About the Community Garden Initiative

BPERC is in the midst of creating a more ecologically sound food system and increase community cohesion all while reducing the distance that separates us from the earth that feed us. The committee will be planting six community gardens this year.  We want to thank our partners and sponsors HRLE, Eastern Health, Eastern Regional Wellness Coalition, the NL Green Fund, and the Wal Mart Evergreen Fund. It is because of their support that we have been able to accomplish this goal so quickly.  We cannot thank them enough, our target was to accomplish 6 gardens  within the next decade! 

This initiative will create a regional food system that will benefit all who are involved.  Gardens will be sown in the peninsula towns of St. Lawrence, Lawn, Burin, South East Bight and Marystown (2). We will also be helping with a community garden in the peninsula town of Grand Bank.  Soon peninsula residents can reap the benefits of fresh, healthful ,non-wilted toxin-free produce and even reduce the GHG emissions spent during travel.  Residents finally have a choice not to eat the bland taste and rubbery texture of produce that has been ripened on the shelves.  Produce is most nutritious when it is ripe and we are willing to work to get it.

This project supports the slow food movement and celebrates the Newfoundland and Labrador's historical and cultural connections to food.  Gardens and fisheries sustained island residents for centuries. The garden will increase the availability of local organic produce available in the community and at a lower cost. The gardens will also provide a hands-on environment where generations can learn to work with each other, youth, parents, grandparents and community residents.  

We are experiencing a global loss of community, yet the Burin peninsula has remained tight-knit.  Green spaces have been proven to enhance community connections and even spur further community developments. Gardeners will work side by side in a beautiful gardens where they can also reconnect with nature. 

The project is a model on an ecological and social level, but also on an economic level. Community gardens are proven effective tools to introduce nutrition awareness and health education to youth.  While they grow plants, they will learn about the relationships between plants, people and wildlife. The garden will teach about the importance of nutrition, physical activity, socialization, biodiversity and organic agriculture.  The lessons that will be taught are limitless.  

The community garden will offer a sustainable form of community-based initiative. Gardens empower communities toward  sustainability through the conservation and development of green spaces and by teaching gardeners how they can live greener and eat healthier by growing their own local in-season foods.  The project will mobilize the region  through a  proactive approach to mainstream sustainability while offering important messages about health and the environment.                                                                       

Project Goals                                                                                               

• To build a sense of health and community.

• To strengthen the community and the environment for generations to come by creating a beautiful garden where people can get to know each other and work together toward a common goal of preserving the local environment.

• To promote green spaces and environmental stewardship.

• To create opportunities for citizens to create close connections to greenery, a connection that has been shown to increase quality of life.                                         
  
• To provide the Burin Peninsula with the opportunity to reconnect with the food chain.   
  

• To create new healthy habits, hobbies and leisure activities for people of all ages to enjoy.

• To teach about the importance of recycling, composting and mulching and encourage gardeners to introduce these practices into their own homes.
  

Why Eat Organic

Regional Composting Program

The community garden project includes a composting program.  Now residents businesses, schools and restaurants can drop off their compost on site and it will be used to create soil for future gardens. Click here for more information and to view our BPERC composting package.

Community Needs Assessment

In partnership with the Food Security Network NL and Eastern Health, BPERC is in the midst of preparing a food security needs assessment for our region.  We need people to sit on our advisory committee and our first meeting is June 9th at 7 p.m. at College of the North Atlantic, Burin Campus in Room 146.  Please come join us or email info@greenburin.ca to get involved.

Get involved! Grow local!

The Community Garden site is located just behind Burin town council.  We also have a sample Garden located at Roger's Farm in Marystown.  If you are an individual,  family or a group that would like to be involved with the project just sign up below and our coordinator will contact you.

Join our Youth Community Garden!