The Hive

Organic Urban Agriculture Demonstration Site

Through hard work and community support, LifeCycles employees and volunteers turned a degraded peice of land into an urban agriculture demonstration site.

The Hive's mission was to cultivate a beautiful organic demonstration garden and to share the knowledge and skills that will inspire and nurture a diversity of people to create their own gardens and to learn more about the environmental, social and economic effects of their daily food choices.

At "The Hive", bees were our tour mascots as they are vital to pollination and growth of plants. They give us insight into the many interactions which exist in a healthy, balanced garden ecosystem.

Through informative signs and interactive displays the garden demonstrated organic growing techniques such as companion planting, crop rotation, soil amendments and pest control. It also featured water conservation, mulching, and space saving methods, as well as a pond, a greenhouse and composting facilities.

Why Grow Your Own Organic Food?

Our daily food choices have a huge social, economic and environmental impact locally and globally. Non- organic vegetables from the grocery store are grown with herbicides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers which can harm our bodies and the environment. In our own gardens we can grow nutritious vegetables using environmentally sound practices. Gardening organically helps to create healthy backyard ecosystems. It promotes seed and plant diversity, conserves water and creates habitat for a number of plant and animal species. Organic gardening also works to create fertile soil which can yield bountiful crops year after year.

The average fruit or vegetable in B.C. travels 1400 km. Transport of produce burns fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource, and creates carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming. Through growing our own food at home, we help to cut down on these emissions. Gardening also gives us access to fresh produce which is tasty and nutritious. Gardening is an enjoyable activity for people of all ages and walks of life. It's fun, fulfilling, work that gets us outside.

The Hive Supporters

Thank you to the following local businesses:

• C&F Landscape and Gravel Mart, Celebration Seeds,
• Do-It Center, Kindwood, Saltspring Seeds, Stellar Seeds,
• Trio Gravel Mart, West Coast Seeds

Thank you to our funders:

• Environment Canada - Eco-Action
• Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC)
• VanCity
• Vancouver Foundation
• Victoria Foundation
• Youth Services Canada