Verge Grad Profile
Carmen Lamoureux, Founder, URBANFARM Permaculture Project. (Now Urban Farm School)
Graduated from PDC in Calgary 2013.
Carmen’s Expertise:
Soils, Silviculture, Forestry, Organic Food Production, Composting, Facilitation, Tomato Production, Design, Project Management
Carmen’s Story:
Carmen has had a varied career, from working at the Alberta government in the fields of forestry, sustainable resource development and aerial photography to growing organic tomatoes and penning greenhouse production manuals for the horticultural sector.
Carmen believes that gardens speak to us on a visceral level, fulfilling our fundamental needs for security, season currency, and self-reliance. Having grown food organically for four decades, Carmen gets excited about helping others cultivate great food and in turn, great selves, as she believes this is “key to bringing each of us up to a level of responsible maturity and wisdom necessary for creating a more beautiful world.”
When the opportunity arises, Carmen also moonlights as a folk, jazz and blues musician!
On Her Experience with Verge:
Taking Verge’s PDC came at a very pivotal moment in Carmen’s life, a time when she was ready to redefine her life and forge ahead with something new. Divorced after 20 years of marriage, Carmen was mired in a self-definition that she was having difficulty dislodging herself from:
“I knew I had the ability, skills, creativity and vision to do whatever I wanted with my life, but seriously, I felt stuck, pressured with the idea of needing to make a living and having no idea how to begin again.”
Taking the Verge PDC helped Carmen peel back old layers and made her realize that she was at her happiest while working with others who are also passionate about growing food and creating community:
“I loved observing myself go into absolute keener mode when various topics would come up, and that got me really excited!”
After meeting many young, dynamic and resourceful individuals completing their PDC’s, Carmen noticed that there was an opportunity to help them continue to gain experience in real-world settings. That’s when she came up with her business idea:
“I established The URBANFARM PERMACULTURE PROJECT with the goal of helping these folks gain some honest-to-goodness practical skills and abilities to take all their passion and go out there and actually DO IT, go out and GROW SOME AWESOME.”
ABOUT URBANFARM Permaculture Project
The URBANFARM Permaculture Project began in 2013 as an evolving demonstration garden designed to showcase permaculture and food production at work in an urban setting. It’s built upon an existing organically-managed mature garden in the heart of Calgary, and has been pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer-free for the past 23 years.
Through on-site workshops, the URBANFARM Permaculture Project provides beginner gardeners and emerging permaculturists with the knowledge, skills, resources and confidence to move toward a more sustainable, enriched and healthy lifestyle. Along with a team of instructors, Carmen works to inform, inspire and build meaningful and collaborative relationships. URBANFARM Permaculture Project’s goal is to promote the practice of permaculture in Calgary and beyond to help create vibrant, resilient and regenerative communities, with the motto of “Empowerment Through Positive Action.”
Contact Info:
Email: URBANFARMYYC (at) gmail.com
Phone: 403-978-1294
Learn more about Carmen’s work here
