In 2000, the Columbia Valley Botanical Gardens (CVBG) was formed to focus on the development of community and school gardens in the communities of the Upper Columbia Region. The CVBG sought to develop plant collections and gardens that protected plant species and presented them to people to advance the understanding of values associated with biodiversity as well as spiritual, educational, and economic value—essentially, to show how plants are an integral part of human survival and quality of all life on earth.
Today, the CVBG is the Groundswell Network Society, but has not abandoned its roots in the plant world; rather it has added value and broadened its scope to include all areas of human activity as it affects a sustainable future. Renewable energy, water, food, plants, green transportation, local economic development—these are just a few of the areas Groundswell continues to deliver successful projects in at a community level. In reality, all of these projects relate to the living world of which plants are a vital component.
The Community Greenhouse and Gardens are Groundswell’s flagship projects—shining examples of the power of collaborative community effort. Adventure Canada supports Groundswell through the Fly It Forward program.