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
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
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
New to the Cowichan Region, John grew up on the shores and amongst the forests that surround Lac La Ronge in Northern Saskatchewan. For the past five years John coordinated a variety of programming with a charitable organization, aiming to improve the state of Food Security in core neighbourhoods of Saskatoon. He managed a one-of-a-kind, land-based urban agricultural internship for First Nations & Metis youth. Incorporating cultural learnings and works to explore traditional food systems in the context of the current, industrialized food system was John’s focus for the past two seasons. Excited to be part of CGC, he brings his passion, education, and experience to this project.
Email: john@cowichangreencommunity.org
Hired as in intern in January of 2018, Kat soon took over management of the Cowichan Incubator Seed Farm Project, located at the Cowichan Agricultural Seed Hub. Kat is a certified Horticultural Technician with a real passion for the education around local seed and food production while providing a welcoming and inclusive space for all community members. She is excited to bolster her information repertoire by taking the Horticultural Therapy Program. Kat is excited for the opportunity to meet and work with so many inspiring people.
Email: kat@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
From a young age, Naomi has been passionate about the environment and growing food. After receiving a degree in Geography, her thoughts turned towards the future. She started to dream about living sustainably and growing most of her own food herself. Returning from a year away in Grande Prairie, Naomi started working in a 2-acre greenhouse as a “temporary” employee, staying for the next two years to learn as much as she could about farming and local food. In her final year she managed the greenhouse, further deepening her appreciation for local food growth. Returning to the work force after a year at home with her now toddler, Naomi is eager to learn all she can about permaculture and urban gardening. She is particularly excited to teach kids and youth about food production, and is hoping she can inspire young people to become just as excited about gardening as she is!
Email: naomi@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
With a strong belief that creating an intimate connection with all people to their food is an integral piece of healing what ails us, Karen is excited to bring her passion for all things green and growing to the Cowichan Green Community. Having arrived eleven years ago via many stops across Canada, Karen is content to have made her forever home in the Cowichan Valley. With a background in education, business management and adventure tourism, she is grateful for the chance to bring her skills and learn many more as she takes on the role of Outreach Coordinator for the Cowichan Agricultural Seed Hub
Email: karen@cowichangreencommunity.org
A longtime Vancouver Island resident, Corina grew up in Victoria and is in the midst of completing a BFA in Theatre at the University of Victoria. They are happy to be living on a small farm in the beautiful Cowichan Valley for the summer, and to be working for such a fantastic organization whose community centred focus aligns closely with Corina’s interest in collectively created and site specific theatre.
Email: corina@cowichangreencommunity.org
Having grown up on a farm on Salt Spring Island, Morgan brings not only passion but experience to the Cowichan Agricultural Seed Hub. She is passionate about working with diverse abilities in a gardening capacity. Teaching about farming and connecting them to the Earth are two of the ways in which Morgan inspires. Morgan is working on her Herbalist Certificate and deeply believes in the healing powers of natural remedies.
Email: morgan@cowichangreencommunity.org
Evren, born in Turkey and migrated to Canada at the age of 13, moved to the Cowichan Valley with his family after living and running an ESL school in Seoul, South Korea for 18 years. Having lived in such variety of places around the globe, he feels so blessed to be living in a community with so many conscientious people and considers this area to be among the best places to live in the world.
Email: Evren@cowichangreencommunity.org