Community greenhouse shows path to food security

Michael Ableman’s Visit A Great Success

Now who doesn’t know who Michael Ableman is?

Last weekend the Columbia Valley Botanical Gardens and Center for Sustainable Living (CVBG/CSL), DTSS, Eagle Ranch Resort and the Windermere Valley Farmer’s Institute hosted Michael Ableman for a luncheon, wonderful dinner and inspiring talks around food production, regional models for food security and the movement towards a more sustainable food system. His message was very clear, “make friends with a farmer, your going to need them”.

Food is essential; we need to value the soil it comes from, the earth it grows in and those who take the pride in growing it. Ableman had the audience’s captive attention as he closed his talk at Eagle Ranch on Saturday night. As the crowd finished their outstanding meal with a plate of apple pie (with local organic apples from Winderberry Nursery) Ableman said, “The leadership that is going to make this happen is not going to come from someone somewhere else, it will have to come from folks like you sitting here in this room”. During his talk he proposed various solutions to increase food awareness and education, which will ultimately lead us towards a more food secure system.

Ableman’s number one proposal was to create an agriculture center, where a real working farm becomes the model and platform for education around social, cultural, ecological and economic change. “Your Community Greenhouse is an excellent first step towards this,” stressed Ableman.

“It is a community achievement you can all be truly proud of and I’m going to make a prediction regarding its future.

Your Community Greenhouse will become a place that attracts others to come here and learn in it and learn from it; they will take what they learn back to their own communities, congratulations!”

The Community Greenhouse is the CVBG/CSL’s initial foray into the development of a community model supportive of a sustainable food system. “As an organization with long term vision, says Project Leader Bill Swan, we wish to secure land to develop a working farm and centre for sustainable living – a model, similar to the one Michael Ableman has proposed.” As an educational facility the Community Greenhouse is a first big step in this long-term direction. It is vital over the next three years of pilot programs at the Community Greenhouse that we deliver programs that build understanding and capacity to re-energize our local to regional food systems and community sustainability.

Since December the CVBG/CSL has begun intensive development of the funding required to assist in the final completion of the Community Greenhouse infrastructure and the design and delivery of programs over the next three years. Through the Community Greenhouse Sustaining Funders Program, the CVBG/CSL is seeking to work with organizations and individuals that share the vision of a sustainable community and food system.

And recently both the Panorama Foundation and the Columbia Basin Trust have joined the CVBG/CSL and DTSS as Sustaining Funders.

“The investments of the Panorama Foundation and Columbia Basin Trust is a credit and acknowledgement to the outstanding contribution by our whole community towards this project” says Swan; “in gratefully accepting this support we once again thank our community for their outstand contributions of time, materials and finances to date.”

If anyone is interested in discussing the Community Greenhouse Sustaining Funders Program, receiving a presentation about the project, getting involved in programs or purchasing one of Michael Abelman’s books please contact Lin Steedman, Community Greenhouse Education Coordinator at