Urban agriculture has always been a way to bring people together, whether as neighbors or as a community. Growing your own food in the city is a fantastic thing in itself: you know where what you’re eating comes from, and you have the pride of having grown it.
Find out how our team helped the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) create what has become a community garden and gathering place—a true example of community farming initiatives. This project serves as a food security bubble and continues to inspire them with urban farming for marginalized communities in Calgary.
LAND OF DREAMS: AN INSPIRING PROJECT ON THE CITY’S OUTSKIRT
In Calgary, the Indigenous Gathering Place Society was recently established to provide a unique gathering space for the urban Indigenous community. In the same vein, a project to transform a former construction site into a community garden for marginalized communities and newcomers, the Land of Dreams, was born.
“Land of Dreams provides garden plots and community events for newcomers to Canada as well as Indigenous folks from this area. They are aiming to repair the soil, boost native species and food growth, and provide a place for folks to connect to the land, share their gardening and cooking practices from around the world, and build food sovereignty within the city.”
– Sean Elizabeth Higgins, Calgary Lead Beekeeper
AN IDEAL 1% FOR THE PLANET PARTNER FOR OUR CALGARY TEAM
As part of 1% for the Planet, Alvéole works with local environmental organizations to donate the equivalent of 1% of our profits to them for each city where our bees buzz. When the Calgary team was looking for a partner, Lead Beekeeper Sean was immediately inspired when she discovered the mission of the Land of Dreams project, a shining example of community farming initiatives that brings together marginalized communities through urban agriculture.
– Sean Elizabeth Higgins, Calgary Lead Beekeeper
A SHARED PASSION FOR URBAN GARDENS…AND FOR BEES
Since 2021, our Calgary team has been helping the CCIS team prepare the Land of Dreams space to be transformed into garden plots where Indigenous and newcomer communities can garden and gather. At the beginning of each season, our beekeepers volunteered to mulch, weed, and create compost for this huge plot of land, while sharing their love of urban agriculture.
“We had a great time connecting with the three employees at the farm – young folks like us who are very passionate about food security and gardening. The conversation flowed as we shared stories about our own gardens, information about the plants growing at the farm, and inspiring ideas and plans. This fall, we will be hosting their resident beekeeper, Girmay, to extract their honey frames at our warehouse.”
– Sean Elizabeth Higgins, Calgary Lead Beekeeper
A BLOSSOMING PARTNERSHIP FOR ALVÉOLE AND LAND OF DREAMS
Because great minds think alike, this huge community garden is home to thousands of honey bees. Girmay, the Land of Dreams beekeeper, has installed several colorful hives to help pollinate the green space. Since he is originally from Eritrea, our team was curious to learn more about his beekeeping methods.
“We absolutely loved checking out Girmay’s apiary and all his colourful equipment. We are very excited to hear more about his own beekeeping practices and how they compare to ours.”
Our team is excited to continue this great collaboration! Our monetary donation will help improve local biodiversity with the introduction of new perennials and an insect hotel for wild bees.
ABOUT 1% FOR THE PLANET
In 2021, Alvéole joined 1% for the Planet, an international movement of organizations that donate 1% of their annual sales to nonprofits working to protect the environment.
