eya's history

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Early 90s

The organization acquired non-profit status in 1991, working on projects that brought high school youth to conservation areas in an effort to build awareness of the problems and threats many of our wilderness areas were facing. Recognizing that our cities were also in disrepair and needed youth vision and ideas, 1993 saw a dramatic shift in our activities as we began to engage the youth community in issues central to urban living. Food, environment, social justice, employablity skills, and youth capacity building became the nexus of the organization, long before 'sustainability' hit the mainstream.

Our participation in the Cottonwood and Strathcona Community Gardens began in 1992, providing a 'home' base to run organic gardening and ecological landscaping programs with 100s of children and youth building what remains today as the EYA Youth Garden. Since then over 20,000 students have had direct contact with the gardens through tours, workshops, internships, apprenticeships, influencing their perspective on food, community, and urban living

We led youth environmental conferences and workshops locally, regionally, nationally and internationally, throughout the 90s, taking our message of youth empowerment and voice when dealing with the challenges of our day. Projects such as the Home is Where we Live, Youth Service Corp, Turning the Page and the magazine SCREAMzine tackled many tough environmental issues as well as the social issues faced by youth and our society.

Late 90's

Ahead of the curve, in the late 90s, EYA was already working on climate change education in schools and in the community, delivering workshops and presentations to 1000s of students with an interactive format creating alternative energy models and resources on how to build your own. During this period were also busy building youth capacity with a program called Youth Driven, which brought together more than 10 youth-serving organizations in a network to provide resources, tools, and support to youth interested in making change in their communities. 

On the garden front, we built several small structures in the Cottonwood and Strathcona Community Gardens - 2 greenhouses, a shed, and the Strathcona Garden House, an off the grid structure that houses several sustainable technologies including solar panels, composting toilet, and a greywater treatment area. This structure was built by a project called Young Women Creating Change, a skill development initiative that empowered young women to become involved in the building industry. Working with a lead female carpenter, members of the Strathcona Garden, and architect Sharif Senbel, the Eco-Pavillion as it was called, has proven to be a true community legacy. During this period we also assisted several schools in the building and growing of their gardens, most notably, Queen Alexandra and Granview Elementary.

21st Century

In the early 2000s we became a leader and pioneer in using community mapping as a fun and effective tool for a “community” - whether it be a group of people who share a neighbourhood, a subculture or common visions or obstacles  - to visually tell their stories. The great climate change work in the late 90s paved the way for the design and development of a Biodiesel facility at UBC and our Green Workplace Program which provided free and low cost energy and paper/waste auditing for small to medium sized businesses (now a for profit venture, Sustainable Community Enterprises). 

In 2003, we partnered with artist Oliver Kellhammer to create the Means of Production Garden in North China Creek Park. It involved the production of valuable, organic artist materials such as paper, charcoal, and exotic wood, using permaculture (permanent agriculture) principles to provide the means for many artists to do their work in the future.

Today, we continue to work on programs and projects that involve children and youth, allowing them to guide the paths we will take in the future. In 20 years of environmental education, EYA has reached over 300,000 children and youth through hands on presentations, workshops, training, and community volunteerism. Take a look at some of our current programs and projects.