Our Social Enterprises
Ceres Edible Landscaping
From consultation to installation, Ceres can provide you with an innovative permaculture garden design that mimics nature. We offer natural pest control and sustainable water management, as well as all-natural garden care.
Community Mapping Group
We make maps. All kinds of maps and really good ones too! From showcasing your region, to representing technical research information, to guiding dog owners to the nearest leash-free park and everything in between, the Community Mapping Group is prepared to create your vision.

Upcoming Events

Seedy Saturday 2012
 "All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today".Come celebrate the diversity of seed at the Cowichan Green Community's 4th...
March 24, 2012 - 10:00am - 3:00pm

We have a lot more events then this. See our events page for a full listing of our events.

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
Farm to School About Farm to School Close your eyes for a moment and imagine schools throughout our community bursting with students who are glowing with a healthy vibrancy and new-found energy thanks to fresh, nutritious food that is grown right here in our Valley. Imagine those children going to farms to pick crunchy carrots from dark, rich soil, and getting excited about eating curly red and purple lettuce. Across the province, communities are having such dreams and are sprouting Farm to School Programs in their schools. Growing from an initiative of the Public Health Association of BC in 2008, the Farm to School program now operates in 24 communities. Farm to School Program`s main goal is To offer a school meal program that provides fresh, nutritious, local and sustainably grown food to students.
FruitSave The picked fruit is then divided among the tree owner, the picker and the food bank.  Organizing volunteers to harvest urban fruit trees and share the fruit with the community The FruitSave Project is a local gleaning program that organizes volunteers to harvest backyard fruit that would otherwise go to waste.  This naturally grown fruit is shared equally between the homeowner, the pickers, and the Valley’s many food banks and community kitchens.  FruitSave Canning & Preserving Workshops are held in the late summer to help teach the community how to enjoy the harvest all year long.
Car ShareAbout the Cowichan Car Share Already a Member, login here The Cowichan Green Community Car Share is a new way for individuals living in the Cowichan Valley to own a car. People who wish to save money on their transportation costs join the carshare group to jointly own vehicles with others.  >save money, especially if you drive less than 10, 000 km per year>leave behind vehicle repairs and maintenance costs>reduce your carbon emissions>help cut down on traffic congestion Get access to Victoria CarShare vehicles We have signed a reciprocal agreement with the Victoria Car Share Cooperative letting members of the Cowichan CarShare use cars from their fleet of 18 vehicles.   How the Cowichan CarShare works: Booking a Car You can book by phone or online to reserve a car for a particular time. Book for an hour, several hours, or even several days- it's yours to use as you need it!  Finding the Car The CarShare vehicle is parked in a central location close to public transit. The car key is in a lock box, which is accessible to members 24 hours a day.
Food Security Map    Food Security Mapping Project  What is Food Security? Food security exists when ALL members of our community have access to enough nutritious, safe, ecologically sustainable, and culturally appropriate food at all times. Project Summary Agriculture has long been a part of the Cowichan Valley’s identity; however, our ability to buy local and nutritious food that supports our economy is of significant concern. Not only are we heavily dependent on food imports, but many of our friends, families, neighbours and community members are unable to access local and/or high quality food that, in turn, supports the residents of the Cowichan Valley.In response to our region's growing food insecurity, Cowichan Green Community has initiated the Food Security Mapping Project. Through extensive community research on local food production and consumption in the Cowichan Valley, including where it is grown, processed and sold, the Food Security Mapping Project will provide a clearer picture of the opportunities and challenges we face in becoming more food secure.  The main deliverables of this project are:
Food CharterFood security exists when ALL members of our community have access to enough nutritious, safe, ecologically sustainable, and culturally appropriate food at all times. The VisionOur food system will be economically viable and ecologically sustainable; our community will grow, harvest, process, preserve, and distribute food to all of its members while minimizing waste.  A thriving local food culture that celebrates eating locally and eating together will support us in living healthier, happier, and richer lives - connected to the land, to growers, and to each other.We have a collective obligation to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient, high-quality food; For Cowichan to thrive, local farmers and food producers must earn a good and fair living;Food security requires cooperation and communication between the community, farmers, and all levels of local government.
Community GardensCGC recognizes the importance that backyard and community food production plays in environmental sustainability. Community gardens provide: A way for the community to come together An opportunity to meet other members of the community and make friends Gives garden space to people who don't have access to space (including fantastic soil) An exchange of information: e.g. how to grow food, weed identification, alternative ways of growing An affordable and extremely healthy food source Past projects include Jubilee Community Garden, which would not have been possible without the generous support of various community groups, local businesses and government. Jubilee Garden is located at the North end of Centennial park and is now overseen by the Jubilee Garden Group.  Following the success of this project came the building of Kinsmen Park Neighborhood Community Garden and the ongoing development of Warmland House Community Garden.  Current Projects Kinsmen Park Neighborhood Community Garden Warmland House Community Garden 
Food Security Plan 
What is HomeCowichan Green Community is very pleased to be joining with the Cowichan Intercultural Society in their very exciting initiative: Welcome: Activating Our Stories - Creating our Home.   CIS has gathered 30 community leaders—artists, facilitators, non-profit service workers, and government representatives from across the Cowichan Region—who are coordinating multiculturalism projects which will inspire community members to participate in civic actions.
Grow a RowDedicate one row in your vegetable garden for the food bank. Plant a Row • Grow a Row has a number of objectives:
Narrowing the GapYou can download Local Agri-Food: Supply and Demand - Narrowing the Gap “Snapshot Project” here. Executive Summary The Local Agri-Food: Supply and Demand - Narrowing the Gap project was developed to enhance market development of food grown in the Cowichan Valley.