Little actions are growing big change with the SMU Gardening Society. Newly established this academic year, the Gardening Society is an example of how grassroots (literally!) action can have meaningful impacts on things like food security, sustainability and climate action.
April 22 is Earth Day; a day that reminds the world to stop and think about how each little action, like turning the lights off and avoiding water wastage, can add up to big impacts when applied on a large scale. For many, change can feel out of reach as we get caught up in big-gesture, large-scale actions. But for Elizabeth (Lizz) Dixon, President and Founder of SMU’s Gardening Society, it’s the smallest actions that can make the biggest impact in our everyday lives.
An international student completing her first year in the Bachelor of Arts program at Saint Mary’s, Lizz grew up with a love for gardening, both for the joy and family connection, and for the outcomes that helped lessen the impact of food insecurity in her home. Now living in an apartment building in Halifax with no real green space to work with, and continuing to feel the impacts of food insecurity, Lizz came up with the idea to start a gardening society at Saint Mary’s.
“I have lived in Halifax since 2023 and have seen grocery prices go up many times, especially for things like fresh produce,” Lizz explains. “As someone living with diabetes, I can’t just turn to canned or frozen vegetables, which means spending a lot more of my budget on fresh items. But as an international student, I am restricted to working a maximum number of hours per week, limiting my income abilities. Between rising costs, access, and things like dietary needs or medical circumstances, many people are being forced to choose between housing, bills and food; it just didn’t sit right with me.”
In the fall of 2024, the SMU Gardening Society took root with the goal of expanding SMU’s Community Garden to attract more pollinators to campus and establish vegetable and herb plots that could provide fresh produce to students.
Rachel Clarke, Bradley Knockwood, Kagan Akiyama, Leo, Noah Martin, Elizabeth Dixon, Meagan and Chloe from the Gardening, Environmental and Outdoors societies worked together to prepare the Community Garden.
The society has hosted a number of events throughout the academic year including an overhaul of the SMU Community Garden, a collaborative event with the Environmental Society and the Outdoor Society. On March 29, members of the community came together to repair old garden beds, prepare the soil and plant this year’s pollinator plants.
Pollinator plants attract crucial pollinators like bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. These are integral contributors to a healthy ecosystem by increasing the production of plants that store carbon. Pollinators are also necessary for many plants' food production, which increases local food access and, as a result, decreases greenhouse gas emissions caused by food production and transportation.
An estimated one-third of the world’s produced food ends up wasted, which means wasted energy from its production, packaging and transportation, and increased methane emissions from food rotting in landfills. This Earth Day, Lizz is sharing the message of reducing waste as a small, easy step that can have a significant impact on our climate.
“Food waste is something we can all strive to reduce with minimal effort. Plants have a lot more edible parts than many people realize. Broccoli stalks are edible and nutrient-dense, but so many people toss that part because they don’t realize it’s edible or don’t know how to use it. Prioritizing local produce, having a plan for your food and using all edible components of it all add up to long-term impacts.”
On her hopes for the future of the community garden, Lizz says the Gardening Society has lots of long-term dreams. “Right now, our hope is to bring fresh food to students this year and eventually expand to selling our fresh produce at local markets. We’re playing around with ideas like bee hives and mushroom sheds, and we really hope to establish a greenhouse for year-round growing. But ultimately, we want people to learn about growing and cultivating food that can reduce the impacts of food insecurity and the harmful environmental impacts of externally sourced foods, all while feeling the positive community and mental health benefits of getting your hands dirty!”
To learn more about the SMU Gardening Society and their initiatives, visit SMU Gardening Halifax on Instagram or reach out by email to smugardening@gmail.com.
Did you know? Saint Mary’s offers a Bachelor of Environmental Studies, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Certificate in Sustainability Business and Minor in Climate Change Studies. Learn more about Sustainability at Saint Mary’s.
