Sustainability Grants Award recipients
2022-2023 Award recipients
Blueridge Community Association
The Blueridge Community Association is a volunteer-based organization that sponsors and maintains the Blueridge Community Garden, located at 2600 Carnation Street. A portion of the garden is reserved for volunteers growing food to share with the community. The garden also partners with local elementary schools using the garden for life sciences education. The grant will go towards the replacement of four garden boxes at the sharing garden.
Lynnmour Xá7elcha Elementary School
The Lynnmour Xá7elcha Elementary School is interested in connecting their students with Indigenous knowledge holders. Their goal is to work with a Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) ethnobotanist to educate students about native plants and to create signage that includes traditional plant names. The grant will go towards hosting a planting workshop led by an Indigenous knowledge holder and for building two planter boxes to grow native species of cultural importance.
North Shore Community Garden Society
The North Shore Community Garden Society oversees the use and management of community gardens on the North Shore. The grant will help fund the expansion of the Lillooet Community Garden including adding 20 new planters to meet the strong ongoing demand for gardening space in the area.
Argyle Secondary School
Students and staff at Argyle Secondary School are keen to get firsthand experience producing food using sustainable agricultural practices at their new school campus in Lynn Valley. This grant is funding the development of food production gardens, a greenhouse, and aquaponics system that will create an outdoor learning lab for students.
Canyon Heights Elementary School Parent Advisory Council
The Canyon Heights Elementary School Parent Advisory Council is interested in improving safety in school zones and promoting walking and rolling to school. The grant is being used to conduct community surveys and meetings and to create a traffic management plan for busy drop off and pick up times.
Norgate Xwemélch'stn Community Elementary School
Staff at the Norgate Xwemélch'stn Community Elementary School identified the need to improve their current waste management system. This grant will be used to develop and implement a comprehensive school waste management strategy by integrating student and staff education with a more effective waste management system. This pilot will be used as a model for other schools in the District.
Ecole Cleveland Elementary Parent Advisory Council
The Ecole Cleveland Elementary Parent Advisory Council has been managing invasive plants in the forested area by their school since 2011. This grant will be used to replant the area with native species after the removal of the invasive Japanese Knotweed plants on site. The PAC will also design and develop signage to educate the local community on invasive plants and their ongoing stewardship and restoration work.
Wild Bird Trust of BC
The Wild Bird Trust is a non-profit society that manages the Maplewood Flats area. The Trust will use the funding to host public planting workshops led by Coast Salish Elders at Maplewood Flats. These workshops will focus on identifying and planting native trees that are resilient to drought as well as heavy rainfall conditions. The grant will also be used to host a World Water Day Sea-Level Rise Symposium at Maplewood Flats Nature House.
St. Andrews Church
The St. Andrews Church is interested in creating a garden space where their neighbours can learn about the value of using native and pollinator plants to support the environment in a holistic way. The grant will be used to expand their pollinator and native plant gardens. These gardens are often used as a community gathering space and for hosting educational workshops.
Carisbrooke Elementary Parent Advisory Council
The Carisbrooke Elementary School has a year-round gardening program funded by the Parent Advisory Council and run by volunteers. They are interested in expanding their school garden to accommodate more gardening classes. The grant will be used for building four new raised garden beds.