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Coquitlam Munch

A new initiative by the City of Coquitlam for its 2016 Coquitlam in Bloom program is the Coquitlam Munch project.
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A new initiative by the City of Coquitlam for its 2016 Coquitlam in Bloom program is the Coquitlam Munch project.

“We’re collaborating with the Austin Heights Business Improvement Association (AHBIA),” explains Kathleen Reinheimer, Coquitlam’s Manager of Parks. “The AHBIA has a mandate to reach out to the community and the Coquitlam Munch program is a way of connecting gardeners with businesses, the community at large, and the City.”

Coquitlam Munch is the first and largest Coquitlam in Bloom initiative. Forty planters of herbs and vegetables have been placed along Austin and Ridgeway Avenues in the City by AHBIA member businesses and other community partners.

Local businesses in the area will keep the planters watered and weeded and the community is invited to drop by for self-guided tours and check on the plants’ progress from June to October. As the food becomes ready to harvest, the public will be able to taste the crops and learn more about small-scale sustainable gardening.

Local volunteers will harvest any food that is left unpicked by the end of the project.

Coquitlam in Bloom is a program in support of the City’s bid to win an award in the “Communities in Bloom” competition, which ranks similar cities across Canada on criteria such as tidiness, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, landscape and floral displays.

Coquitlam came first in a similar competition at the provincial level in 2015.

“The judges will be looking for those areas where the community, the City, local businesses, and community organizations are involved and working together,” Kathleen says. “Coquitlam Munch is an excellent example of community cooperation, and there will also be some fresh, organic food and education acquired along the way!”

For more information on the Coquitlam Munch and other Coquitlam in Bloom programs, check out the City’s website at www.coquitlam.ca/cib or call 604.927.3046. The City of Coquitlam can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.