We are excited to present climate justice action programming in school gardens, appropriate for middle-schoolers. Here's a quick outline:
The role of agriculture in climate change – big picture. It is both a cause of global warming and contains solutions such as CO2 drawdown. Quick summary of both cause and solution on a global scale. 5 mins.
How healthy soil makes healthy plants = healthy people: bringing it to our home/school scale. Soil is the basis of healthy food, and to have healthy soil, we need it to have plenty of organic matter, which incidentally holds carbon in the ground. A rich biodiverse mix of micro-organisms is how we grow healthy food without chemicals. The artificial nitrogen fertilizer used in agriculture is derived from fossil fuels. 5 mins.
Local food, growing your own, which reduces emissions caused by transporting and refrigerating food. 5 mins.
Activity = growing organic microgreens in a cup that youth take home. Activity takes around 15-20 minutes depending on how intricate the designs are that the participants draw on the cup. The microgreens require about 1 week of growth to be super tasty, and after cutting, will come back once or twice more. This activity also teaches a basic tenet of gardening; ensuring proper drainage. 15 mins.
Composting: reducing food waste as a climate action, including vermicomposting demonstration (worm bins that can be used in apartments). 15 mins.
Balcony growing: in both school gardens, there are container gardens that can be used on a balcony. Check these out on tour of garden. 10 mins.
Big ideas. Our vision of a healthy food system is one that honours a triple bottom-line – that is, economic, environmental and social good. Another way of expressing this is in the Permaculture community they say, People Care, Earth Care, Fair Share. This is important in the context of the conversation about local food. Much of our “local” food in Canada is harvested by Black and Brown migrant farmworkers, who do not have the same rights as Canadians. Many are also coming to Canada from areas in the South that experience more extreme weather as a result of climate change – which they have little responsibility for creating. As well, imported foods are important to immigrant families who rely on “cultural nutrients” as @chefbashir Chef Bashir Munye would say. Some can be grown here, but some require a longer hot season than we have. 10 min.
Indigenous food sovereignty – this is a climate issue. Indigenous land rights are under threat from so-called Green Energy demands such as lithium mining. We must ensure that our climate solutions do not further degrade or restrict First Nations rights to clean water, clean air and a land base for their traditional foods. Our school gardens are cared for by Indigenous educators who bring a First Nations lens to caring for the land. Learn about upcoming solidarity actions.
10 mins.
Contact us at programs@greenthumbsto.org for an opportunity like what's described here!
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