A Growing CommunityLaura Berman coordinates a multitude of community gardens in Toronto. |
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| Summary: | "I want community gardens to be as common in big cities as libraries," says Laura Berman, coordinator of the Food Share Community Garden program in Toronto. Laura used to be a landscape architect, but grew tired of creating elaborate and expensive back yards for people who simply wanted a garden because they had money. She now designs and implements community gardens that provide food for people in need, which satisfies her more than any expensive garden ever would. |
| Garden Contact Information: | FoodShare Offices 238 Queen West Toronto, Ontario |
| The Garden: | The term “community garden” comes from the Commons in England, an area where peasants could, while tending the land for their employer, grow their own food as well. According to Laura, community gardens play an invaluable role in city life, providing food, recreation and a foundation for building community. There are more than 100 community gardens in the Toronto area and it is Laura’s responsibility at Food Share to assist in getting these gardens started. From there they’re run, but they run independently. Huron Street Garden – Located behind the Lillian H. Smith Public Library in downtown Toronto, this garden is the first community garden in Toronto that is located on land owned by the Toronto Parks Department. Originally it was designated to become a city park until Laura approached the city with a request to turn it into a community garden. Now it boasts 22 plots with a beautiful perennial border. Laura designed the garden in 1997. The Garden of Eden – Located in Parkdale, Ontario, this garden was started by an 84 year old woman from the Philipines named Aurora Meliton. |
| The Gardeners' Story: | Laura Berman is one of only a handful of people in Canada who have a career in Community Gardening. A former landscape architect, Laura made a dramatic career shift in 1994 when she saw an ad for a community gardens coordinator. Weary of creating gardens for people who had money but no real connection to their garden, Laura applied for the job and is now the Community Garden Co-ordinator for Food Share, a non-profit agency based in Toronto, Ontario dedicated to food security issues. Laura has over 100 community gardens on her roster and it is her personal goal to “make community gardens in urban centres as common as librairies” |
| Link: | www.foodshare.ca |
| Behind the Scenes: | Executive Producer: Merit Jensen Carr Producers: Merit Jensen Carr & Barry Floc’h Director: Barry Lank Writer: Tobe Duggan Narration Writer: Robert Lower Narrator: Bonnie Dickie Director of Photography: Charles Konowal CSC Stills Photography: Alex Dukay Editor: Chris McIvor Composer: Michael Plowman Date: 2003 |