Visiting academics in Sustainability & Garden-based Learning from the Free University, Berlin

We were very happy to host colleagues Inka Bormann and Karola Braun-Wanke at the Orchard Garden, Roots on the Roof, Trillium North Park and other garden-based learning sites on campus and in Vancouver in October and November.

Inka and Karola both work in sustainability at UBC's sister university in Berlin, the Freie Universität (Free University, or FUB). Karola runs a teaching and learning garden at the FUB Botanical Gardens, and is involved in very interesting workshops that often parallel our interests in the UBC Cultivating Learning Network gardens.

We hope this is just the beginning of a research and teaching collaboration between students, staff and faculty at our two universities!

Inka Bormann: Sustainability academic from the FUB

Karola Braun-Wanke & Sharon Kallis at Trillium North

Trillium North's amazing fibre arts wall

Karola & Susan at Trillium North

October 17 Orchard Garden Workshop: Intro to School Gardens

Thanks to Diana and Scott who co-led this excellent introductory workshop!

Orchard Garden graduates 2015!

In November 2015, several graduate students with strong connections to the UBC Orchard Garden graduated from their programs:

Susan, Toni and Julia at grad

Julia and Jeannie at grad

Toni (Antonia) Lazarova completed her MEd in Home Economics and garden-based learning. Her MEd graduating project included a book of garden based curricular activities for secondary home ec teachers, and a paper describing the rationale behind the design of the book.

Chessa Adsit-Morris completed her MA in Curriculum and Pedagogy based on work she did with Think&Eat Green@Schools at Tyee Montessori School, and indirectly with her work in garden-based learning at the UBC Orchard Garden. Here is a link to her MA thesis.

Big congratulations to everybody! We are proud of your great work and hope that we will stay in touch though the Orchard Garden and other garden-based learning projects that you undertake.

Toni at grad

Chessa at her thesis defense

Chessa at the Orchard Garden Summer Solstice celebration

Dr. Julia Ostertag, co-founder of the UBC Orchard Garden with a long-time involvement in garden based learning activism, graduated with her PhD in Curriculum & Pedagogy. Her dissertation is based on her interactive, growing art installation in the Orchard Garden.
Here is the link to Julia's PhD dissertation, a supplementary video of the Orchard Garden that accompanies it,  and her MA thesis.