The George Brown College community celebrated the launch of green space at St. James Campus that connects Indigenous food traditions, sustainability and curriculum.
The Greening Through Food and Education initiative led by the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts and Indigenous Initiatives includes the launch of the Indigenous Medicine Garden at 290 Adelaide St. E. and the greening of the rooftop garden at 200 King St. E.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation, George Brown is integrating Indigenous ways of knowing into our curriculum, classroom practices and institutional decision-making,” George Brown College President Dr. Gervan Fearon said at the launch celebration at the Indigenous Medicine Garden on October 13.
“With the launch of this garden, we make this commitment tangible — creating vital outdoor space for Indigenous teachings, knowledge and foodways that incorporate the use of traditional plants.”
These gardens will support curriculum, including in the Honours Bachelor of Food Studies program. They are also meant to engage the wider college community and will increase campus canopy coverage with 65 new native trees and shrubs — 1,300 square metres of green space in all.
“This is the first step in creating a tranquil, spiritual place on campus that holds sacred medicines for the Anishinaabeg to share within the community,” said Audrey Rochette, Director of Indigenous Initiatives.
The project was funded by a City of Toronto’s Urban Forest Grant and in-kind contributions from the college and its facilities department.
