership voted in eight Sheena Swirlz (Services Coordinator); Board of Directors: El Nasser Imam Jackie Martin (City Farm School Amin (President, resigned), Danielle Coordinator), Olga Perju (Administrative Lemieux (President), Molly McGregor and Financial Coordinator), Chesley (Vice President, resigned), Shylah Wolfe Walsh (City Farm School Media and (Secretary), Tristan Khaner (Treasurer), Education Coordinator), Paul Fournier Angisel Kiermaier, Eric Ducray (Houseplants and Tea Atrium (resigned), Alison Hendra (resigned) and Coordinator). Near the end of the year, William Stephenson. the Collective welcomed three new Collective members: Andrea Reichert and Leah Girardo replaced Olga Perju as Financial Coordinator and Administrative Coordinator, respectively; and Andrew Alford replaced Stefanie Dimitrovas as Four Seasons Growing Coordinator. The organization’s programming is also completed by part-time staff, including: Jonathan Douaire, Four Seasons Growing Assistant and Aquaponics lead OUR HISTORY coordinator; and Marina Noskova, While rooftop green space and high-rise Bookkeeper. As well as countless farming are popular ideas in urban volunteers and community members sustainable design, Concordia's who provided meaning contributions greenhouse was actually part of the and inspiration. original planning and infrastructure of the Sir George William campus. The OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS Greenhouse was built in 1966 when the As ambassadors and advisors for the Hall building was constructed, to be Concordia Greenhouse organization, used by the biology department for the Board of Directors is comprised of experiments. The Greenhouse faces nine volunteer Directors, of which at south-west for optimal sun exposure least half are undergraduate Concordia and isn't blocked by the shade of any of students. Their responsibilities include: the surrounding buildings, making it an ideal space for growing in the heart of 5pm, the fall and winter semesters. It downtown Montreal. In addition to the was available to students and biology department’s research and community members, who used the education, part of the space was used space to study, sunbathe, relax, and by a horticulturalist to grow tropical socialize. Though it is difficult to plants for regular plant sales. calculate, we estimate that 40-50 When the SGW and Loyola campuses people pass through the atrium daily. merged in 1974, the sciences moved to Loyola and a new Greenhouse was built. One of the main features of the Atrium Plans were made to tear the old lounge is the abundance of greenery greenhouse down, but interested housed within it. Plants featured in this students and faculty, as well as space include tropical fruits (grapefruit, Sustainable Concordia, successfully figs, papaya, pomegranate) and many petitioned to have the structure herbal teas grown for our communal assessed and to commence a kitchen. These plants are cared for by "rejuvenation" project in 2006. Two our houseplants and atrium years later, during the 2007-2008 coordinator, Paul Fournier, with the aid school year under the hard work of of about 50 volunteers more than Arlene Throness, the re-vitalized 2000h hours are dedicated to these Greenhouse atrium was opened to the plants every year. public as a working group of Sustainable Concordia. In 2013, the Concordia Greenhouse left the umbrella of Sustainable Concordia after successfully gaining a $0.12 / credit undergraduate fee levy. Following this, the Greenhouse registered as an independent not-for- profit organization, with its own board of directors. PROGRAMMING THE TEA ATRIUM LOUNGE The Tea Atrium Lounge is a public area open to the community for a variety of activities. It features desks and tables We offered, by-donation, approximately for studying, a beautiful panoramic view 1 kg of herbal teas in the adjacent and is filled with tropical plants and communal kitchen. These teas were sweet smelling herbs year-round. The mostly grown on site in the atrium atrium was kept open to the public, garden planters, and harvested during Mondays through Fridays from 11am to our tea atrium garden volunteer sessions. At these sessions, our volunteers learned about and amount of events we host, listening to performed basic gardening tasks such feedback about the hot topics in urban as planting, harvesting, watering, agriculture and developing our event pruning, pest control and fertilizing. series. We host at least one educational workshop each week, hosting many 5 à 7 Event bookings workshops ourselves as well as inviting The popularity of our events has grown organizations from around the city to immensely over the last year, with most provide a diverse range of learning events reaching capacity (25-30 opportunities to our community. attendees) and bookings occurring on almost every available day in the winter We offer workshops exclusively on semester (weekdays during the school weekdays between 5-7pm in our Atrium year.) Many groups from the Lounge during the fall and winter Concordia community book the atrium semesters. Our collective members each lounge space for public events, which offer at least one workshop during the we provide free of charge for students. year. In addition we invite students, Our space has been booked by arts and teachers and community members to science students, the fibre arts offer workshops within our space. The association, the Chinese culture society Concordia Greenhouse acts as a amongst others. We`ve hosted network hub for the Montreal urban weddings, annual general meetings, art agriculture community. We strive to exhibits, cultural showcases,