We acknowledge that the NNEEC Community Learning Garden is established where long before today, there have been indigenous peoples who have inhabited and been the stewards of this place.  In particular, we acknowledge the Anishinabewaki  ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ Huron-Wendat, the Algonquin and Nipissing peoples of our region.  We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic and ongoing connection to this place. 

 

The Community Learning Garden educates, inspires, and connects with a focus on producing food and herbs with environmentally sustainable, accessible means.  We help grow regional awareness of the importance and benefits of locally, sustainably produced food.  We encourage people to regionally source and grow their own food and teach about how-to's and the benefits, including health, economic and environmental.  NNEEC's kitchen and conference facility offer ties with regional culinary field in this project.

 

Community Learning Garden's Core Guiding Values 

Environmental Stewardship. Inclusion. Learning. Community. 

Respect. Fun. Inspiration. Service. Holistic Well Being.  Mentoring.

 

The main plot for out Community Learning Garden is on a residential lot one block from NNEEC's Main street campus.  A variety of organizations, individuals and groups have joined and are invited to contribute to the planning, installing, harvesting and educational aspects of the garden.   

 

In 2019,  our first year, we established a few seasonal events, including a  'Taste of Almaguin' harvest celebration, a plant sale in partnership with the Sundridge Horticultural Society and a Seedy Saturday spring event with workshops, seed swap and eco-fair.   We also hosted our first educational workshops and group plantings / garden care days and matched mentor and learner gardeners in stewardship shifts .  We built both raised beds and the soils in earth-bound sections, started our water system, an herb spiral and composting.  Our produce was distributed at our events, amongst our Gardners, with the local food bank and our first pilot market table.

 

There are many different ways people and agricultural, educational and food related organizations can get involved with the Community Learning Garden.  Please contact us at; info@nneec.ca; 705-316-0010 or via our Facebook Group:   NNEEC Community Learning Garden