After eight years at its current location, the Orchard Garden (located behind the MacMillan building) will be moving to make room for new developments at UBC. We do not currently have a new site for our programs and hope to gather as many interested parties as possible to brainstorm possible new locations to continue growing food and developing much-needed educational programming for students interested in land, food, community, health, and culture.
The Orchard Garden has been a partnership between the Faculties of Education and Land & Food Systems, and has received TLEF funding for the past three years. Over a thousand students have visited the garden as part of teacher education (BEd), undergraduate courses, graduate courses, and student research. In the summer, teachers from the Vancouver School Board have participated in 3-day Summer institutes at the garden hosted by Think &Eat Green @ School. The garden is also a space of harvesting and growing organic food for the Agora Café and for a local food box program. It has revived the memory of the Chinese Market Gardens, has been a place for graduate thesis research as well as international research symposia, and has hosted art-based projects. The Orchard Garden has celebrated the memory of the space it has occupied as a part of the original orchard that existed on the site, and has played an important role in integrating UBC’s mission in Place & Promise of teaching, learning, research, food production, and care for the environment – right outside your classroom.
With the changing face of our campus, the Orchard Garden has the exciting challenge of looking for a new site, new partners, and new possibilities. Please join us and help us shape the next stage of our urban garden!
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