2010 - 2011 grants
2010 - 2011 enviroFund™ grant recipients
In 2010, our enviro Visa cardholders voted to support projects promoting sustainable agriculture. $450,000 was awarded to 11 local environmental projects.
Ecotrust Canada
This fish: seafood traceability initiative ($50,000)
Thisfish.ca is a voluntary tagging and tracing system that helps consumers trace fish purchased and determines who caught it, when and where. Through an online hub, ThisFish.ca collects, tracks and provides this data. Ecotrust Canada is using the grant to: support fishermen, processors and retailers with training materials and workshops; expand the network; and increase public awareness.
FarmFolkCityFolk Society
Seed security food security ($50,000)
In 2005, FarmFolkCityFolk identified securing a local supply of organic seed as critical to their mission of cultivating a local sustainable food system. However, organic farmers across British Columbia are experiencing a shortage of quality organic seed and, over the last five years, the problem has increased. This project engages, supports and empowers BC's seed collectives, enthusiasts, and farmers to grow and collect a diversity of organic quality standard seed on a scale that allows them to provide seed in market quantities.
Richmond Food Security Society
Richmond incubator farm pilot project ($50,000)
A 2009 UBC survey found that if all the vegetables grown in Richmond were sold within the city, they would only meet 8% of Richmond's needs. The Richmond Food Security Society, in cooperation with the City of Richmond, provides new farmers with access to small land parcels for organic farming. This grant assists with the purchase of small-scale farming equipment rented by these farmers. Rental income goes toward an equipment maintenance fund and food grown is sold locally.
Salt Spring Island Agricultural Alliance
Agriculture infrastructure project ($50,000)
The Salt Spring Island Agriculture Infrastructure project is a community initiative that develops facilities for increasing capacity to produce, process and market food grown or raised on Salt Spring Island. This grant supports project coordination and planning for a number of initiatives.
United We Can
SOLEfood farm network ($44,000)
Building on SOLEfood's first year success with the half-acre site at the Astoria Hotel, and the demand for local food and meaningful jobs; this project supports a planned expansion of production sites and infrastructure. Commercial scale composting operations, a propagation facility, and a post-harvest facility for washing and distributing products are envisaged. The grant funds the management, equipment and infrastructure required.
Your Local Farmers Market Society
Local food connections ($44,000)
This initiative helps make connections and build capacity of producers and consumers in Vancouver's local food chain
among local farmers and food processors on the production side, and retail, foodservice buyers and the public, on the consumer side. The Local Food Connections project is aligned with the development of New City Market (NCM), a food hub for Vancouver. In 2011/2012, this project will build capacity on both sides of Vancouver's local food value chain to create a strong foundation for NCM.
Environmental Youth Alliance
Pollinators paradise ($40,000)
This project addresses the challenges bees are facing locally and globally by: educating a new generation of beekeepers; encouraging farmers & residents to foster healthy native and honeybee populations; and creating community awareness about the important role pollinators play in a sustainable agricultural system.
University of BC Farm Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Growing farmers: feeding the city ($39,000)
The Growing Farmers: Feeding the City project increases the UBC Farm Centre's capacity to train and support new farmers in sustainable food production practices, with the goal of increasing the diversity, quantity, and quality of sustainably-produced food available to urban dwellers in the Metro Vancouver region. The project diversifies the practical training provided and creates a support network.
Public Health Association of BC
Growing capacity through farm-to-school ($35,000)
This project establishes and diversifies markets for sustainable, locally grown food by creating a relationship between farms and schools in the Vancouver, Richmond, and West Vancouver school districts. Local farmers develop agreements with six schools to grow foods purchased by the school and prepared and served to students and staff on a cost recovery basis. Farmers, chefs, teachers, children, parents
whole communities benefit!
Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust
Multi-functional cover crops ($28,000)
Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust (DFWT) works with local farmers to establish 3,000+ acres of multi-functional cover crops in Delta to improve soil quality and provide habitat for wildlife, including migratory waterfowl and pollinating insects. The Winter Cover Crop Stewardship Program provides farmers with cost-share payments for establishing and maintaining cover crop vegetation on their fields.
Fraserside Community Services Society
Biggest little garden in town ($20,000)
The Biggest Little Garden in Town (BLGT) is a container garden project that teaches and encourages people who have limited access to land, how to grow vegetables. The program delivers a three-tiered cedar garden structure, with soil, gardening tools, plants, seeds and a BLGT handbook to each new member. BLGT is targeted, but not limited to, low income apartment dwellers.
