Green Iglu

🌱 Build skills that take root!

Our Sustainable Greenhouse Training is available for free.
Learn at your own pace with self-guided modules, pre-recorded lessons, and a community recipe forum—perfect for building local long-term capacity in greenhouse farming and food security.

Sign up today: https://greeniglu.com/courses/sustainable-greenhouse-training/

From seed to plate, we’re helping northern communities grow healthy, accessible food.

🌱 Ready to start your 2027–2028 greenhouse project? Let’s connect! 🌱

We are excited to shine our Green Thumb Spotlight to the incredible achievements of Sheldon Miles in Mattagami First Nation, Ontario!

A big shout out to Sheldon who has transformed this land into a sustainable growing paradise for fresh produce.

This remarkable work is truly inspiring us, and many others in the process! Thanks for sharing Sheldon!

🥬🌶️🪴🍅🌱

Now is a great time to begin thinking about setting up a backyard compost!

In our recent blog written by Mabel Varughese, we outline 5 simple steps to creating your own simple backyard compost system.

Composting is a great way to reduce household food waste and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, your soil will love it!

Currently on her path to becoming a Registered Dietitian one day, Mabel is blending her passion for sustainability with her love for food. She is driven to encourage others to embrace nutritious and environmentally friendly eating habits that nourish both the body and the planet!

Read Mabel’s words with the link below🥕
https://www.greeniglu.com/5-simple-steps-to-composting/

Spring is just around the corner! ☔️🌷🌱

Gearing up for the growing season, West Coast Seeds has gifted us with loads of seeds for 14 communities! We are so grateful for this Canadian company helping us grow.

We started sowing indoors in February, but we’ll really start to see the growth in the coming weeks!

A free online sustainable agriculture course!

This course, developed by dedicated growers, is designed to give you skills to make meaningful changes to local food security.

Offered by the Green Skills Academy, this course is self-led, and you’ll learn the fundamentals of sustainable agriculture.

To register go to: https://relayeducation.com/sustainable-agriculture-course/sustainable-agriculture-course-registration/

Happy learning! 🥕👩‍🌾🥬

We wanted to take a moment to send a big thank you to one of our most valued partners, Red Deer Food Bank!

In one year alone, the Red Deer Food Bank helped over 19,000 individuals, 40% of which were children. This went far beyond providing food hampers; their commitment to nutritious food as a fundamental right and food equity is inspiring.

They continue to innovate and refine solutions to meet the community's needs, always treating everyone with the utmost respect and compassion. This is what led them to set up a heated geodesic dome greenhouse with us this year.

With a 52-foot hydroponics system in the works and expected to be in place this winter, we are so excited to see them make an incredible impact in the new year.

You can learn more at https://www.reddeerfoodbank.com/Bilijk Greenhouse and know that visits are also welcome if you live near Red Deer, Alberta!

**Message from the ED**

Hello all! My contract with Green Iglu is coming to an end, and as the board decides the next leader for the organization, I wanted to say goodbye in my way... awkwardly :D

This has been an incredible 2+ years, and I am grateful for every moment of it. I have learned so much and experienced a lot of growth both professionally and personally. I have moved from the Western Arctic to Central Alberta... and travelled coast to coast to coast within Canada, working on food security everywhere I went! I met incredible people doing hard work on limited budgets and with limited resources.

I learned how to use a miter saw! I was gifted eagle feathers and beadwork. I ate delicious food from many cultures. I was gifted local knowledge of customs and history, that have helped me see my role in this world in a new light.

I think I built a pretty great team, who came to work every day with a smile on their faces, ready to take on the next challenge. The staff of Green Iglu have been some of the best people I have ever known! I hope all of the communities, people and organizations I was able to work with know how much I appreciated their hard work, insights and even constructive criticism when needed!

If anyone is looking to connect with me past the end of November, I can be reached easily on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/raygan-solotki-94737a39/)

Thanks everyone for the wonderful memories!

Meet Tomorrow's Food Security Leader, Mayenda Jones!

The $500 bursary award underscores Mayenda’s commitment to equitable food access. From Gitxsan First Nation, her passion for food security began early, rooted in her family's greenhouse produce and traditional Gitxsan food harvesting. Mayenda believes understanding food security can drive sustainable choices for everyday living.

We’re foreseeing her impact on the nationwide food insecurity crisis, and thrilled to be a part of her inspiring journey!

To read more about Mayenda: https://www.greeniglu.com/news/honouring-a-food-security-leader/ 🌿✨

Red Deer Food Bank is making the most of the vertical space in its growing dome! From flowers to herbs, Red Deer Food Bank is a hanging planter inspiration. Can you name the plants you see in these pics? 👀🪴

Check out the newly installed lights found at the Red Deer Food Bank's greenhouse!

We have been so lucky to find a partnership with Eco Lighting Solutions. They operate out of Calgary, Alberta, providing high-end growing lights for homes and greenhouses.

Tracy and Katelyn always have our best interests in mind, and help us provide communities with the means to grow year-round. We would like to give these two a big shout-out to express our gratitude for their commitment!

Learn more about lighting solutions for your project by visiting www.ecolighting.ca 🌱☀️