The Who? What? Where? & How? A Community Passive Solar Greenhouse in Athabasca
On a beautiful, sunny spring evening, the Athabasca Grown crew welcomed many familiar faces to the Athabasca University Academic Research Centre, or ARC, to explore the who, what, where and how of bringing a community passive solar greenhouse (CPSG) to Athabasca. The Edmonton Oilers were playing a second-round playoff game, so you know the 46 folks who participated in our workshop are the ones who are in it to win it for Team CPSG!
Before the hard work started, the participants were treated to a delicious meal by Nourish Catering! The soups and sandwich fixin’s were the perfect fuel to get everyone ready to work!
Project co-lead Dr. Mike Gismondi opened the evening. Mike thanked everyone for coming and then explained the format, which would be the group dividing into four and moving through 4 rooms where the who, what, where and how would be discussed.
Cara Shan, project co-lead, gave the group a refresher on the project to date and explained what we were looking for from the group. The main questions to answer were:
“Who could carry the project forward, and how could it be governed? Who would the intended customers/audience be?
What would the physical components of the building include, and what purpose would they serve?
Where would a PSG be most appropriate and successful?
How will the business be planned and operated? How do contributions and funding models differ for various scenarios?”
The Town of Athabasca was the co-host for the evening. They are also the sponsor for the CPSG feasibility study. Mayor Rob Balay greeted the crowd and made some great comments on the value of this type of community work.
In the breakout rooms, Athabascans enthusiastically explored the idea of a CPSG. Engagement remained strong, with several attendees volunteering for next steps and others requesting updates. The session sparked bold ideas while recognizing the need for a practical, achievable plan rooted in community aspirations. A detailed account of breakout room discussions is available here; a summary is included below.
Who?
The CPSG’s foundation is relational, centred around community champions with diverse strengths, including organizers, strategists, motivators, and relationship-builders.
A co-operative model was proposed that could be guided by people with technical, business, and horticultural skills. The structure would support ongoing community engagement, democratic decision-making, and representation from across the local food system.
Key skills and roles identified:
Agronomy & greenhouse operations
Communications, sales, and outreach
Construction, maintenance, and design
Financial, legal, and board experience
In addition to the Athabasca Grown project partners named in print, other supporters and possible partners were shared, including Aspen View Public Schools and some EPC teachers, the youth Rotary Interact Club, Athabasca Health Foods, Norland Brae Farm, and the Athabasca Heritage Society.
Donors, food service providers, grocery stores, food banks, the Chamber of Commerce, 4H groups, Indigenous communities, and ALPAC were also identified as potential partners.
The question, “Who else needs to be in the room?” was asked with an eye to inclusivity.
What?
The vision is for a demonstration-scale, human-powered greenhouse with the potential to inspire replication elsewhere. Feedback suggested the following components:
Food production: Year-round growing (PSG, hydroponics, orchards), focused on crops hard to grow locally
Education: School partnerships, hands-on workshops, and youth/senior engagement
Processing & storage: Root cellar, cold storage, packing space
Sales: Farm gate, aggregation, local procurement (grocers, restaurants)
Community: Gathering space, café, events, accessible and inclusive
Sustainability: Use of solar, geothermal, rainwater systems; composting; passive heat strategies
Governance: Community-based co-op with room to grow in phases
The project aims to complement existing community assets, not duplicate them, and create a networked system of local food infrastructure.
Some of the participant sketches from the What? room.
Where?
Several sites were evaluated, with top preferences going to:
Site 1 (Behind Community Garden/AU Cultivated) – Good water access but limited space
Site 7 (Old High School/AU Property) – Central and walkable, though less visible
Site 2 (Beside Community Garden/AU ARC) – Full sun, but reliant on AU services & parking
The Agri-plex property brings partnership potential, but is located at a distance from Town activities.
Other options: Neaves Property (social equity potential), between EPC & Multiplex (strong integration potential but wet area), and brownfield sites (repurposing potential).
Key site criteria:
Access to water, power, internet, and services
Solar exposure and protection from wind and flooding
Room to expand
Centrality and accessibility
Connection to schools or community programs
How?
Participants discussed the planning needed in six functional areas to launch and sustain the CPSG:
Strategy
Align production with local demand
Plan crop compatibility and cycles
Build long-term resilience through soil health, rotation, and risk assessment
Human Resources
Hire skilled staff and recruit volunteers
Engage youth and seniors
Build curriculum-linked education and community programming
Marketing
Conduct local market research
Develop partnerships with institutions and retailers
Use digital and print communications to build visibility
Operations
Plan for modular growth
Commercial kitchen and storage could add value
Minimize downtime and food waste
Integrate with nearby educational and community assets
Technology
Prioritize passive, low-tech systems
Ensure reliable internet and secure payment systems
Use tech to improve—not complicate—operations
Finance
Create budgets and forecasts
Leverage grants, donations, and partnerships
Explore co-op ownership and revenue through product sales
What’s Next?
First, a thank you to everyone who participated in our final workshop and throughout the entire workshop series—your energy, ideas, and enthusiasm made it a smashing success!
A fresh and special thanks to those who signed up to continue the journey as part of the CPSG's 'Circle of Champions.' This volunteer working group is made up of community members who will drive forward “what’s next” to bring a CPSG to life in Athabasca. Validated by months of public engagement through the Athabasca Grown project, the CPSG is now ready to move from vision to action with design, governance, location, and operations of the greenhouse. The group will plan to meet once in June, July, and August. We would love to have you contribute too: email info@athabascagrown.ca for details!
The Athabasca Grown team will be back in the fall to wrap up the feasibility and capacity-building work under the Town's Small Community Opportunity Program project, and hopefully provide an update on a transition to the next phase of development.
Athabasca Grown wraps formal community engagement, feasibility report to be released in fall
Learn more about the workshop from the Athabasca Advocate article.
Thanks to Lexi Freehill for the great reporting! Photo by Lexi Freehill.
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