Gardening Workshop

 

“The Honorable harvest emphasizes the importance of taking only what you need and using everything you take. Just about everything we use is the result of another’s life, but that simple reality is rarely acknowledged in our society.” —Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer.

In the past, indigenous communities were so connected to Mother nature that they did not generate waste. In many indigenous languages the word “waste” doesn’t even exist. All what was taken from nature was used and given back to nature.

Activities:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, around 1/3 of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This is around 1.3 billion tons per year.

Producing your own food or consuming locally produced fruits and vegetables can prevent waste losses while supporting and strengthening local economy. An introduction to gardening techniques, composting and permaculture principles are included as part of the Zero Waste Ambassador Program.

In this workshop you will appreciate the effort involved on food production, learn the art of composting, and acquire gardening techniques. Based on time and space availability, activities could include: growing food, composting, make soil amendments, save seeds, preserve food, and / or cook with locally grown ingredients, including three sisters meals.

This workshop can also focus on community members trained on Permaculture design principles, regenerative practices and / or the creation of a food forest rooted on Traditional Ecological Knowledge to support food sovereignty, food security, and waste reduction and management.

Impact:

For over twenty years, Ciclomanias has supported the well-being of our communities by working in partnership with different stakeholders, including indigenous communities to incorporate Traditional knowledge and hands-on learning programs, enabling sensory and cognitive development while implementing regenerative practices. Our program supports SMEs, schools, universities, indigenous communities and municipalities across Alberta and Mexico.

Together we aim to learn from Nature and Traditional Knowledge to restore ecosystems while building communities. Our gardening workshops have diverted from the landfill more than 10 tonnes of organic materials and have been used it as a soil amendment for the gardens and food forests we have co-created.

Details:

● Duration of introductory workshop: 60 minutes.

● Workshops can be customized for all ages.

● Available in English or Spanish.

Pricing:

● Introductory Gardening Workshop: 500 CAD.

● Thermal Composter Set-up: 500 CAD.

● Worm Bin Rental: 150 CAD per month.

● Red wigglers (Eisenia Fetida): 40 CAD / 250 gr (recommend to starting)