Green Futures

Green Futures is SIFE Brandon’s newest project and is a community garden initiative that is creating economic opportunity, increasing environmental awareness, and improving Brandon Manitoba’s communities. SIFE Brandon established a land lease agreement with the City of Brandon, and developed a program that created 45 raised garden beds at the East End Community Centre. These beds now provide over 2100 sq. ft. of growing space for the East End Community.

Green Futures not only provides families and members of the community with an opportunity to grow their own vegetables but also provides a hands-on learning environment with the elementary students of King George School. With constructed lesson plans we meet with the students twice a week over a 16 week program teaching them basic gardening skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and personal success skills. Over this time the students experience both the effort required and reward of having your own garden at home. We are excited to say that after our pilot year the students enjoyed the experience and gathered approximately 15lbs of vegetation each!

Next years plans for Green Futures include expanding the gardens to the northern part of Brandon creating an Urban Farm to provide entrepreneurial growth to the community members involved. As well, we are expanding our current location creating a rainwater collection system, adding composting bins, and constructing an additional 15 beds, increasing the original 45 beds to 60.

Green Futures 2010 Statistics

-200 People Impacted

-Approx. 600 lbs of Vegetables Grown

-8 SIFE Members

-625 Volunteer Hours