The warmer weather is just around the corner and many of us are itching to get into our gardens for the delight they bring.

At FCG, we are thinking about the many ways a garden can go beyond our personal spaces to serve our neighbourhoods. Faith communities often have outdoor properties and these can be sacred green spaces for all the community to enjoy and benefit from.

Perhaps you are just starting out with a community vegetable garden, or maybe you are looking for practical tips on topics such as water conservation, tree-planting, or landscaping. This newsletter offers tailored guides to fit your interest.

Not only do our outdoor spaces offer a place for reflection and meditation, or a source of healthy nutritious food, but now more than ever, nature needs these spaces to support biological diversity, or biodiversity — the variety of life on earth and its interdependence.

Diversity makes living things adaptable, which is critical given the loss of habitat and deforestation globally, fragmented ecosystems, and climate breakdown that is becoming our daily reality. But biodiversity is declining all over the world at such an alarming pace that we are actively weakening our resiliency (including our food security).

What this means is that we need to plant for life. Thankfully, towns and cities — where most of us live — are great places that can support habitat. Even a small patch of earth can be habitat, connecting with other patches.  One example is the Hamilton Pollinator Paradise Project, where together with residents, faith groups, schools, businesses, parks, and more, they are building an uninterrupted corridor of native plant species in support of pollinators. Our Native Plant Garden Guide can help you get started.

Finally, April 22 is Earth Day, the largest environmental event in the world. More than six million Canadians participate in an Earth Day activity in their communities. Why not take this opportunity to celebrate Mother Earth, and plant a garden so that future generations can thrive?

Sincerely,

Lucy Cummings
Executive Director, Faith & the Common Good