Redeveloping the Hive Cafe at Concordia's Loyola Campus into a student-run social economy cafe
The Hive, located above Concordia's Loyola Chartwells Cafeteria, is under the management of the Concordia Student Union (CSU), and has for years been under-utilized, principally serving as a party space for special events. In line with our goal of improving access to affordable food and improving the social economy of our campus, the Food System Project is developing a triple bottom line business plan for the Hive which will allow it to increase service and act as a learning space for campus community members on issues relating to food security.
The RealiTEA Project
In partnership with Planning & Development and Facilities Management, P3 Permaculture and the People's Potato Vegetable Garden, the RealiTEA Project will create a tea garden at Loyola with a permaculture design that will focus on educating campus community members on the true costs of growing and consuming tea. Through horticultural education, workshops, discussions and research, we will seek to understand the economics of tea production and the uneven distribution of value through the supply chain, as well as the influence of both free and fair trade on the tea system. The end product will be a cup of tea that will stimulate both the mind and the senses.
The RealiTEA project is Phase 1 of a broader initiative to create a Farm Incubation program at Loyola. Farm incubation programs provide basic farming education to individuals interested in starting their own farms. The RealiTEA project is being made possible through the generous contribution of the Sustainability Action Fund, the Concordia Rooftop Greenhouse and the support of partners within the university.
Montreal Community Food Security Map
In recent years, there has been an explosion of activity around food security in and around Montreal.This map shows where you can find people, groups, companies and farms engaged in the food movement. Produced by Robyn Rees in Partnership with Kendra Besanger, Kim Fox and Cameron Stiff in summer 2010.
View Montreal Online Sustainable Food Map in a larger map
The People's Potato Garden at Loyola
This year, with the help of Permaculture Expert Graham Calder, the People's Potato is transitioning their garden to a permaculture design, and our interns are helping with the process and learning as they go.
Completing Case Studies on University Food Systems Projects
Part of our summer 2010 goals includes developing proposals for the evolution of the Food System Project in the coming years. Through understanding the paths taken at other schools with an interest in food security and sustainability, we will be able to provide stronger recommendations and suggestions for further activity and research. Our case study list includes the following universities: Yale, Cornell, University of Toronto, NYU, UBC, and McGill.
Developing educational materials around food sustainability and building a resource library
Materials such as the map, our digital stories, books, films, pamphlets, curriculum, workshops, photo collections, and so forth will be gathered throughout the summer to provide a basic resource collection for interested individuals to improve their food knowledge and lead to increased actions for food security and sustainability.
Supporting the work of the People's Food Policy Project
The core objective of the People's Food Policy Project is the development of Canada's first comprehensive federal food policy. Through our work at Concordia, we are seeking to both understand what such a policy would entail and explore how it could be implemented at various scales, from Concordia to Montreal to Quebec and beyond.
Participating in forums and discussions on food sustainability
Through participating at CAFS (The Canadian Association for Food Studies) annual conference at Congress to holding bi-weekly lectures and discussions on different aspects of food, we are building our knowledge of the world of food systems and making valuable connections with practitioners both at Concordia and beyond.
Promoting the development of curriculum focused on food sustainability in all departments at the university
Food has been described as a nexus, with implications and considerations for all disciplines within the university. As a basic need, it also makes sense that academics and professionals from every background take an interest in developing a more sustainable system. Through our work we hope to promote the development of more curriculum on the topic of food security and sustainability, both by building the knowledge of our student interns, exploring avenues for further study, and making food a central topic of concern.
The Concordia Food Stories Project: Recording community stories around food sustainability, at Concordia and beyond http://concordiafoodtales.blogspot.com/
Digital media is an excellent method of communicating information in the 21st century. By capturing stories on film and uploading them to the web, we will help a broader audience understand the dimensions of food sustainability and the perspectives of diverse individuals within the food web. This work will also contribute to the People's Food Policy Project.
Developing recommendations for food sustainability at Concordia, including policy changes
Ultimately, our goal is a more sustainable system at Concordia, which will involve policy change at various levels and a university-wide commitment to food sustainability. At the end of the summer we hope to emerge with a few strong policy recommendations and an increased culture of sustainability on campus.
