OUR ROOTS
Welcome to Sustainable South Osborne Community Co-op
Sustainable South Osborne Community Co-op (SSOCC) develops and supports local activities related to sustainable local food systems, active transportation, simplified living, and climate change. Our mission is to create a culture of sustainability and adaptability in our neighbourhood. Achieving this mission calls for energy, creativity, and inspiration of all of us that share the neighbourhood. Already we have lots of projects on the go. Participating in these projects makes our community a better place, so come and meet your neighbours and find common interests.
Sustainable South Osborne Community Cooperative (SSOCC) is a volunteer run, grant funded organization that was started in 2009. In it’s inception as South Osborne Community Co-op, we placed emphasis on food related programs as a way to engage the community, build intergenerational interaction, and increase the food growing capacity of the neighbourhood. In May 2012, the organization renamed itself Sustainable South Osborne Community Cooperative (SSOCC) and expanded its mandate to include a wider array of programs initiated by the Province of Manitoba’s Community-Led Emissions Reduction (CLER) program which ran in both Lord Roberts and Riverview to help the community become more sustainable.
Mission Statement
Sustainable South Osborne Co-operative strives to create a culture of sustainability
and resilience in our neighborhood.
Board Members
Evan Bowness, President
Rod Kueneman, Vice President
Jesse Thorne-Finch, Secretary
Kerri Twigg, Treasurer
Donna Hainstock, Communications
Bev Suek, RVCC Representative
Jennefer Larson, LRCC Representative
Mark Burch
Matt Sanscartier
At-home Composting: South Osborne residents attended their choice of composting workshops hosted by
Green Action Centre. Participants were able to buy wood composters at a reduced cost from Urban Eatin’ Gardeners’ Worker Co-op.
Master Composting: South Osborne residents attended a hands-on and in-depth composting and volunteer program. By taking this course and completing 30 hours of volunteer time, residents earn the title of “master composter.”
Community Composting: Large compost bins were built at Riverview Community Centre and Riverview gardens.
High-Rise Composting: Residents of Riverbend Plaza (400 Osborne Street) were given kitchen collection buckets and a compost orientation session. A three-bin composter was built on their property. The organic waste of the 52 residents was collected and measured on a weekly basis.
South Osborne Bike Hub: CLER helped to fund the opening and establishment of the South Osborne Bike Hub (SOBH). SOBH is a volunteer led bike repair and education shop housed in the Lord Robert’s outbuilding. Volunteer mechanics and mechanics in training help people fix and maintain their cycles by providing one-on-one training, and workshops.
Free Summer Bikes: We offered free refurbished bikes to South Osborne residents if they tracked their commuting distance for us. While the free bike program has ended, bikes are available for only $25 at the South Osborne Bike Hub.
Smart Trips: Six South Osborne residents participated in Smart Trips — a program where residents chose to bike, bus or walk to work instead of driving their car. A short film for this program was produced, to view click here.
SORT: An online ride-share forum was created for South Osborne residents to coordinate carpool connections. The site was rarely used, but we still encourage people to talk to their co-workers and neighbors about possible ride-share opportunities.
Energy Efficiency Workshops: Three free energy efficiency workshops were held in 2011 to teach residents about both small and large projects they could undertake to make their homes more efficient. The first workshop was hosted by Manitoba Hydro. The final two workshops featured a short video we made about a Sustainable South Osborne home, followed by hands-on activities to teach people how to apply caulking, weather-stripping and window plastic. Free materials were given to participants.
Power Meters: Eight power meters were distributed through-out the community. Power meters create a report on how much power a house is using, and where is it using it. In similar program, people who use power meters will reduce energy usage by 60% once they see where they are wasting energy. We have created a waiting list for a power meter, contact us to get added to the list.
Gardenshare: The Gardenshare program is organized by South Osborne Community Cooperative. People who have lawns they`d like to share are connected to people who are landless and want to garden. SOCC builds a garden on their property and the gardener and land-owner share the produce bounty.
Argue Street Gardens: CLER helped to fund the erection of the Argue Street Gardens. It is located on Argue street at the end of Lord Roberts Community Centre`s field. The Argue Street garden is worked by children in the Lord Roberts Childcare program.
Lord Roberts Outdoor Classroom: CLER, in cooperation with SOCC and teachers and administration at Lord Roberts school is building an outdoor classroom and at-home gardening project for grade four students.
