Now announcing our 2021-22 Board of Directors applicants!

Sarah Larmony – Concordia undergrad student, returning board member.

Sebastián Di Poi – Community member

I’m very interested in joining the Greenhouse Board of Directors. My qualifications include a deep understanding of the Concordia network and way of functioning, extensive non-profit experience including finance, HR, and governance committee work, and positive working
relationships with important stakeholders at Concordia. I’ve always been very inspired by the GH’s work, whether through workshops, working groups, CFS, or the Four Seasons Growing project. It’s been a while that I’ve been looking to get more involved and I believe a role as a
board member would be a great fit.

Having studied at Concordia (2009-2013) and worked at the Concordia Food Coalition (2016-2019) and the Sustainability Action Fund (2019-present) over the past 12 years, I have a thorough understanding of how the university ecosystem operates, which lessens any learning
curve I may have. At the CFC and SAF I’ve worked on the finance, HR, and governance committees – I’ve co-written policies, conducted many hiring processes, employee evaluations, written successful grant applications, and have led board trainings and orientations.
Furthermore, my experience and positive working relationships with committees and individuals in the Concordia administration may present opportunities to garner larger-scale institutional support for essential future projects at the GH.

I believe my experience positions me well to be a valuable board member at the GH. I’d help provide multi-faceted support, experience, and an informed and calm demeanor that’d help
facilitate difficult discussions and decisions.

Nico Schutte – Concordia undergrad student

Hey there, my name is Nico! I’m a genderqueer dude studying sociology with a gender/women’s studies minor. I’d bring both a queer and neurodiverse student perspective to the greenhouse board. Outside of academia, I volunteer and am employed by Greenhound Canada; a non-profit organization geared to fundraise for mental health initiatives and genuine community gardens (not plot by plot rental; everyone grows, everyone eats). I’m motivated to emphasize the mental health benefits of spending time with plants/soil into the Concordia Greenhouse, once open to the public again. My activist interests consist of social and gender justice simultaneous with environmental/climate mitigation because I do not view them as separate entities: they are both rooted in white supremacist patriarchal capitalism. I’d love to somehow link up the Concordia Greenhouse with Greenhound Canada to share resources, marketing, collaborate community events, or whatever can be done to mobilize the mission of bringing environmental and human improvement together. I believe the Greenhouse has the potential to be a setting of community activism and shared space for students to drop the capitalist expectations of operating as a production-based being. For me, the Greenhouse is an oasis from the capitalist pace of life in a metropolitan area, a place I can check my ego somewhat at the door and ~just be~. I hope to pass this feeling to other students who may not be “plant inclined” but are community oriented or those seeking mental rest/clarity along with emotional availability for one’s self as well as those around them. I’m an avid plant collector and this summer, a container gardener. I distributed about one hundred bell pepper plants to friends and neighbors of mine to emphasize food cultivation, divesting in factory farming processed foods, and to instill self-esteem by cultivating your own crop. I’d like to do something similar, in part with Concordia students at the Greenhouse; during the pandemic if possible. Plants are a patient, meditative practice for me and I’d like to share that joy with all who want to participate; why not do it to help unify students while concurrently fostering a space for emotional intelligence and respect for our environment?

Laura Bartlett – Concordia undergrad student

I would like to express my interest in joining the Greenhouse board of directors as part of the fundraising work group. Due to the pandemic, fundraising will be a challenge. However, it remains vital as the Greenhouse needs continued support to thrive and share its vision. Below I’ve outlined five attributes that would make me a qualified
and dedicated fundraiser and contributor to the board at large.

Board of Directors Experience
My experience as a member of the board of directors of the Art Matters festival, the largest student-run art festival in North America, demonstrates that I possess the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions in the name of the Greenhouse. I understand and appreciate the collaborate process the Greenhouse board needs to function smoothly and properly.

Communication Skills
My experience as a salesperson for two years has given me the fundamental asset of knowing how to generate interest around particular events and represent an organization efficiently. With the Greenhouse embarking on several newly developed projects in 2021, it is crucial the fundraising team develops innovative strategic plans so
we can continue to practice sustainable horticulture and educate our community. My year and a half in university has made my writing and editing skills detail-oriented and given me the ability to convey complex ideas clearly. For this reason, my contributions to the writing and editing of grant proposals and fundraising campaigns would help bring the exciting new Greenhouse projects to life.

Creativity
With this year being unprecedently difficult when it comes to public outreach, it is important now more than ever the Greenhouse marketing team is effective. My studies with Concordia’s Faculty of Fine Arts have gifted me creative thinking skills that would be valuable to the Greenhouse fundraising team in tackling communication barriers the pandemic has imposed. The foundation of my work process is based in observation, inspiration and revision. My own diverse set of artistic hobbies have given me the reputation of being a creative individual who
isn’t afraid to think critically or outside the box. This makes me an ideal contributor to the shaping of new fundraising ideas that align with the agenda of the board.

Time Management Skills
Having balanced a full-time university course load and other volunteer positions, I understand that time efficiency is essential and that others would be counting on me to perform my role as a member of the Greenhouse board of directors. All of my past individual work and volunteer experiences have surpassed a year in length, demonstrating I
am fully committed to the jobs and projects I become involved in. With my third and fourth years of my undergraduate degree still ahead, I hope to gain valuable experience by contributing to the Greenhouse as much as possible.

Passion
During the 2019-2020 school year the Concordia Greenhouse was a welcoming space where I could connect with others and my surroundings. I had already been a plant-lover, but the Greenhouse activities and projects taught me ecological practices and alternatives that have changed my approach to gardening for the better. No longer being able to access the Greenhouse has made me realize how passionate I feel about the organization’s mission to strengthen the urban agriculture movement. The opportunity to work with other passionate and like-minded individuals, across various departments, would be both a learning opportunity and a chance to contribute richly to Concordia and the community of Montreal at large.

Mariel Edwards-Carreau – Community member

I currently work for The Yellow Door, a non-profit in Downtown Montreal that provides intergenerational programming that aims to facilitate the access to resources for seniors. I work as both the administrative coordinator who oversees the financial affairs of the organization and a program coordinator for one of our outreach programs. Previously, I was the financial coordinator of a food co-op, a community garden coordinator and completed City Farm Schools Market Gardening Apprenticeship. I am passionate about community development and sustainability work and have made a career out of using my coordinating and planning skills to serve my community. I have experience with the financial management of non-profits, including grant writing, fundraising and bookkeeping. In addition to sitting on the Board of Directors at The Yellow Door, I am involved in several community committees in the downtown and plateau areas related to development, food security and more recently, COVID19 aid.

I had decided to do City Farm Schools apprenticeship because I wanted to immerse myself into everything related to urban agriculture. I loved the practical skills that I gained as much as how much I learned about sustainability in Montreal. While the work I do now is not exactly in the same field, the values that brought me to the program and the ones I gained from out inform everything I do. I believe that the combination of my involvement with the Concordia Greenhouse through City Farm School and my experience with non-profits, non-profit financial management and fundraising, and board of directors would make me an asset to this one! I would love to be able to apply my skills and experience to work with the Concordia Greenhouse to support their programming as well as participate in either the fundraising or finance work groups. 

Erik Chevrier – Community Member

Hello, my name is Erik Chevrier. I am applying to the Board of the Concordia Greenhouse because I am interested in co-developing urban agriculture programs with likeminded people.

I have a lot of experience with urban agriculture and community food sovereignty. I have also worked with the greenhouse by creating multimedia material and participating in programs at the Concordia Greenhouse.
https://concordiafoodgroups.ca/category/the-concordia-greenhouse/

Here is a list of some of my experience with urban agriculture and food:
1 – I teach the Urban Agriculture course at Concordia University.

2 – I also teach Food and Culture and Food and Sustainability at Concordia.

3 – I am the Chair of the Concordia Food Coalition

4 – I am the co-coordinator for the Duff-Court Urban Farm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxgpS8AjGq4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ-8or_Bk7E

5 – My PhD research focuses on developing food sovereign campuses. I specifically looked at the Concordia campus-community food groups as my case study, which included the Concordia Greenhouse.
http://www.concordiafoodgroups.ca

6 – As part of my PhD thesis, I wrote about the history of the Concordia Greenhouse, tracing back to the construction of the Henry F Hall building in 1966.

7 – I am involved in establishing community food sovereignty through other community projects. I am currently involved in mapping the community food groups in Lachine.
http://communautealimentairelachine.ca

8 – I have given conferences about food sovereignty on numerous occasions. You can access my resume here:
https://erikchevrier.ca/about

9 – I can encourage my students to participate in programs at the Concordia Greenhouse
through community service learning assignments.

I hope to join the Concordia Greenhouse team to advance urban agriculture and community
food sovereignty.

Thanks,
Erik

Antonio Alejandro Castillo Moya – Undergraduate student

Hi, I’m Antonio Castillo. I’m an international student from Ecuador who is currently doing his 3rd year in JMSB with a major in management and working on a minor in Sustainability studies. I have loved the different aspects of nature and sustainability ever since I was a kid. Through this,
I always found myself being in areas that were filled with plants. It always made me feel a lot of inner peace and brought me to appreciate my surroundings. In turn, this means that I was always yearning for areas filled with green, which was easy enough in tropical Ecuador but
became increasingly difficult as winter progressed here in Montreal.

Eventually, this brought me to discover the greenhouse as it felt like a home away from home. Ever since then, I knew I wanted to get involved with the greenhouse in one way or another. Sadly I discovered the
greenhouse a little after programs had closed, which left me wanting to take advantage of the next opportunity.

My dream after graduating is to create a company that focuses on producing food in urban settings through the use of hydro/aquaponics. I believe that being part of the board of Directors will give me some of the experience needed for me to accomplish this dream and all the
different intricacies it entails. I consider myself someone who can grasp the details of activities quickly and yet see the bigger picture of these actions. I have ease with reaching out to others for their expertise or help if I require it. Additionally, I have developed a self-sustaining, no waste food production plan spanning 2 buildings with over 50 different apartments.

I am also Director of Speaker relations for JSEC, which allows me to contact various organizations that have focused on making sustainability their goal. This can further increase the greenhouse’s connections to other organizations to promote a shared message about the
environment and quality food.

Zachary Jervais

I am a person who is an avid nature lover. Growing up in the Laurentians of Quebec, I was surrounded by nature my entire life. I have since actively sought out information to better understand the nature that surrounds me. I have spent my educational career learning concepts that have helped solidify my understanding of the local ecosystem by studying graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Carleton University. I am currently a Concordia student in Environmental Sciences, which has allowed me to continue to learn about the land that surrounds me while also developing knowledge and skills that will one day hopefully aid me in assisting to preserve this landscape. Having fallen in love with the wild at an early age, I have dedicated my career choices to help one day protect Quebec’s ecosystems.

I am a very sociable person; I try and go out of my way to include others and develop lasting relationships. I also adore education. I love learning, and I love being surrounded by intelligent people as they are beautiful pools of knowledge and perspectives I may not yet see. Combine this, and you get a relatively ambitious person who likes to blab on and on about fun facts. On a hike, I am the kind of person who will not stop talking about how every plant around us is fascinating and may have contributed to Native American practices or has medical uses or is a tasty hiker’s treat. I love spending time in nature learning about indigenous plant species that can be beautiful, educational, and serve a purpose. One specific interest is mushroom foraging, a hobby I have picked up since the pandemic began. It is a fascinating hobby that motivates you to learn so much more about the ecosystem around you with depths of un-imaginable interest.

The pandemic was difficult for me as I was presented with sudden isolation from people that were rather difficult, and I am a very sociable person. Early in the semester last year, I, along with a few classmates, started a discord server for the department of geography, planning, and environment, which served as a great place to socialize despite the difficulties that covid presented. This was not the first time that I was involved in academic leadership as at Carleton University, I founded and was the president of the Carleton Climbing Club (a rock-climbing club), which quickly became one of the most successful clubs on campus.

I am a sociable, passionate person who is in love with learning and teaching, experienced in the management of university associations, who would love the opportunity to be part of yet another amazing initiative. I love plants, love sustainability, and would love to help the Concordia Greenhouse achieve its goals.