Meeting 3- November 7, 2007

1) Cold Frames

-Build this semester, use to grow in late winter/spring
-use of architecture shop (Gillian)
-donation of windows (Gillian?)


2) Proposal for Space Behind MSE

Still a lot of questions that need to be answered before proposal is written:

-Do we want the space for the spring (pre-growing season), summer/growing season, or both?

Who will make sure the garden is maintained and that students/others stay involved over summer?
-paid position, research for credit, internship?
-paid position might be difficult to get this summer
-however, Nadya was paid by MSE as an SMP member last summer
-summer research for credit: good idea
-possibility of volunteer volunteer coordinator(s) who are dedicated to sticking in Montreal for the whole summer


3. The Big Question:
-Are we planning primarily for a garden for academic research (with the aspect of community involvement and benefits) or community gardening project (upon which people can conduct academic research for credit)?
What is our vision?

Curtis: primary vision is for community gardening, research is secondary
Caytee: agreed
Marc: agreed, but we need short term concrete goals which academic research concerns could drive
Ginnie: agreed, but research might make things more feasible
Tim: would be cool if the initial gardening project[s] could kick start other gardens; also take students outside McGill and into larger community
April: research for credit can be incentive for keeping people here and involved in the summer
-Cold frame project could be primarily academic research-driven, but research could become secondary for other projects
Rafe: research for credit good for keeping people/leaders committed, especially over summer
Julianna: ideally, projects would involve not just students, but people from larger community
-Community is priority, but research can open channels otherwise unavailable
Maddie: Community first; need to meet with MSE, figure out if we can arrange researchers to be paid (or get credit) for summer work (research/planning/volunteer coordination)
Gillian: Empowering to try to grow things year round, because McGill “community” only is present fully 2/3 of year, much of which is off-season for crops (hence the cold frames)
-This project will take a lot of research in the broader, non-academic sense, so why not try to get credit for it? But community still priority, academic credit secondary
Nadya: Research/documentation/writing up any projects we do is a big priority, because this will leave a legacy/blueprint for people to continue project or do similar projects at McGill and elsewhere (and seeking academic credit will encourage documentation)
April: Cold frame research will be a good short-term, concrete first step


4) Avenues of Research

Gillian: Anyone in any faculty can take ENVR 396 – Environmental Research
-Requires one professor (in the MSE), one project, multiple students, each looking at a different research question/from a different angle (ie a multidisciplinary project/multidisciplinary team)

For example, ENVR 396 – Cold Frames/Community Gardening could include:
-research on specific growing techniques and yields
-research on allocation and use of space
-research on community/social involvement
-etc.

Maddie: February/March/April will be the hardest months for starting up this project, and academic research project will be good impetus for both getting it going and providing continuity through summer and into Fall (possibly with a follow-up/reevaluation research course with the same or different students)

-Conclusion: a research project: ENVR 396 – Cold Frames/Community Gardening – for next (Winter 2008) semester


5) Next Steps

-A grounding point from Gillian: once we figure out space, etc., we are going to have to decide some concrete stuff: what crops to plant, when, what systems and techniques to use, volunteer schedules, volunteer coordination.
(this may be better done site-by-site, by people doing academic research or volunteer coordinator)

-Reservoir triangle: this space is there for us to use (along with stairs to nowhere, MSE space if Shannon says yes)
-we need to talk to Facilities, Gardens and Greens

Proposal: One meeting with Campus Crops and:
-Shannon
-Facilities people
-Gardens and Greens people
-Interested Faculty members
-Hillel?
-Anyone else?
When:
ASAP
Preparation:

-seek out and contact relevant administrators and faculty (Rafe)
-develop letter of intention
-develop list of points, questions to ask at meeting



6) Etc.

-Sources of funding: Green Fee (requires proposal) Campus Life Fund (fast and quick?)

-Gillian has contacted Hillel re. their interest in turning their space into a garden

-Need for gardening know-how (we’ve all done a little, but we need more expertise)

-Santropol Roulant looking for things to do during the winter

-Solution: ask Santropol to give a [winter/year-round/general] gardening workshop!



7) Goals for Next Meeting:

-by next meeting (one week), we should be able to gauge availability of the different administrators/faculty we want to meet with, and be able to schedule a time for the meeting

-plan meeting with admins/etc.


Break