The Landscape Ontario Podcast Landscape Ontario

One year ago on this podcast, we met Joe Steeves, a plant enthusiast from New Brunswick. When Joe was born with cerebral palsy, his family had lots of questions about what his future might look like, such as would he be able to hold a job or pursue a post-secondary education? The green trades turned out to be a perfect fit for Joe, and despite his challenges, he has been steadily building a career by working at greenhouses and nurseries. Not willing to stop there, Joe set his sights on gaining a formal education in horticulture and pursuing his dream job. A lot has happened in the past 12 months, so in this episode of the Landscape Ontario Podcast, we follow up with Joe to hear about what’s been happening with his growing career.

Resources

Joe’s first interview: Diversity and inclusion creates opportunities to bloom for those with physical challenges - Landscape Ontario

Town of Riverview

MacArthur’s Nurseries

Mountain View Growers

Diddley-Squash Farm

University of Guelph OpenEd Horticulture Certificate

There's a profound beauty in planting a seed and watching its journey from a tiny speck to a flourishing plant. But what if that journey could also nurture the minds and hearts of children? That's exactly what our panel of guests are doing through their charity, Green Thumbs, which is dedicated to teaching schoolchildren the art and science of gardening.

Sunday Harrison is the founder and current executive director of Green Thumbs Growing Kids, a Toronto community-based not-for-profit now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Their mission is to cultivate environmental stewardship through hands-on garden and food education for urban children and their communities.

Joining Sunday are three Green Thumbs board members. Chanel Harris was an inaugural participant in the school garden program in the early 2000s. Also joining us is Sail Vettivelu, who worked as a summer intern at Green Thumbs in 2009, and has been volunteering with the group ever since. Rounding out the panel is environmentalist and artist, Iris “Ike” Karuna. Ike's relationship with Green Thumbs began as a Child and Youth Care placement student, and continued as a staff member.

All of our guests today are passionate about introducing children to the wonders of gardening and all the related life lessons. From patience and responsibility to resilience and the interconnectedness of life, the act of tending to a garden offers invaluable teachings that extend far beyond the boundaries of the garden bed.

Join us as Sunday, Chanel, Sail, Ike and I delve into the transformative power of planting an early seed and watching it grow, not just in the garden but in the hearts and minds of our future generations.

Resources

Episode Transcription

Green Thumbs

Social handle: @greenthumbsTO

Come Alive Outside: Podcast Episode with Scott Wentworth

Engaging Children with Landscape Design: Podcast Episode with Heather Jerrard and Dawn-Marie Deagle

Wendell Barry: Solving for Pattern

Imagine a world where the very design of our neighbourhoods and public spaces serves as a shield against crime. This is the essence of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, or CPTED for short. CPTED is a concept that underscores the pivotal role landscape professionals, together with law enforcement, have in shaping secure and resilient environments. I’m honoured to be joined by Constable Matthew Hunt, the CPTED coordinator for the Ottawa Police Service, and in this conversation, we unravel the intricate relationship between landscape design and crime prevention, explore the principles of CPTED and uncover practical strategies for landscape and horticulture professionals, like you, to become true guardians of our communities

Resources

Episode Transcription

Design safe surroundings - Crime Prevention Ottawa

CPTED Canada

The International CPTED Association (ICA) - North America

Green Cities Foundation

Communities in Bloom

CPTED Books recommended by Cst. Matt Hunt

21st Century Security And Cpted: Designing For Critical Infrastructure Protection And Crime Prevention by Randall I. Atlas

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design by Timothy Crowe

The Complete Guide To Physical Security by Paul R. Baker, Daniel J. Benny

The Death And Life Of Great American Cities: 50th Anniversary Edition by Jane Jacobs

In this episode of Landscape Ontario Podcast, we're stepping into uncharted territory as we explore a groundbreaking concept that's been gaining momentum — the four-day workweek.

What would you do with an extra day to yourself? Would you learn a new hobby? Work on a side hustle? Get extra sleep? Play with your kids? Travel? Imagine all the things you could accomplish with that extra day.

To learn how a compressed work schedule can work for a landscaping company, we're talking with Jessie Taynton, the HR manager at Dicam Landscaping. Dicam dared to reimagine the workweek back in 2019, and they've launched this benefit for their maintenance crew and office staff. Tune in to hear how DICAM's company culture has been enriched by something Jessie considers "life-changing."

Resources

Episode Transcription

DICAM Landscaping

Bankrate Study: Younger workers want a 4-day workweek

If you've ever felt the calming influence of spending time surrounded by nature, then you might be familiar with the notion of horticultural therapy. It can be a pretty profound experience, and not just anecdotally. There are lots of studies that support the healing powers of nature.

In this episode, we talk with Guinevere Kern, a horticultural therapy practitioner based in Guelph, Ontario. Guinevere is an active member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association, as well as the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association, where she also sits on the Education Committee. We explore horticultural therapy as a career and the transformative power plants can have on physical, emotional and mental wellness.

Whether you're a seasoned landscaper looking for a new direction or someone fascinated by the idea of helping others through the therapeutic magic of plants, this episode is for you.

Resources

Episode Transcription

Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association

Homewood Health Care Centre

American Horticultural Therapy Association

Guelph Enabling Garden

The Lancet

Roger Ulrich, PhD 1984 Study

Landscape Ontario GROW Program

Ontario Parks Association full day course

Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen

Additional resources from LO:

The therapeutic value of horticulture

The healing power of horticulture

Are you ready to take your career to the next level, or do you know someone who shows management potential? In this episode of the Landscape Ontario Podcast, we talk to Charolette Cascioli, an experienced HR professional who helps landscape-related companies establish better cultures to attract and retain talent. Charolette is also the facilitator of the GROW Supervisory Foundations program offered by Landscape Ontario. In our conversation, she explains how the program helps people develop confidence and improve their communication skills to embrace leadership opportunities. By working through real-life case studies, with peer collaboration and self-reflection, attendees come away equipped to resolve workplace conflict and positively contribute to the overall culture of their companies.

Resources

Episode Transcription

GROW Program

New Entrant

Supervisory Foundations Skills

Employers of Choice

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath (now known as CliftonStrengths)

Working Genius by Pat Lencioni

Labour Market Impact Assessment

Connect with Charolette Cascioli: SimplifiedHRConsulting@gmail.com