Work-Study Position
If you’re eligible for the UofT Work-Study Program, don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to work with Dig In! Campus Agriculture this summer! The hiring deadline is May 31, 2012 but please not that applicants may be hired before this date.
Hours/week:
7 – 10 hours
Start Date/End Date:
May – August 3, 2012
Description
The Campus Agriculture Animator will work collaboratively with Hart House and the Dig In! Campus Agriculture Network (DICAN) to bring visibility to and increase awareness around food security and sustainability. The Animator will assist in the coordination of garden programming and projects as well as identify and assist with outreach projects including: liaising with campus and community media, contributing to and maintaining the Dig In! website, and
increasing and maintaining the visibility of garden signage and plant identification. Other responsibilities and opportunities include:
- Assisting with garden maintenance
- Working collaboratively on events and event promotion
- Maintaining relationships and seeking out new relationships with groups
on and off campus (ie. UofT administration, TYFPC, Foodshare, Hot Yam, Harvest Noon Cafe, UofT
Food Bank, etc.)
Qualifications
This position is well-suited for students interested in food issues, urban agriculture, and community-scale environmental policy. He/she will learn about the material and human dimensions of pursuing sustainable change within an institutional environment.
Specific qualifications include:
Working knowledge of urban agriculture, food politics, and/or food security
Prior gardening and/or agricultural experience is a definite asset
Computer skills, including MS Suite (word, excel, powerpoint)
Demonstrated ability to assume responsibility and work on own initiative
Motivated, organized, and resourceful
Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
Demonstrated interpersonal skills; superior planning and facilitation skills
Please send a copy of your cover letter and resumé to campusagriculture@gmail.com.
Container Food Gardening Workshop
Presented by Dig In! Campus Agriculture, Toronto Green Community, and Hart House
Want a food garden but don’t think you have the space? Want a food garden but don’t know where to start? Need something more accessible and easier to maintain?
Join us for a hands-on workshop about container gardening!
This FREE workshop is being offered on the following dates:
Wednesday, May 16 from 11am – 1pm
Wednesday, May 23 from 2pm – 4pm
Location:
Hart House Quad (enter from wheelchair accessible entrance on the west side of the building)
Please RSVP to campusagriculture@gmail.com to let us know which session you will be attending. Please be advised that spaces are limited so get in touch soon!
Container gardening is a great way to start experimenting with food gardening, grow food in small urban spaces, and is also great for gardeners who are unable to manage a large garden and the physical work required to maintain one.
Topics will include location, container type, materials, watering, and a focus on soil, fertilizers, transplanting, and companion planting.
Transplant and bring home your very own seedling! Snacks provided.
Invite your friends on Facebook.
Spotlight on Dig In!
Summer Volunteer Opportunities with Dig In!
Can ya dig it?
If you’re interested in getting involved with urban agriculture this summer, you’ve come to the right place. All levels of experience are welcome!
There are a number of ways you can help us out, including:
- Become a garden coordinator for one of four demonstration gardens. This is a shared responsibility with other volunteers, including regular watering and garden maintenance. Learn more about food gardening and spend some relaxing time outdoors.
- Invigorate our compost action team – help us whip our compost into shape by giving it some weekly love and care. Learn about the exciting world of composting and then share your knowledge with others!
- Join us for our weekly gardening hours. This season we’ll be gardening together once a week, alternately on Wednesdays and Fridays. For reminders and updates about specific times, join our mailing list. If these times don’t work for you, you are also welcome to drop by and garden on your own time.
Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to share in our harvests throughout the season.
To find out more about these opportunities, contact campusagriculture@gmail.com. We welcome all types of involvement so if you have other ideas, don’t hesitate to tell us about them. We can also put you in touch with other groups in the campus agriculture network - there’s lots going on so don’t miss out!
Join us on April 2nd for our Spring ShinDIG!
Come out on April 2nd for our ’2nd annual’ Spring ShinDIG and find out how you can get your hands dirty this season!
Monday, April 2, 2012
East Common Room, Hart House
5 – 8pm
FREE
What’s in store?
- Jump into spring with a screening of 2011′s must-see urban agriculture documentary Urban Roots
- Plug into UofT’s vibrant urban agriculture community
- Discover food-related volunteer and employment opportunities
- Propose potential workshops, events and initiatives for 2012
- Network with food-passionate students and community members
Snacks provided!
Invite your friends on Facebook.
Presented by Dig In! Campus Agriculture, Hart House and The Food & Water Institute
Event on March 13th: Lessons in Permaculture
Dig In! Campus Agriculture and the Hart House Farm Committee present Lessons in Permaculture, the last session in our wild winter event series What You Need to Know to Grow.
Learn more about the holistic practice of permaculture, a sustainable land use practice and concept whereby communities and agricultural systems are based on the inter‐relationships found in natural ecosystems. Find out what’s happening at other universities through a screening of a short documentary from the UMass Permaculture project, then learn more about what’s being done locally with Toyin Coker, founder of The Permaculture Project GTA. Discussion to follow!
Join us for a perma-awesome time! (awesomeness will resonate well past event end-time)
WHEN Tuesday, March 13th from 2:00 – 4:00pm
WHERE South Dining Room, Hart House (7 Hart House Circle)
COST Free!
Please RSVP to campusagriculture@gmail.com.
Light snacks provided.
Find more details about this event series HERE.
Invite your friends on Facebook!
Dig In! Campus Agriculture at Seedy Saturday
This Saturday is the first of five Seedy Saturday and Sundays that are
happening around Toronto in March. Dig In! will be reppin’ at
Scadding Court (707 Dundas Street W) from 12-5pm so stop by, join
in the fun and say hello! Check out additional Seedy Saturday and
Sunday listings here.
This is the second stellar session of Dig In! Campus Agriculture and the
Hart House Farm Committee’s winter event series, What You Need to Know to
Grow.
Before you get down n’ dirty this spring, brush up on your knowledge of
food sovereignty and security, learn something new, or simply consider
another perspective on a real, basic, yet essential topic: FOOD!
WHEN? Tuesday, February 14th from 2:00 – 4:00pm
WHERE? South Dining Room, Hart House (7 Hart House Circle)
HOW MUCH? Free!
We’re pleased to be hosting a range of perspectives on the topic, including:
- Meredith Kushnir, International Program Coordinator, REAP-Canada
- Jennifer Penner, Local Food Systems & Agriculture Consultant
- Daniel Vandervoort, Graduate Student and Activist in Food Sovereignty
Issues
- You!
Please RSVP to campusagriculture@gmail.com.
Light snacks provided.
Invite your friends on Facebook
Find more details about this event series. Click HERE
Healthy, Affordable, Sustainable Cafe Opens on Campus
Check out the news from Harvest Noon Cafe:
“We are excited to announce that this Monday, January 30th, Harvest
Noon Cafe will open its doors to the public. The crew behind this
Co-operative venture is thrilled to offer a healthy, financially
accessible, environmentally sustainable, and independent food option on
campus.
Located on the sunny second floor of the Graduate Students’ Union at 16
Bancroft Avenue, the cafe offers a variety of tasty, homemade
vegetarian and vegan menu options and a relaxed and inclusive space for
folks to study or take a well deserved break.
The cafe will initially be open from 10:00am to 2:00pm, with plans to
extend later in the semester. As the operation is starting out on
entirely volunteer power, there are many opportunities for those who
want to get involved – ranging from cooking to accounting!
Harvest Noon is a project of the Toronto Sustainable Food Co-operative,
a campus-based organization initiated by volunteers and members of the
student group Hot Yam! in the Fall of 2011. Those who want to know more
or get involved are encouraged to stop by the cafe or send the group an
email at volunteers@harvestnoon.com (Click HERE for a map).
Help Us Plan and Help Us Garden!
There are lots of ways you can get involved with Dig In! Campus Agriculture
over the next number of months… take a look at the roles below and shoot
an email to campusagriculture@gmail.com if you’re interested or want more
information!
*Outreach & Events *
(~1-2h/week, February – April, or later)
- weekly or bi-weekly blog posts on relevant issues
- update social media accounts
- make and maintain contacts with other on and off-campus groups
- seek out media coverage, write press releases
- act as a representative for Dig In! at relevant meetings, including but
not restricted to the following groups/projects: Hot Yam! planning
meetings, Greenhouse Renewal Team meetings, University of Toronto
Environmental Resource Network working group meetings
*Garden Planning*
(~10h total, February – April)
- research what to plant, based on our past experience, garden
specifications and donation or selling agreements (ie. what groups can make
use of)
- draw or digitally create mock-ups of garden design and planting lay-out
- source seeds and determine planting schedule
*Garden Maintenance*
(~1-3h/week, April – August, or later)
- become “head gardener” for a specific plot for the season, or part of the
season, depending on availability
- perform maintenance as needed, including weeding, watering, mulching,
harvesting and delivering produce to storage or those who are receiving the
produce
- gardens for maintenance: Sid Smith (1 spot left), Hart House, Med Sci
(planters), Willcocks (planters)
