My source of vigour -  Tricia Peachey

"I think we need sweeping structural change to create a healthier world. I think we can all do our small parts to create and produce, to the benefit of Mother Earth." - TP

Photo credit: Mark Peachey (used with permission)

Tricia is my friend and neighbor. She's the mother of 3 adult children, all in university. She is currently taking a Bachelor of Social Work at Dalhousie University. 

Her passion is food security and equitable agriculture methods.

She truly lives her life in service to her community by sharing her gardening journey in every possible way. She is, without a doubt, the most generous and wisest person I know. She has no idea how impactful her efforts have been to me and to a host of other folks in the community. 

Tricia is absolutely inspiring; I see her as a leader in "the emerging Ecozoic Era, the period when humans will be present to the planet as participating members of the comprehensive Earth community. This is our Great Work". (Berry, 1999, p. 8)

What she does:

• grows seedlings to share with neighbors and local Facebook groups

Tricia grows seedlings in her garage with reclaimed curbside fluorescent lights and then offers them to neighbors by posting their availability in local Facebook groups such as Buy Nothing Canada ( Middle and Lower Sackville group)

Photo credit: Tricia Peachey (used with permission)

• reduces waste by reclaiming curbside trash and organic material to re-purpose for gardening supplies to share

Tricia scours Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace to get free or cheap supplies for gardening. She gifted me about 20 5-gallon buckets and introduced me to self-watering planters. I used her gifted buckets and some junk around my home to create some and I grew cucumbers, kale and other greens, potatoes, and tomatoes for the first time.

• makes use of micro-grants to make seeds accessible to folks who want them

A set of neighborhood seed kits were available from the Halifax Regional Municipality's Neighborhood Seed Kit Initiative through application and Tricia applied for one, then hosted an afternoon get-together at her home to give them out and share ideas for backyard growing.

• documents and shares growing tips to help others with backyard growing

Tricia's home is littered with books, tools, seedlings and junk waiting to be repurposed and, usually, given away, much to the (mock?) dismay of her family.

What she hopes to do:

• grow enough flowers to create corsages and boutonnieres for high school students attending prom who can't afford flowers or want to be sure their flowers are ethically sourced

Photo credit: Tricia Peachey (used with permission)

You can find Tricia on Instagram at

Blooms on Judy

How she sometimes struggles:

There are some practical restrictions to what Tricia can do, like financing. But there are also systemic barriers, which she describes in the audio clip below.

Why she's passionate about it:

In Tricia's own words, she hopes she is "disrupting the power imbalances of industrial agriculture for both plants and animals".

And this is what makes Tricia my "source of vigour", as defined by Roorda (2012): she addresses the "flaws in the fabric" with "energy and enthusiasm" (p. 43).

Dearest Tricia, thank you.

Inspirational words:

"The natural world is overflowing with everyday miracles. Can you imagine that this little seed has stored within it every bit of everything it needs to grow into a pepper-producing plant? The more seeds I sow, the more enthralled I become with growth, potential, overcoming and becoming.

Humans show up with everything they need to grow and thrive already planted inside them and then life happens. Some of us are lucky enough to land in healthy soil, good sun, the right amount of water and some shelter from the wind. Some of us aren’t that lucky.

I spent years and years praying to Jesus: “Change me. Grow me. Help me.” It’s been a surprising, sweet revelation to realize that everything I need to grow and thrive has always been within me. Less favourable growing circumstances in our early years leave some of us playing catch up, tending parts of our garden that were left dormant, and for good reason.

It is a new and interesting idea for me to consider that I am enough. I think this is why I’m drawn to people and drawn to social work. What I figure out for myself is what I will have to offer and there is no true compassion for others without travelling bravely towards compassion for myself.

It is a gift to grow peppers in my basement and truly a gift to live this one life."

-Taken with permission from a Facebook post by Tricia Peachey

References

Berry, T. (2000). The great work: Our way into the future. (pp. 1-11). Bell Tower. 

Halifax Regional Municipality. (2022, July 21). Applications open for neighbourhood seed Kit Initiative. Halifax.Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.halifax.ca/home/news/applications-open-neighbourhood-seed-kit-initiative 

Mulligan, M. (2017). Chapter 11. In An Introduction to Sustainability: Environmental, social and personal perspective (pp. 173-187).
Routledge. 

Roorda, N. (2012). Chapter 2. In Fundamentals of Sustainable Development (pp. 37–77). essay, Routledge.