Author: Asema Kajir, 2025 Green Team Leader
One thing that unites all humans throughout history is our connection to nature: cultivating, sustaining, and finding peace within it. With the ongoing growth of urban cities and technological advancements, gardening and environmental stewardship are often seen as unattainable pursuits and are inaccessible for many. Unaware of the natural spaces behind 53 Thorncliffe Park Drive and 71 Thorncliffe Park Drive, I once thought that gardening was an out-of-reach endeavour for myself, especially as I live in a high-rise building. I believed nature was a sanctuary to visit occasionally; a peaceful retreat without needing any deeper involvement. When I first encountered the TPUF gardens, I was amazed at how different they were compared to anywhere else I had been. One deep inhale and exhale amongst the plants and trees felt surreal. It felt like I was not breathing natural air for the past sixteen years.
A notable feature of TPUF is its efficient leadership and sense of teamwork. I have volunteered in many places but TPUF stands out in various ways. It feels less like work or mere temporary “volunteering.” It feels like humans from the same community coming together to sustain the very ground we live on, ultimately working towards a more fruitful outcome for humanity and its environment. It is most definitely not just some vague idea of volunteering, in fact, it has meaning and purpose. Every seed we sow brings fulfillment. It is truly an enriching experience. The garden has taught me many hard skills, thanks to our mentors Michelle and Najeeb, but has also imparted me with valuable soft skills. Every weeding, planting, and harvest session taught me patience and forbearance with the plants we grew. Weeding taught me precision, watering taught me patience, and working with soil taught me perseverance.
Most importantly, tending to these natural ecosystems taught me what it means to step away from the digital world and work towards a physical and meaningful goal. With all these sessions and hard work, it has had an incredibly vast and rewarding outcome. Every moment here was worth it. One bite into the tomatoes we grew and took care of, were unlike any I have ever tasted. There was an extra sweetness in these tomatoes, knowing of the care and effort that went into growing them. Each gardening session I attended reinforced a simple truth: we are coming together as a community to nurture the land we live on, and foster an environment to support its inhabitants, both ourselves and wildlife. There is something so pleasant about the garden we nurture, inviting various native insects, and animals at times. It shows that this is not only best for us but also for the many other creatures we see and those that we do not see. We are building an environment that is better suited for them, something increasingly rare in today’s day and age. These gardens are essential for these creatures’ existence. These insects that choose to live in these little spaces of nature, out of everywhere else, really tell us something. The insects inhabiting these spaces, amidst a world of concrete, remind us that we’re doing something right. I am truly grateful to the TPUF leads for teaching me what it means to be actively involved in my environment. It has sparked a long-lasting love and commitment in me for caring for nature, and most importantly, my community, that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
