Our Mission, Our Vision, Our Values

Cowichan Green Community Society, (CGC) is a non-profit organization that has been focusing on environmental sustainability in the Cowichan Valley for over ten years. For the last five years CGC's mandate has revolved mainly around improving food security by developing strong relationships with local food producers and increasing urban and rural food production.

Areas of Expertise

CGC is a hub for community building and social innovation. Thanks to a dedicated team, we are capable of a wide range of skills and abilities and it shows in the work we do.

  • Policy
  • Education and workshops
  • Community initiatives
  • Events
  • Research
  • Social enterprise
  • Youth engagement

Our History

The Cowichan Green Community (CGC) began in 2001 as an environmental-based community outreach project which was supported by the Green Door Society. The CGC opened it's first storefront environmental centre at 161 Jubilee Street in Duncan, B.C. CGC’s passionate volunteers then formed an informal committee and established CGC's original mandate: to promote energy efficiency, healthy housing and environmental sustainability in the Cowichan Valley. Financed solely by their efforts, they continued to operate the centre for almost a year.

Our Blog

Climate Action In My Backyard
I was 15 when I first started learning about climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. It was an exciting time, albeit slightly frightening. If my...
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9 weeks 8 hours ago

From the desk of our Canada World Youth
From Charlotte (Hometown: Quebec, Quebec) The CWY Nampula-Cowichan program will end pretty soon, too soon. We are now done our GMO project and are...
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11 weeks 1 day ago

Our Projects

The Food Chain: Emergency Food DirectoryWelcome to "The Food Chain," our listing of emergency food providers in the Cowichan Valley. Many of these provide free food and other services for those in need. If you would like your organization/activity listed on this site, or have a suggestion, please contact us. These listings can also be viewed as printable maps. Choose from the list below to see a map of emergency food providers closest to you. Chemainus Duncan Ladysmith Lake Cowichan Shawnigan Lake  
Preserve the Harvest: A Workshop Series2011 Preserve the Harvest Workshop Series Join the Cowichan Green Community (CGC) for their third annual preservation workshop series, “Preserving the Harvest.”  In this series of four  workshops, participants will learn the basics to food preservation techniques including canning jam and jelly, canning fruits and vegetables, storage and dehydration, and pickling.  This will be a great opportuntiy for individuals to learn how to increase their consupmtion of local foods and to enjoy the fruits of the harvest throughout the year!
Faces Behind the Map
Seed Literacy CampaignSeeds are the starting point for most of our food and yet, how many of us could grow even the simplest plant from seed? How many of us know how to collect the seeds to start with? Or could explain why they’re important to our community’s food security, or the significance of who produces them? These are some of the questions to be explored through the Seed Literacy Campaign.     
2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food MapThe 2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food Maps are hot off the press!This year yet another 10,000 copies of the 2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan food map have been published and will be distributed throughout our region, reaching both residents and tourists alike. The 2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food Map is a valuable resource for consumers looking to source locally grown products from the Cowichan Valley as well as a direct marketing tool for farms in the Cowichan Region. The map showcases our region's abundance of local farms and other food producers and helps create a stronger connection between consumers and producers helping to promote a vibrant local food culture. From Cedar all the way down to Shawnigan Lake, the 2011 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Cowichan Food Map lists 72 producers selling everything from Dungeness crab and sunchokes, to value-added products like ancient-method balsamic vinegar and pickled beets. Many of last year’s farms are listed, and the directory also includes several new producers, some of whom are farming commercially for their first season. The map also directs people to interesting agri-tourism events, and unique value-added food products not found anywhere else.Come pick up your copy today and start grocery shopping the local way!
Creating an Edible Winter WonderlandWithout proper nutrition or access to sufficient healthy food, people face countless difficulties. Children cannot learn productively; people are more prone to diseases; it becomes difficult to break the poverty cycle; employment can be compromised, and our homeless population is prone to further risks.In the Cowichan Valley there is a need to increase urban food production. With funding provided through the Skills Link “Employability Skills through Community Service” program we will endevour to not only provide valuable life skills for youth, but also engage in a community project that will provide increased access to local, nutritious, fresh food which will benefit the residents in a local neighbourhood.This neighbourhood will be assessed and researched to determine six locations that will then be provided with vegetable-growing gardens. This will include the construction of garden beds and compost units, rainwater collection, and fruit and nut trees, all based on the principles of permaculture.The Edible Winter Wonderland project will create a working example of a neighborhood in which residents are engaged in creating their own food security and land use sustainability. This will make both the neighbourhood and the project a leader in innovative land use practice, and due to the smaller scale it would be accessible and replicable.  By its very nature, permaculture is designed to be self-sustaining and low-maintenance, therefore increasing the sustainability and longevity of the edible neighbourhood.
Climate Change Although there was not a lot of public discussion about it at the time, the CGC began promoting the issue of global climate change back in 2001.
Outdoor Air Quality
Indoor Air QualityThe Cowichan Valley’s temperate climate presents a number of challenges to our housing. Adding to this is the growth in housing-related health and environmental concerns over the last few decades.
Healthy HousingThere are countless complex chemicals and compounds used in the home that are questionable for both the health of the environment and the health of human beings. 
Alexander School Community GardenDrive by Alexander Elementary School these days and you'll notice something is going on behind the dyke. Tractors have started raising a large area with fill in preparation of the edible playspace that will begin sprouting this Fall. In partnership with the Municipality of North Cowichan, Cowichan Valley School District 79, Cowichan Family Life Association, James Street Neighbourhood Association and Safer Futures, Cowichan Green Community is constructing a community garden that will incorporate play space with food production.  With input from the community, CGC will convert lawnspace at Alexander Elementary school into an edible play space for the children and the surrounding neighbourhood. This is making a dream come true that has been a part of the community’s vision for almost 5 years! This beautiful and welcoming garden will create a space for people of all ages to congregate, provide educational opportunities about urban gardening, harvesting and food preservation, and provide local, fresh, sustainably grown food for the school’s lunch program and neighbouring families. Consultations with the community will begin this Fall with design and construction taking place from October thru April, just in time for Spring planting!Stay tuned for regular updates on this project.
2011 Wild Food WalksJoin local wild foods experts for a six-part diverse walking series throughout the Cowichan Valley focused on fresh air, light exercise and wild foods! Did you know that adding local wild edibles to our diets can feed us much-needed vitamins, minerals and enzymes? Wild edibles, which can include fruits, mushrooms, greens, and flowers, are free for the taking and are often more nutritious than many store bought fruits and vegetables. Not only are wild foods nourishing, but learning the local edible plants in your neighborhood is an empowering experience. To be able to forage plants and know why they are beneficial will bring you closer to your local ecology and improve your understanding of the Valley's ecosystems. (Please note that some walks may be "look only" depending on the protected status of the areas we are in.) 2011 WILD FOOD WALKS SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Walk #1 - Thursday, June 30th, McAdam Park - Roger FoucherWalk #2 - Friday, July 8th, Eves Park - Genevieve SingletonWalk #3 - Saturday, July 16th, Wildwood, Jay RastogiWalk #4 - Wednesday, July 20th, Deerholme Farm - Bill JonesWalk #5 - Friday, July 29th, Stoltz Pools - Genevieve SingletonWalk #6 - Wednesday, August 10th, Mayo Creek Gardens - Ingeborg Woodsworth

Our Staff


Debra Cebula

Amanda Reimer

Kevin Bell

Kristi Tomlin

John Milne

Heather Kaye

Vanessa Goodall

Jason Greenwood

Alyssa Loucks

Jason Young

Brenda Brown

Emily Doyle-Yamaguchi

Judy Stafford

Our Board


Alan Philip

Alison Garnett

Alistair MacGregor

Amy Luck

Beverly Suderman

Josh Heath

Kate Miller

Kelly Hays

Sarah Mathison