Campus grows behind Sports Complex
Sustainable development to include carrots and turnips at U of O
OVER THE PAST few years, the University of Ottawa has pushed for a more green and sustainable campus. During the 2009–10 school year, the Student Federation at the University of Ottawa (SFUO) initiated numerous green campaigns, including the launch of the plastic-bag and water bottle-free campus promotion. This year, the U of O has gone one step further to increase sustainability. In conjunction with the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG), the U of O has launched a new initiative to create a community garden on campus.
Julia Laforge is coordinator of the Community Garden Group, a separate action group at OPIRG. She was approached by Jonathan Rausseo of the Campus Sustainability Office to organize the expansion of a pre-existing garden located behind the University Centre. Despite weather and soil testing delays, the garden has been available to students since the summer began.
“The vision was for the university to supply the physical space, including the plots, water, and a shed, while OPIRG would be responsible for programming, including recruitment, putting on workshops, providing tools and some plants,” explained Laforge in an email to the Fulcrum.
The garden is approximately 2.9 square metres with 42 plots near the Sports Complex on King Edward. The garden will act as an addition to the garden at the Unicentre, where there was a lack in space for the expansion.
Laforge explains that individual plots can be requested by students and members of the community so that they are able to grow their own private produce. The land can be accessed for free on a first come, first serve basis.
“The plots are the responsibility of each individual gardener ... the [Community Garden Group] has to work together to maintain the whole garden, including a couple communal plots and looking after plots when there’s no one there to weed or water them.”
In addition to the individual pieces of land, three large communal plots have been reserved for students and faculty of the U of O. Laforge’s goal is to get classes involved in development, workshops, and research of sustainable growth and horticulture.
“So far, we have had a fair amount of interest from professors who want to use the space for their class. We’re currently working out the details, but they range from engineering classes to biology, to social and health sciences,” said Laforge.
While the garden does provide a sustainable resource for students and residents of Sandy Hill, OPIRG hopes to be able to expand this project in order to include some tentative new developments such as the People’s Republic of Delicious—an organization staffed by U of O volunteers that offers healthy, vegan food alternatives to students—to provide them with produce grown on the communal land. Rooftop gardens attached to campus eateries, such as Café Nostalgica, are also being considered.
According to Rausseo, the garden cost an estimated $15,000 to create and maintain. The U of O administration has supported all of the sustainability campaigns throughout the year, and their encouragement was not forgotten by Laforge, who told the Fulcrum that funding was not a problem for this project. All the facilities for workshops and research are provided by the Community Garden Group at no cost to the community.
The U of O is touting the garden as an opportunity to “create long-term relationships with members of the community... [while] taking an important step towards sustainability on campus.”
There are currently no plots available for the duration of the summer. To place your name on a waiting list for next summer, contact garden.uottawa@gmail.com.
