ABOUT US

Who we are

Cowichan Green Community (CGC) began in 2001 as an environmental-based community outreach project which was delivered under auspices of the Green Door Society. It was funded by the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, HRDC Targeted Wage Subsidies, the provincial BC ETeam and the Workplace Based Training Program. During this time, CGC opened a storefront environmental centre at 161 Jubilee Street in Duncan.

After successful completion of this project, CGC volunteers formed an informal committee and established CGC's 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.

In 2002, CGC moved to its present Craig Street location in Duncan's City Square and also accepted an invitation to join the Cowichan Community Land Trust Society (CCLT), where it operated as a committee of the CCLT until February 2004. In March of 2004 CGC was registered as a BC Society.

We have received thousands of people at our office and regularly engaged the public through outreach projects, media campaigns, school presentations, event booths and workshops. 

CGC volunteers and board members assist with fundraising, office staffing, workshops and day-to-day operations. Participating in numerous community meetings and networking with local service providers, our mantra has become 'where environment and community meet.'

Our Activities

At CGC, we very much support the concept of 'act locally, think globally'. We focus on issues that result from individual human activities and that, through personal choices, we can address and make positive change. These include (but are not limited to):

• Food Security (community gardens, growing your own food, fruit gleaning, buying local, others)
• Healthy, efficient housing (building sciences geared specifically to the Valley's temperate climate)
• Water conservation/water quality
• Sustainable gardening/landscaping (organics, native plants, xeriscaping, etc.)
• Natural-based household products (cleaners, detergents, etc.)
• Rural air quality
• Alternative transportation

In addition to the environment, we have found that many of the issues we address have broad social implications. For example, increasing local food security can improve the local economy, employment and skills development, and overall community health and safety. And by promoting cycling as a viable form of transportation, this helps make communities safer, enhances tourism, and improves physical fitness.

As a result, we found ourselves working extensively throughout the community with numerous agencies and community service providers on a range of issues where our interests overlapped. From this evolved our mantra: 'Where Environment and Community Meet'.