The Cowichan Green Community is made up of a dynamic group of community members.
After travelling the globe, Amy transplanted to the Cowichan Valley in January 2008 and immediately fell in love with the region and its people. She runs a small business and is a proud and passionate member of the Cowichan Green Community. Amy is currently living her dream on a small hobby farm with her husband and two young daughters.
Boards: CGC
Email: amyluck@hotmail.com
Nadeane is passionate about healthy food, fresh water and the healing power of nature, creativity and nurturing relationships. She enjoys gardening, cycling, paddling, and communing with trees. Nadeane is continually inspired by the energy, enthusiasm and skillsets of CGC staff and by the projects they undertake.
Boards: CGC, CGC Holdings
Email: n.nelson@telus.net
Following a career in marketing, Roanne recently moved home to a small acreage that she plans to farm with her husband and two kale-loving kids. Roanne’s work now focuses on sustainability initiatives and organizations that create positive change. With deep concerns about the impact of industrial farming, Roanne is an active proponent of sustainable agriculture and local food security.
Boards: CGC
She’s a mom first; of two incredible sons and two grand-hounds. An avid reader with an appetite for learning about other cultures. Curious and adventurous, enjoys hiking, travelling and meeting locals wherever she goes. Loves to grow, raise and preserve her own food. Passionate about the environment and reducing waste. Hits the road in February for a Mexican camping trip while the garden hibernates.
Boards: CGC
Lucy loves to learn, loves her community, and just loves life. She is married to hereditary Chief of Lyackson for 38 years with 2 children many adopted children, 10 grand children and 1 great grand child. She is a survivor of residential school and has worked for house of friendship since 1982. She will support happy events as well as sad ones.
Boards: CGC
Shannon is a FOOD enthusiast. She believes that if it grows, we should eat it. If it was made… It’s probably not going to make you healthier. She wants to increase the various connections we have to the foods we eat. This includes the way we choose to eat, how we select, prepare and appreciate the foods that we buy from both near and far. She believes that there is a deeper connection to our food sources that has been lost because we have been disconnected from both the growing and the cooking process for the majority of the foods we eat. It is her hope to help impact the availability and appreciation of all foods to improve how bright and happy our community can become with better and more affordable access to locally grown foods. In her past Shannon has focused on Parks and Rural Community Development projects. Currently, she is a Cowichan Real Estate Agent.
Boards: CGC
Holly is a newcomer to Cowichan and is happy to join CGC to help spread joy through growing cooking and sharing delicious, healthy and local food. She enjoys gardening, living actively, baking and if there is time left over after working and caring for her son, crafting of all kinds. You may see her around town, at public events, volunteering, or in the valley’s natural spaces.
Boards: CGC
Born in Vancouver, Judy took a long detour through life and other countries before she was enticed back to this gorgeous Valley. Blessed to be living on a float house and working in a fabulous organization that fuels her creative and environmental fire, she’s reminded how much more inspiring life is when working in a place that is aligned with her passions.
Email: judy@cowichangreencommunity.org
A long-time locavore, Heather is keen to be putting her skills in agricultural communications back to work with CGC. When she’s not talking to farmers, she can be found hiking with her family, puttering in the garden and drawing up plans for a wood-fired pizza oven on her property.
Email: heather@cowichangreencommunity.org
With a background in marine biology, Nathan originally set out to work solely within marine conservation but since moving to the island 5 years ago, he has developed a new passion for sustainable farming and the Cowichan region. He now owns and runs ‘Local Forage Farm’ in Glenora that focusses on ethically raised animals and an abundance of fruit and vegetables. He has also networked within the community and worked at a number of local farming businesses including Averill Creek Vineyards, Evening Cove Oysters, Haltwhistle Cheese Co, to name a few. Nathan’s new position within the food recovery team aligns his need to connect with community and move towards a more secure and sustainable food system
Email: Nathan@cowichangreencommunity.org
Returning to the Cowichan Valley, Jennifer is excited to be working with a team dedicated to positively impacting our region! Jennifer graduated from VIU in 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Tourism Management Major Recreation. Her current dream is to give back to the place that gave so much to her growing up through promoting active lifestyles, community connectivity, and nutrition.
Email: jennifer@cowichangreencommunity.org
Since completing her Bachelors in Business from Royal Roads University, Nanita has moved back to the Cowichan Valley and onto a hobby farm with her family. She owns a small business, working with local farmers promoting the purchase and consumption of locally grown and prepared meals. Nanita has joined the team to raise awareness for and limit the amount of food waste in our beautiful community.
Email: nanita@cowichangreencommunity.org
Laura is a gardener who moved to the Cowichan Valley in 2017 after years of too-short growing seasons in Quebec and Alberta. Throughout her education in Philosophy and Ethnobotany, she spent summers working in landscaping and farm management, and now prefers to keep her hands dirty full-time. Laura is inspired by small farmers around the world, and is dedicated to making water-efficient, biodiverse, food-secure cities a reality. She is eager to share her enthusiasm for unusual vegetables and further explore the rich web of of people-plant relations in Duncan.
Email: laura@cowichangreencommunity.org
With a background in Environmental Technology and experience in resource management for commercial fisheries, Debra is passionate about the current state of the environment, especially global warming. Working with all the good folks at CGC gives her a more proactive approach to climate change and the challenges we are facing now and in the future. A life long learner, Debra is excited to learn more about growing food, helping people with food insecurity and making a difference right in the heart of the Cowichan Valley.
Email: debra@cowichangreencommuntiy.org
Todd Carnahan moved to the Valley in 2014 to live a more rural lifestyle in a smaller community. After spending a decade working with landowners on the south island to conserve significant endangered habitats, Todd worked with the Nature Conservancy and the Cowichan Land Trust locally. You may see Todd in the CGC Van delivering fresh produce to our many clients through the reFRESH Cowichan Food Recovery Project.
Madelaine and her family arrived in the Valley in 1994 and homesteaded property in Cowichan Station. She was one of the founding member of the Cowichan Station Area Association. Her wealth of experiences and background in maintaining the revitalized HUB is a perfect fit for taking on management of The Station, as well as the administration of the Cowichan Green Community. She is excited to be part of all the positive ventures of the CGC.
Email: madelaine@cowichangreencommunity.org
Janice has lived in the Cowichan Valley since her early teens and has been a passionate gardener and farmer for over 35 years. She has runs a small hobby farm, supplying the bulk of her and her family’s needs. Jan’s working career has revolved around plants, growing and creative construction.
Email: janice@cowichangreencommunity.org
Kat is a recent graduate from Vancouver Island University’s Horticulture Technician Foundation program. She has had a long standing passion for working with different plants, her favourite being edibles. Being born and raised in the Cowichan Valley, working for Cowichan Green Community has been a goal of Kat’s for years. Becoming a farmer for our Incubator Seed Farm is a real dream come true. Kat is excited for the opportunity to meet and work with so many inspiring people.
Email: kat@cowichangreencommunity.org
Passionate about food, health, and community, Jonathon is a new arrival to the Cowichan Reigon. Bringing many years of experience in kitchens, customer service, and social justice he’s excited to be part of the Food Recovery Project.
Email: jonathon@cowichangreencommunity.org
Marcia Forst is a Certified Interprovincial Red Seal Journeyman Cook. Passionate about: nutritious, yet delicious food; committing random acts of kindness; and compassionate interactions, she is honoured and delighted to have hitched her wagon to ours.
Email: marcia@cowichangreencommunity.org
(On maternity leave until 2019) Born and mostly raised in Ontario, Alyssa moved out to beautiful British Columbia in 2008. Not only is she very passionate for art and music, but also for working alongside her coworkers at CGC. Alongside working at CGC, Alyssa has also finished her studies at Vancouver Island University with a degree in Child and Youth Care. Her passions include working with children, youth, and others to create an inclusive, safe, and diverse community.
Email: alyssa@cowichangreencommunity.org
Farming Connections Farming Connections is a new initiative of Cowichan Green Community in partnership with the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program …
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