The Soil Food Web

Please join us to explore the powerful the role of living organisms in the soil, and build an understanding of how biologically healthy compost can support the regeneration of healthy soils. Specifically, we will discuss:

-The importance of a healthy soil food web to a healthy garden

-The unique roles of different organisms in the soil (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes)

-Practical ways to maximize beneficial organisms in your compost and soils

During this workshop, we will have an opportunity to view living soil organisms under a microscope!

Instructor Bio: Brooke Hayes is a graduate student at the University of Victoria, pursuing a PhD in Environmental Studies. She is actively investigating the connections between soil quality and farmers’ health, and is working with farmers and academics across the province to explore this relationship as a form of adaptation and resilience in the face of climate change. Based on her training as a biochemist and 20 years of experience working for the provincial public sector, Brooke operates from a belief that biology is the key to restoring degraded soils and improving our food systems more broadly.

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This workshop is happening in person only, and any health and safety protocols will be emailed to you 24 hours in advance. The workshop may be hosted outside, please dress appropriately for all types of weather!

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Only current members in good standing are eligible to use the free ticket option as a part of their member benefits package.

There are a limited number of Pay What You Can tickets available for folks who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC), and people who are facing significant financial barriers to their involvement in our programming. The Compost Education Centre is in the process of examining the ways in which our program accessibility can be improved for all members of our community. This ticket gesture is by no means a fulsome examination of the systems of oppression that exist for people inside and outside of our community. We welcome your ideas and feedback.

Please pre-register for this event.

Customers can request a refund within 30 days of ticket purchase. After 30 days refunds and workshop exchanges are not permitted due to administrative staffing capacity. Please be in touch if you are no longer able to attend but hold a ticket so we can make your space available to someone else.

You can also register for the event by calling our office at 250 386 9676 or via email by contacting office@compost.bc.ca

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Accessibility info: The Compost Education Centre site has paths made of gravel (20%), and wood chips (80%). Mobility devices with wheels (such as wheelchairs, walkers etc.) are sometimes difficult to use on site, especially on the gravel paths.

There is a single-stall gender neutral washroom on site. The washroom is not wheelchair accessible and has a small step up from the gravel pathway, and another small step up from the washroom boardwalk.

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The Compost Education Centre is located on unceded and occupied Indigenous territories, specifically the land of the Lekwungen speaking people—the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. These nations are two of many, made up of individuals who have lived within the porous boundaries of what is considered Coast Salish, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Kwakwa'wakw Territory (Vancouver Island) since time immemorial. At the CEC we seek to respect, honour and continually grow our own understandings of Indigenous rights and history, and to fulfill our responsibilities as settlers, who live and work directly with the land and its complex, vital ecologies and our diverse, evolving communities.

Compost Education Centre memberships get you free workshops, discounts at garden centres around town and more great perks! Sign up or learn more on our website.