Construction of the Passive Solar Roller - Cochrane’s education greenhouse on wheels - is officially underway! OnGrowing Works has been busy building the structure on top of our flatbed trailer and, despite supply chain challenges, all the necessary materials are being lined up. Programming plans, which will initially target Cochrane’s children and youth, are likewise taking shape. All of this is powered by volunteer time along with a Canada Healthy Communities Initiative grant.
Justin Jantzi and Dyon Neuman of OnGrowing Works framing the greenhouse roof
But once we have our well-built, mobile food-growing unit ready to roll, how on earth do we plan to haul those thousands of pounds around town? The whole point of having it on wheels is to increase access by showing up where people need it - the Family Resource Network one week, BGC the next, the farmers market the next, and so on. This is where Big Hill Towing comes in with their incredibly generous offer of a truck and driver to move us to and fro safely.
This year, Big Hill Towing celebrates their 45th year as a locally-owned business and has an almost unheard of track record: they’ve answered their phone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week without a single disruption in service for every one of those years! When Cultivate Cochrane approached the community to request help transporting the Passive Solar Roller, Big Hill Towing was immediately and enthusiastically on board. For owner Jackie Richards, a project that focuses on the future of our kids, our community and our world really resonates. She sees our programming as an important way to lift kids’ spirits after the hardships they’ve endured throughout the pandemic, and she equally welcomes the opportunity to contribute to environmental solutions that help offset the diesel footprint inherent in a towing business.
Photo courtesy of Big Hill Towing
“It is a great honour and privilege for us to have been asked to participate in this very important project. It is a very small way for us to give back to the community that has supported us with such loyalty for 45 years”, says Jackie. It’s an honour for Cultivate Cochrane as well. A towing company and a group using food-growing to create a more resilient and connected community may seem like an unlikely pair, but it takes a village to raise a greenhouse and dedicated, community-minded businesses are definitely part of that.
Stay tuned for a public unveiling of the Passive Solar Roller in April - just in time to kick off the growing season!