You’ll have a chance to learn everything you need to know about terrariums at the next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society on Wednesday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. Our special guest speaker will be Sonja Pawliw telling us all about how to grow these little gems of “gardens on a tabletop”! Please join us, everyone is welcome! You don’t have to be a member to come to the meeting.
Last time we chatted, I was telling you about the beautiful and functional rooftop garden at the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver. Let’s continue with my discussion with Kristyna Vogel, manager of Marketing and Public Relations. It’s amazing that there is a working garden on the hotel roof, but guess what, there are bees, too! I asked Kristyna more about it. “We have a quarter of a million honey bees that call our roof home – they have been with us annually spring through fall since 2008. Initially Chef Wright introduced them to increase our garden’s yield as they are such great pollinators and for the honey of course, but now our bee program has evolved into more of an educational tool – a means for the hotel to tell our guests about the plight of bees. Over a thousand guest took our daily tour last year alone,” she explained.
I wondered what was the vision behind this innovative “back to nature” approach? “We have a strong culinary apprenticeship program and our executive chefs have always thought that it important for these aspiring young chefs to understand where the food comes from and the incredible work it takes to make them grow. Fairmont hotels have always been on the forefront of sustainability and the Fairmont Waterfront has consistently led the charge. We are a zero waste hotel, meaning we divert 90% of the hotel’s waste (100% of food waste) from landfill through recycling and composting and the garden is an extension of our sustainability initiatives,” Kristyna commented,
She also told me that this is just the first step in a trend with other hotels. “Absolutely, our parent company Accor hotels, has a thorough and innovative sustainability program, Planet 21 that all Accor hotels must adhere to, and has committed to creating 1,000 hotel gardens by the year 2020.”
The garden is definitely a group project among the “hotel family.” Kristyna elaborated: “Our garden and honeybee apiary would not exist without the passion and commitment of our colleagues – we have an entire team of colleague volunteers who work on the garden and take guests on our daily tours. Our commitment to our community, sustainability and the environment are deeply entrenched values that we have all taken to heart and are a point of pride for our team. A few of our colleagues have even been inspired to become certified beekeepers.”
The impact of the garden is truly a source of pride. “The garden plays home to several varieties of herbs, vegetables, fruits and edible blossoms, as well as a pollinator hotel for solitary bees and over 10 different species of local birds. No herbicides or pesticides are used. In 2016, the garden was designated as a Certified Wildlife Friendly Habitat by the Canadian Wildlife Federation,” Kristyna said.
I’d like to thank Kristyna for taking the time to tell us more about this wonderful and inspirational garden! This helps us realize that gardening can be accomplished and very beneficial in even a non-traditional location! The link to the Fairmont’s sustainability page is http://www.fairmont.com/waterfront-vancouver/promotions/green-initiatives/. Check it out, and visit us at www.yorktonhort.ca Have a great week!
