Environmental initiatives on campus this season feature vegetable garden
by Eleni Kanavas
As the warmer days of summer are upon us, another planting season is underway at U of T Scarborough.
Another round of Green the Campus events is happening in an effort to maintain the well-preserved areas of woodland surrounding the campus. Since 2006, U of T Scarborough has been partnering with Evergreen, a non-profit environmental organization, to plant trees, shrubs and wild flowers on campus and to foster an enhanced awareness of environmental issues at U of T Scarborough.
“We have planted native species of wildflowers and grasses representative of prairie and meadow habitats that would have existed in this area prior to development,” said Alex Hume, Evergreen stewardship coordinator for U of T Scarborough.
This year, the creation of a community teaching and learning garden is a new initiative in partnership with Evergreen. The vegetable garden, located in the Highland Creek Valley on the lower campus (near the community and staff garden), includes heirloom species of vegetables and leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce. The gardeners will use organic methods.
“This is the first year we’ve done a vegetable garden and we’re all pretty excited about it,” said Tim Lang, manager, sustainability, health and safety. As part of the monthly stewardship events, informal gardening sessions will be taking place at least once a week, usually on Thursdays, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., in an effort to teach volunteers about controlling garden pests and maintaining healthy crops.
Members of the campus Evergreen committee encourage students, staff and faculty to join in making the vegetable patch come to life. Several events planned throughout the summer and fall months are aimed at beautifying the campus but also giving people the chance to get fresh air, exercise and make new friends. “We encourage people to come out and have fun,” Lang said. “In summer, it’s nice to get outside and work with your hands, and we always have a good time.”
Gloves and equipment will be provided, and volunteers are asked to bring refillable water bottles. All volunteers for events are to meet at the H-Wing patio. Everyone is invited to sign up through the campus intranet. Upcoming events are as follows:
JULY
• Thursday, July 9 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - MONTHLY STEWARDSHIP - Meet on H-wing patio
• Thursday, July 23 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - GARDEN WEEDING AND PEST CONTROL
AUGUST
• Thursday, August 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - MONTHLY STEWARDSHIP
• Tuesday, August 25 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – MONITORING OF PREVIOUS PLANTING
SEPTEMBER
• Thursday, September 10 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - MONTHLY STEWARDSHIP
• Thursday, September 17 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - HARVEST FEAST (Watch for details.)
OCTOBER
• Thursday, October 8 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. – EVERGREEN HALLOWEEN: PUTTING THE GARDEN TO BED
• Friday, October 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. - MONTHLY STEWARDSHIP
Volunteers can sign up for all events via the intranet. Visit the campus website at ww.utsc.utoronto.ca for details on these and other events.
For more information about the Sustainability Office on campus, visit www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~sustain.
For more information about Evergreen, visit www.evergreen.ca.