Tag: Concordia greenhouse

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News

Concordia’s greenhouse announces temporary closure

Students will have until February to take advantage of Concordia Greenhouse before they temporarily close in February. Photo by Emma Megelas / The Concordian.

The greenhouse organized a photography event for students to capture the final moments of the space.

The Concordia Greenhouse announced on Jan. 9 that the beloved space will be closed temporarily from February 2024 until early next year. The decision to temporarily close the space  was made to allow the removal of “decommissioned equipment and asbestos from mechanical rooms in the Henry F. Hall (H) building,” according to their website. 

While the downtown location is being renovated, alternative places for the greenhouse will be installed temporarily in the Terrebonne (TA/TB) building and the People’s Potato community garden at Loyola. The team is also hoping for temporary offices to be installed in the downtown campus, although no location has been secured yet.

The university approached the greenhouse team at the end of November to announce that the greenhouse would need to temporarily close, giving them only three months to clear the space before renovations begin. 

To celebrate and honour the space before it closes, the greenhouse held a “Capture the Moment: Concordia Greenhouse Farewell Photography” event where students were invited to show off their photography and video skills and document the space’s beauty.

Dominique Smith, the greenhouse engagement coordinator who has worked with the space for a year, decided to hold this event to showcase the diversity of the space’s use and keep its memory alive while it’s being renovated.

“[The event] shows how versatile the space is,” said Smith. “You want to promote this to the university so they can treat it more as an academic space rather than just the extra space,” said Smith.

After the administration met with the greenhouse, Smith gave them a tour of the greenhouse in an attempt to present the importance of the space. While he does not fault the university for closing down the greenhouse, it was important for him that the university understand both its significance and the proper measures needed to protect it.

“I felt like it was very important to have them up here to experience what students experience, so they know what they’re temporarily closing down or how to properly find us a new home,” said Smith.

Yoditte Woder, a first-year art education student, heard about the greenhouse closure from a friend in the geography department. They said that they felt a strong connection to the greenhouse immediately, even if they had only discovered it recently.

“‘I come [to the greenhouse], especially during the winter, to lift my spirits, get connected with nature in any way that I can. I just find this place to be really comforting and the place where I can focus and get my work done,” said Woder. “So, knowing that it’s not going to be here for the next year is kind of upsetting.” 

As sad as Woder felt when they heard the space was closing for a while, they knew it was going to be for the best since the greenhouse is set to return in better shape than before. 

The space is known to be more than just a place to grow and care for plants, it’s a wellness space where students can reconnect with themselves, study in peace, and relieve their stress.

“I think that there is that option to socialize and interact with others around you, but it also feels like you’re very much immersed in your own [world],” said Woder. “I also just love the sounds of the water running and just feeling the life around the space.”

The greenhouse plans to do a liquidation sale on their plants to give as many as they can to good homes before relocating the rest to their new temporary locations. The team is currently in contact with specialized moving services to help relocate their larger plants. No official date has been set yet.

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Community Student Life

Concordia’s Greenhouse

Greenhouse pond room. Thomas Vaillancourt/THE CONCORDIAN

The 13th floor: a little hidden gem of paradise.

Did you know that Concordia University has its very own greenhouse? It was opened in 1966 when the Hall Building was built.

This hidden gem located at the downtown campus is a little hard to find at first. But once you start seeing the painted plants on the walls of the stairwell leading you up to the 13th floor, you’ll know you are going in the right direction

.

Dominique Smith, the outreach and communications coordinator of the Greenhouse, gave The Concordian all the ins and outs of this space.

“I became the outreach coordinator a couple of months ago. The Greenhouse is a collection of different working groups that make up the community. Essentially, we are the people who create the agriculture community through workshops, volunteer hours and the staff that upkeeps the space,” Smith said.

He explained that his job at the Greenhouse is to work with all the different working groups that occupy the space, those groups being HydroFlora, Co-Op CultivAction, City Farm School and more.

Smith is also working on creating a vlog to explain the projects of those working groups, almost like a farmer’s almanac. 

Smith emphasized that The Greenhouse as a whole is a collective space. 

The staff at the Greenhouse, in partnership with HydroFlora, have brought back the Greenhouse to its pre-pandemic state. 

“We came together to revamp the atrium spaces. So you have the front atrium which has always been available for students to rent or study in. Now we have a pond room that students are able to rent or study in as well,” Smith explained. 

Smith explained how the layout of the Greenhouse is organized.

If one walks to the back of the Greenhouse, they can see all the sections where the different working groups such as CultivAction grow food for the HIVE cafes at Concordia University. 

HydroFlora is the working group that helps maintain the house plants in the Greenhouse. They also give classes and provide students with job opportunities.

Not only is the Greenhouse a collective space for the working groups, it’s also a space to give workshops and classes.

“All these different working groups try to give students here at Concordia an entrance into the agricultural world. Sometimes it’s hard being high up and technically kind of far away from the ground floor,” Smith said. 

Although the Greenhouse is a great initiative at Concordia, Smith stressed that the space is very finite and can’t accommodate a lot of people at once. 

So if you are at the downtown campus, feel free to give the Greenhouse a visit but make sure not to take too many friends with you or else you won’t be able to get a seat.

Photographs by Thomas Vaillancourt/THE CONCORDIAN

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Student Life

Go green in urban areas year-round

Find the resources to start a small garden and optimize your growing space

Gardening is tough manual work, especially when you are living within the cityscape of Montreal. Surrounded by concrete and limited green-space, attempting to plant vegetables can be restraining. Last Wednesday, the Concordia Greenhouse offered a compromise for those who live the city life but still crave natural produce.

On Jan. 30, the “Grow Your Own Food Year-Round” event, led by Urban Homestead Montreal, gave a presentation about public resources and areas to harvest edible greens. Sheena Swirlz, coordinator for the organization, taught various tips and tricks to approach interior and exterior food cultivation.

On the 13th floor of the Hall building, Concordia students and Montreal residents were invited to discuss various methods to start their own small-space indoor and outdoor, year-round gardens. Surrounded by hanging foliage within the glass structure, Swirlz spoke about seasonal harvesting and explained the beneficial outcomes of gardening, when done effectively.

Swirlz delved into sprouting and microgreens, hydroponics, window farming, and more. While adapting to the seasons, gardening in the city can seem daunting: “I think people think that it’s simple […] but, in the beginning, there’s a lot of set-ups, a lot of research to optimize your growing systems,” Swirlz explained.

Swirlz highlighted that a garden can be personalized. “In my garden, I almost exclusively grow things that you can’t generally find. So, I’ll grow things like cucamelons, which are these little things that look like miniature watermelons, but they taste like cucumbers. They look like little mouth-watermelons. So adorable!”

Urban Homestead Montreal hosted their event in the Concordia Greenhouse on the 13th floor of the Hall building. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

When planting in the spring, whether indoors or outdoors, Swirlz recommends Swiss chard and kale or hearty herbs like parsley, oregano, and mint, all of which regrow every year. For Swirlz, Swiss chard and kale are the go-to vegetables “because they are super easy to grow, [and] they’re not prone to pests as much as other things, they’re extremely nutrient rich.”

Swirlz mentioned that during the spring season, people can be introduced to wild harvesting by getting involved with various Montreal organizations and plant shops that will take you on foraging walks. Neumark Design, Naughty Nettles Medicinals and Myco Boutique all offer plant-identifying workshops and activities. During these walks, you can forage for edibles like fiddleheads, morel mushrooms, dandelions and stinging nettles.

According to Swirlz, gardening can bring communities together, all while offering a self-reliant lifestyle. “It’s like knitting and baking. It’s to make people feel better. It does feel good to do things with our hands,” she said. “Gardening really connects us with plants, makes us feel like we’re part of nature again, and it makes people feel better.”

During the winter, growing mushrooms or germinating your own sprouts indoors are some of the most exciting and cost-effective ways to cultivate during the cold months.

Martha Martinez, a Concordia student and event attendee, thought the topic of mushrooms was the most interesting of Swirlz’s presentation. “It’s something that we eat a lot where I live with my family. We don’t buy shiitake every week. That is an expensive kind of mushroom.”

Swirlz enjoys planting indoors during her free time and prefers this cheap alternative compared to always shopping at grocery stores. “It is a way of saying, ‘No more capitalizing on food.’ Being able to feed your family and being able to have food on your table should not be a business,” she said.

Feature photo by Alex Hutchins

Categories
Student Life

Potting up with Grand Potager

Grand Potager is an urban agricultural centre in Verdun that brought new life to the district’s municipal greenhouses. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

A second breath of life for Verdun greenhouses

Two years ago, a group of people from the farmers market in Verdun decided to revitalize local greenhouses. This idea has sprouted into what is now Grand Potager, an urban agricultural centre in the district’s municipal greenhouses. Grand Potager has spent the last few years revamping local greenhouses as a way to give back to their surrounding community.
Lia Chiasson, co-founder of Grand Potager, explained that she and a group of people were walking alongside riverbanks with unused greenhouses and felt they had to do something. “One person talked to another who talked to another and that’s how the project was born,” said Chiasson. She explained that, because greenhouses are municipal property, although they submitted their district application in the fall of 2016, it wasn’t until 2018 that they were able to launch their pilot year. Grand Potager currently consists of twelve members.
According to Grand Potager’s website, the centre promotes urban agriculture—or growing food in a city setting and distributing it within local food systems. “Our goals are also forming social ties in gardening altogether,” said Chiasson. Grand Potager positively impacts the fabric of their community by bridging communication between other organizations working out of the Verdun greenhouses, local residents, and the municipal borough.

Clementines in full-bloom at the Grand Potager greenhouses in Verdun. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

Chiasson explained that, while people from the neighbourhood frequent the greenhouses more often, everybody is welcome. “It’s a beautiful place near the river,” she said. “It’s perfect to do some workshops, conferences, harvest.” She also said that different people need different amounts of land for their gardens, and that they’ll do their best to accommodate that. “We have to meet the needs of all.”
Grand Potager is a vector of food security for its patrons, which are mostly local farmers. “We’re offering organic and local products of a good quality to our members. With this food security, we also teach [members] about vegetables, how they grow, where [they are] from. It allows [them] to develop culinary knowledge,” said Chiasson. Grand Potager offers many weekly events, both to Verdun residents and the general public. According to their website, the centre participates in the Verdun farmers market every week and occasionally partners up with other agricultural centres, like the Concordia Greenhouse. Chiasson said kids are more than welcome, and that a few schools near Verdun arranged for their students to visit and discover the greenhouses.

Grand Potager will be hosting their Harvest Party Friday, Oct. 12 in the Verdun greenhouses at 7000 Boulevard LaSalle, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Photo by Mackenzie Lad.

This system allows for a sustainable environment and, thanks to cleverly thought-out spacing and creative garden construction, Verdun is slowly turning green. “With our plans, we reduce heat islands, so we reduce greenhouse gases,” said Chiasson. “It’s also a sustainable economic view. The local market is a business incubator for emerging companies. It can help to develop their projects in greenhouses, also linked to food security.”

The next step for Grand Potager is to acquire more greenhouses, reorganize them to optimize their greenspace, and ultimately, welcome a larger community.

For more information about how you can get involved with Grand Potager and become a member, visit their website grandpotager.ca.

The Grand Potager Harvest Party is on Friday, Oct. 12. in the greenhouses at 7000 Boulevard LaSalle, Verdun, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Feature image by Mackenzie Lad.

Categories
Student Life

Slice of Life: Growing sustainability

Graphic by @spooky_soda.

Check out Concordia’s Farmers Market for all things organic and local

Did you know Concordia has a farmers’ market? I didn’t until just last week. Crazy, right? I literally could not believe that locally-sourced, organic veggies, snacks and so many other handmade products were being sold right at school. The Concordia Farmers’ Market (CFM) takes place every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second floor mezzanine of the Hall building.

An Instagram post made by the CFM on Aug. 7 indicates that their location moved to the corner of Mackay St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. that week, so it would be wise to follow them on social media in case of any future location changes (see below). The CFM is supported by many on-campus organizations such as the Concordia Greenhouse, Concordia Food Coalition (CFA), Sustainable Concordia, Concordia Student Union (CSU) and Sustainable Action Fund (SAF).

According to an article from November 2014 on the university’s website, the idea of an on-campus farmer’s market started with two anthropology students. After an inspirational trip through the Costa Rican countryside, Kasha Paprocki and Alejandra Melian-Morse decided to start a recurring farmers’ market with the help of some volunteers “as part of an internship course on social economy, supervised by Satoshi Ikeda,” said the same article. During their first market on Oct. 29, 2014, 500 people came by. Melian-Morse is still the CFM’s project leader.

On the CFM’s Facebook page, you can find all kinds of affordable, organic veggies that cycle out depending on the harvest season. Other goodies from urban farms and greenhouses such as the Concordia Greenhouse, the City Farm School at Loyola, and Jardins Autonomnes can be found at the market as well. “It is also a great place to get gifts and lunch from,” the same page reads. They have everything from herbal teas to chemical-free, zero-waste shampoos, handmade beaded jewelry to a range of honey bee products—all offered at relatively affordable prices.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ll definitely be checking out what’s in season over the next few weeks at the CFM. The best part about doing even a portion of your shopping there—aside from the convenience of it being on campus—is that you’d be supporting small businesses and local food distribution networks in Montreal. This ultimately contributes to a more sustainable economy, something I think all of us can get behind.

Follow the CFM on Instagram @concordiafarmersmarket

Feature graphic by @spooky_soda

Categories
Student Life

Growing nature in small containers

A large crowd of Concordia students gathered for HydroFlora’s first workshop at the Concordia Greenhouse. Photo by Kirubel Mehari

HydroFlora teaches the how-tos of hydroponics at Concordia Greenhouse

“Creating nature in a small container, that’s what [hydroponics] is all about,” said Dominique Smith, the founder of HydroFlora, to sum up a Hydroponics 101 workshop he gave on Jan. 10. HydroFlora is a Concordia group devoted to developing sustainable alternatives to large, intensive farming practices. The group offers a whole hydroponics curriculum to students in the form of workshops offered throughout the semester.

HydroFlora’s interns also meet on a weekly basis to plan these educational workshops and develop hydroponic techniques, which they practice in the Concordia Greenhouse. The greenhouse, where HydroFlora’s first workshop of the year took place, was filled with students eager to learn about the basics of hydroponics, a method of growing plants without soil. The air was filled with a mixture of scents, like lavender, and students stood among various plants, including banana and grapefruit trees.

According to Melissa Donnelly, an intern at HydroFlora and a Concordia anthropology major, the self-funded group sells succulents and cacti at the Hall building market every Wednesday. Donnelly takes part in growing these increasingly popular plants by molding their cement pots.“Hydroponics is a way of going back to your grassroots, literally,” Smith said during the workshop. He explained that just placing flowers in a vase full of water is essentially hydroponic; there is no need for any nutrient solution.

Dominique Smith, the founder of HydroFlora, began the workshop by explaining the fundamentals of how to grow plants without soil. Photos by Kirubel Mehari

Smith began the workshop by introducing the Kratky method of hydroponics. This method works best with leafy greens, such as lettuce or a spider plant. In any type of container, a leaf or the base of the plant is stabilized in water using foam or by cutting a hole in the lid, if the container has one. This way, the plant receives all of the ingredients it needs: water, oxygen and light. Smith added that one shouldn’t forget about the essential ingredients “love and patience” when growing plants.

After a few days, depending on the plant, the roots will begin to grow. “You leave it there and it does its thing,” Smith said. He explained that stabilizing the plant allows its roots to grow naturally, and the container can just be left by a window. “It’s simple and clean,” he added. The roots can tell you a lot about the plant itself, Smith explained. If they are white and hairy-looking, it means the plant is receiving enough water and oxygen. If multiple plants were placed in the same container and their roots have a yellow tint to them, however, it most likely indicates the plants are competing for nutrients.

Following the workshop, Smith gave a tour of the greenhouse’s more elaborate hydroponic set-up. Water circulates through a pipe system for irrigation, and the plants are grown in Smith’s homemade compost, which replaces typical soil. The compost is made out of coffee grinds which contain nitrates, banana peels which secrete potassium, and ground up eggshells which provide calcium—all important nutrients for plant growth, Smith explained. Although this method of hydroponics is more elaborate, the main idea is there—you can grow plants without soil.

For more information on HydroFlora and their work at Concordia visit: https://www.hydrofloraconcordia.com.

Categories
Student Life

Embracing cheesy alternatives

Sheena Swirlz, the Concordia Greenhouse services programming coordinator, hosted a workshop on how to make plant-based cheeses.

Concordia Greenhouse workshops teach students how to make plant-based cheeses

From creamy cashew cheese to silky nacho dip and crumbly parmesan, students can learn how to make plant-based cheeses on Jan. 19, a workshop hosted by Sheena Swirlz, the services and programming coordinator for the Concordia Greenhouse.

“Cashews, lemon juice, salt, water and a bit of herbs, and that’s all you need to make animal-free, gluten-free parmesan,” Swirlz said at her most recent workshop, held at the greenhouse.

Since becoming vegan 16 years ago, Swirlz has created a website and hosted workshops to share easy recipes for vegan alternatives to many people’s favourite foods. At her workshops, she goes through the steps it takes to make all sorts of flavourful cheeses using simple ingredients. Among the recipes she has shared are a blue cheese dip, parmesan, nacho cheese sauce, cashew cheese and tofu ricotta.

Making each type of non-dairy cheese involves only four or five easy steps. Ingredients such as almond milk, cashews, nutritional yeast and spices can be used to create dips and cheeses that are spreadable, meltable or grateable—all without dairy. Rich in vitamins, cashews add a creamy and nutty flavour, Swirlz explained, while nutritional yeast helps give the cheese its “cheesy” taste and yellowish colour.

According to Swirlz, the only downside to homemade, plant-based cheese is the same as dairy cheese—it requires patience to properly ferment and develop the cheese’s smooth texture.

“Some vegan cheeses are sold for around $13 at the store, but if you make it yourself, it will cost you about $3,” she said. Swirlz explained that some people are skeptical about veganism because they think it’s costly, while others are unwilling to sacrifice the foods they love, although she insisted they don’t have to.

“You can find all of these ingredients right next door at Le Frigo Vert, the anti-capitalist food store,” Swirlz said. With veganism growing in popularity, she reassured those at the workshop that healthy eating has never been as simple and cheap as it is today.

“I chose to be vegan for animal ethics, and I honestly find it very simple because it just becomes a way of living, a lifestyle,” said Stephanie Plamondon, an organizer of the Montreal Vegan Festival, who attended the workshop on Jan. 12. “Once you have the vegan staples in your pantry, you’re good to go.”

“I’m probably the last person in this room to turn vegan, but this cheese is pretty damn good,” said Carl Bérubé, a workshop attendee, as he sunk a second nacho chip into the nutritional yeast cheese dip. Swirlz’s recipes seemed to please the crowd, many of whom said they heard from others that the cheese tasted delicious and were encouraged to attend the workshop, despite their varying palettes and diets.

Regardless of whether attendees were lactose intolerant, animal lovers or cheese fanatics, the takeaway was the same—homemade vegan cheese is not only delicious, but good for you, your pocket and the environment.

“I want to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle through diet,” Swirlz said. “For the environment and for the treatment of animals in Canada.”

For full recipes and information about upcoming workshops, check out Swirlz’s Facebook page or visit her website.

Photo by Sandra Hercegova

Categories
Concordia Student Union News

CSU to demand academic amnesty at next senate meeting

Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar

The student union is also proposing to increase the fee levy of Concordia Greenhouse

Academic amnesty and increasing the Concordia Greenhouse fee levy were discussed at the CSU monthly meeting on March 8.

The CSU decided they would demand academic amnesty from the senate for students who might have missed classes in the days following the bomb threat that was made on March 1 targeting the school’s Muslim community. The targeted buildings were evacuated and no bombs were found on-site after an SPVM search. That afternoon, Concordia president Alan Shepard sent a letter to all students saying classes would resume for the rest of the week. “For students whose classes and exams were affected by the evacuations, or if you have other concerns about completing your coursework or exams, please speak with your professor. I hope that professors will be flexible in light of this very unusual situation,” he wrote in his letter.

While the CSU appreciated the gesture the university made by sending this letter, they did not feel it was enough. “It was a nice statement—the [intention] was there but they didn’t go farther,” said Sophia Sahrane, the CSU’s academic and advocacy coordinator. She told The Concordian the student union will try to convince the university senate during their next meeting on March 17 to request amnesty from all departments. “The students cannot just hope that professors will understand. They need to know that, if professors refuse to give them academic amnesty, they have different resources to protect them,” said Sahrane. “Having this academic amnesty ensures students that they have alternatives and that they should feel comfortable about not going to class if they don’t feel good about it.”

According to Sahrane, the only department at the university that have offered academic amnesty so far is the department of Geography, Planning and Environment. “They have sent out a notice to all of their teachers and faculties to not count the absences from March 1 to 3,” she said.

During the meeting, the CSU also passed a motion stating they will be presenting a motion at the Greenhouse’s annual election to increase the Concordia Greenhouse fee levy. Sahrane, who presented the motion, is proposing to increase the fee levy from 12 cents per credit to 24 cents.

“They are having issues with their facilities, but also offer twice as many services as they used to when they initially started,” said Sahrane. She said she believes it would be a great investment. According to her, the Greenhouse has been providing extra services and without ever asking for a fee levy increase. “This increase is to ensure that they can keep going and that their [needs are] answered.”

Students are allowed to use the Greenhouse space to study, for group work and they can also buy plants and seeds. “They also offer internships depending on the students’ needs. It’s a very diverse group that is providing a lot for its community,” Sahrane said.

Categories
News

A new year for Concordia’s Greenhouse

Concordia Greenhouse. Photo by Nelly Serandour-Amar.

A look at the different events that the Greenhouse has in store for students

The Concordia Greenhouse is a relaxing place to get in touch with nature and greenery. Located on the 13th floor of the Hall building, the Greenhouse welcomes volunteers and students are looking for a place to study, a place to socialize or a place to learn about environmental sustainability.

The Greenhouse executives are preparing for a busy year with many different events and special activities. Sheena Swirlz, the Greenhouse services and programming coordinator, said they will be hosting two weekly volunteering sessions, one on Mondays, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the other on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. At these weekly meetings, volunteers are taught how to grow vegetables and take care of plants. “By coming to these meetings, it’s a great way to learn new skills,” said Swirlz. These sessions are open to anyone at anytime, with no experience required.

Swirlz said there are three plant sales being organized throughout the year—one scheduled for October, one in the winter and one in May. At these plant sales, the Greenhouse will be selling low-light houseplants, which are well-adapted for the environment of a Montreal apartment, she said.

Swirlz said there will be events happening three to four times per week this year at the Greenhouse. “We would like to host events in which people learn how to make a terrarium, grow decorative and edible plants and finally, a series of permaculture projects,” Swirlz said. These projects will introduce the concept of permaculture to the Greenhouse visitors, which is a sustainable way to develop an agricultural ecosystem. “We also have a Halloween dance party coming up in the Greenhouse.” The Greenhouse space can also be booked for presentations and concerts.

The Greenhouse also offers four internship programs: a Four Seasons Growing; House Plants and Atrium Garden; Media and Outreach; and Farmers’ Market Stand. “We just started our first round of interns for this semester and will start looking for new ones in December,” said Swirlz. The applications will be posted on their website. These internships are open to anyone with a passion to growing their own food or plants. With this opportunity, students will be able to gain experience, learn new techniques, improve skills, help with different useful projects and even be able to put their experience time on their co-curricular record, Swirlz said.

You can visit the Concordia Greenhouse on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and try some of their ecologically-grown food available at the Frigo Vert, at 1440 Mackay Street.

Categories
News

Students to vote on Greenhouse fee levy

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

The Concordia Greenhouse Project is reaching out to students by asking for the approval of a fee levy in hopes of securing a budget in the wake of potential closure.

The Greenhouse is asking that students approve a 12 cents per credit fee levy in a referendum this month to provide funding for a wealth of services and locally grown veggies on the 13th floor of the Hall building and several community gardens.

While the Greenhouse has been around for 50 years after the merge of Sir George Williams University and Loyola, the sciences eventually moved to Loyola Campus and abandoned the initiative. When plans were made to tear it down eight years ago students, faculty and Sustainable Concordia moved in and brought it back to life under an expansive rejuvenation project.

“In a really quick amount of time we started writing grants, we created more positions, we opened up all the rooms,” said Marcus Lobb, a co-ordinator of the City Farm School. “There are all kinds of different community projects that are taking up the different rooms and we do a huge ceiling production each year. There’s a lot to it, it’s really vast.”

The Concordia Greenhouse is now looking for permanent funding. In the last academic year its expenses totaled $90,846. If the fee levy is accepted it would raise approximately $75,000 during the 2013-2014 academic year. The rest of their funding would be found through grants for sustainability programs, private donations and fundraising initiatives.

Fee levies often provide programs and infrastructure to students; many students consider them to be an effective means to provide valuable opportunities, though not every student has a chance to benefit directly from the endeavor.

Those who may not want to pay for services in which they don’t personally have a stake in have options. Every year there is an opt out period providing ample opportunity to those students who may disagree.

“I feel that [the Greenhouse] is kept a little secretive and a lot of people . . . would be thinking ‘why am I paying two dollars towards this when I didn’t even know it existed,’” said Dillon Crosilla, a geography student at Concordia. “So I can see some hesitation from people there.”

During the last two years students across the anthropology, sociology, engineering, geology and economics departments have engaged in the Greenhouse’s offerings. The Concordia Greenhouse also supplies food to Cafe X, Frigo Vert and on-campus markets for healthy and inexpensive produce.

In order to oversee operations and ensure an ethical use of the students’ investment, the Greenhouse will be forming a Board of Directors that will comply with the Concordia Student Union’s standing regulations. An annual general meeting is also held every fall where students have the binding authority to approve or reject the proposed budget.

The vote will be held across March 27, 28 and 29, between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.. A 50 per cent plus one majority of votes is needed to decide on the initiative. If passed, full-time students can expect a $3.24 yearly fee added to their tuition fees.

Similarly, Sustainable Concordia will also be holding a fee levy referendum in hopes of expanding student contribution to 15 cents per credit starting in fall 2013.

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