Community Gardens
In the fall term of 2023, The REM partnered with the University of Regina’s Urban Geography class 246. The REM came into the classroom to teach the students the benefits of using source documents in the form of archives and interviews for research. Here is the seventh student report, “Community Gardens” by Christopher Dawson Hogg.
Introduction
The people of the city of Regina have pushed for sustainable development through the creation of community gardens for many years. Many news stories have championed organizations such as Grow Regina which aimed to create more spaces for community gardens, and many other organizations such as South Zone Community Gardens, Harvest with Heart, etc., who have pushed for sustainability with the use of community gardens. Community gardens help promote sustainability by combating food security, and by providing local food sources which reduce carbon emissions from transporting food from other places. This paper will provide a brief history of community gardens within Regina with the use of newspaper articles. Upon reading the newspapers, it is made obvious that the reason for creating community gardens is to promote sustainability in the community.
“From Weeds to Vegetables”
April 17, 1994, Grow Regina gets a newspaper article for their acquisition of two parcels of land that will be turned into hundreds of plots for community gardens (Draaisma, 1994). One parcel was to be leased through Saskatchewan Social Services and will be located by College and Broad Streets (Draaisma, 1994). The other parcel would be at 2201 1st Ave (Draaisma, 1994). Paul Viala, spokesman for Grow Regina at the time said “Our basic philosophy is we want to increase local food security for families. That means families having a stable, nutritional and healthy supply of food” (Draaisma, 1994). Paul Viala elaborates more on the organization's vision by saying “We want to help people become more self-sufficient. It’s like teaching people to fish instead of just giving them the fish” (Draaisma, 1994). This news article shows that the Grow Regina organization has had sustainable goals for a very long time. Creating an environment that not only allows people to learn how to grow food but also provides the space needed to be able to grow it, directly combats food scarcity. Therefore, furthering sustainability in Regina.
“Students Turning Green”
On May 6, 1994, students at St. Augustine Community School announced their participation in a horticulture project that included planting and maintaining 450 tree seedlings and a community garden plot in Gocki Park (The Leader-Post, 1994). Jim Folick the principal of the school at the time said “The city has been great. They provided us with a plot in the park for the use of the project, rototilled the area, installed a sprinkler and watering system, and fenced off the area” (The Leader Post, 1994). “In exchange for the city’s support, the parks and recreation department get free trees” (The Leader-Post, 1994). An organization named TREEmendous Saskatchewan helped to provide the trees to the school through donations from SaskPower Shand green house while Lakeview Gardens provided students with the seeds needed for the garden (The Leader Post, 1994). “We are planting carrots, potatoes, parsnips, and beets between the rows of trees so that in the fall the students will be able to harvest the crop. The vegetables will then be donated to needy families in the area and to the Regina Food Bank”, Folick said, (The Leader Post, 1994). This is a great example of how communities within Regina were pushing for sustainable practices through the use of community gardens, which had tremendous support from larger organizations in the city. Educating young people on sustainable practices helps build knowledge to make more sustainable decision making. Spreading awareness about sustainable practices, in general, can help promote sustainability by providing an example that sustainable practices are achievable.
“Ceremony Inaugurates Community Garden”
In 2007, Grow Regina celebrated the opening of a new three-acre community garden (Dickson, 2007). The location of the community garden is at McLeod Park in the 3500 block of Queen Street (Dickson, 2007). This expansion was welcomed since Grow Regina was evicted from their plot on Broad St (Dickson, 2007). This article further suggests that sustainable growth for communities in Regina continued to be a focus for the Grow Regina group in 2007. It further gives context to the ongoings of the organization by highlighting the eviction from a previous plot but also the expansion into new territory.
“Demand for Plots Blooms at Community Gardens”
In 2020, there was an increased demand for community gardens (Salloum, 2020). The demand was so great that there were shortages of plots available (Salloum, 2020). Bob Guthrie the president of South Zone Community Gardens at the time stated the following: “If you are interested in getting a community garden plot at this garden you go on a wait-list, and we know we are several dozen plots short of satisfying the need” (Salloum, 2020). The newspaper suggests that recreation, reducing one’s carbon footprint and food scarcity are the main reasons why people seek out community gardens (Salloum, 2020). Bob Guthrie estimated that roughly 50 first-time-gardeners applied for a plot that season (Salloum, 2020). This news article highlights that even during COVID-19 there was a demand for community gardens. Even with the uncertainty during this time, the people of Regina still held value for community gardens for their contribution to sustainability.
“Community gardeners donate more than 1,500 kg of Produce”
In 2023, a group of community gardeners from the South Zone Community Gardens were acting against the growing food security crisis in Regina by donating their Regina-grown produce (Kurz, 2023). Harvest with Heart which is a charity project that was created by the South Zone Community Garden, collects fresh donations of food and delivers it straight to the Regina Food Bank (Kurz, 2023). There are two plots in the South Zone Community Garden that are specifically designated for the Harvest with Heart project (Kurz, 2023). As the title of the newspaper article suggests this organization was able to donate 1,500 kg of produce to the Regina Food Bank. Ultimately, this news article highlights that food scarcity continues to be an issue for Canadians with a particular focus on Regina citizens, but community gardens are a means to become a more sustainable community.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there has been a push for community gardens in Regina for many years. The people who have organized community gardens have always had visions of sustainability in mind. Giving people a space to grow their food allows for a means to fight food scarcity, allows for positive community interaction, and reduces carbon emissions by decreasing the distance food needs to travel to get to the people who need it. This paper has provided a brief survey of community gardens in Regina with some analysis of community impact with a sustainability focus. Although this history of community gardens in Regina is not a comprehensive one, it should provide readers with a general timeline of the growth of community gardens within Regina and give some explanation behind the kinds of organizations that take part in the creation of the gardens, that typically have a sustainable vision in mind.
Bibliography
Alec Salloum (May 26, 2020) ‘Demand for Plots Blooms at Community Gardens’ (page A3). (2020, May 26). The Leader Post (2011-) Retrieved from https://login.libproxy.uregina.ca:8443/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/may-26-2020-page-a3/docview/2423534391/se-2
Ciaran Dickson, (November 15, 2007) ‘ceremony Inaugurates community garden’ (page 4 of 88). (2007, Nov 15). The Leader Post (1930-2010) Retrieved from https://login.libproxy.uregina.ca:8443/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/november-15-2007-page-4-88/docview/2218734581/se-2
Larissa Kurz, (August 17, 2023). ‘Community Gardeners Donate More than 1,500 kg of Produce’ (page A3). (2023, Aug 17). The Leader Post (2011-) Retrieved from https://login.libproxy.uregina.ca:8443/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/august-17-2023-page-a3/docview/2854278025/se-2
Muriel Draaisma, (April 17, 1994). ‘From Weeds to Vegetables’. (page 3 of 36). (1994, Apr 17). Regina Sun (1986-2010) Retrieved from https://login.libproxy.uregina.ca:8443/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/april-17-1994-page-3-36/docview/2214320201/se-2
The Leader Post, (May 6, 1994) ‘Students Turning Green’. (Page 3 of 64). (1994, May 06). The Leader-Post (1930-2010) Retrieved from https://login.libproxy.uregina.ca:8443/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/may-6-1994-page-3-64/docview/2214462606/se-2