FIRST ROAD TRIP

Opening the Greenhouse Education Center

May 25, 2018

The initial opening of the Greenhouse Education Center had to be my favorite part of the first trip. I had seen it before but it had only been without the actual plants up to this point. As the team and I opened the trailer at our first location, I found myself mostly focused on correctly positioning all the components of the trailer, making sure our signs were up in position and nervously anticipating my first conversation with a visitor. Once I had gotten over that anticipation, I finally took a step back from the trailer and got to see it in its entirety. It was amazing to finally get to see the mobile greenhouse with all the plants on it! Everything had come together and we finally got the opportunity to show everyone where some of the produce that they are buying in the grocery stores comes from and how it’s grown.

The First Day

Beginning our first trip with the Greenhouse Education Center was just as exciting as it was nerve-wracking. Although I was excited to begin my summer journey and meet people from various cities, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I eagerly woke up on the morning of May 10th to begin the adventure.  We all had been familiarized with the greenhouse environment through our thorough training days where we got to experience the greenhouse growing first hand – now it was time to put it all into action. The first day in Toronto was extremely exciting! We were ready and confident to show everyone how we grow our produce. We definitely experienced a couple hiccups throughout the day, as expected, but once we worked out all the kinks it was smooth sailing. There was no shortage of walking traffic in Toronto, which meant tons of visitors at the mobile greenhouse. They all tested our knowledge on the growing process of the plants, which I think was the best learning experience to solidify the knowledge we gained during orientation week. It was a great day with great weather and by the end of it the team was exhausted. We knew this would take some getting used to.

Getting to Know the Team                                                                                                                                        

This is my first job working in a team-oriented environment. On the first trip I got to know everyone I would be spending the summer with. It was very interesting to know where the team had all come from. Even though we had all come from Essex County, we all had different backgrounds and interests which made for a well rounded, diverse team with various skill sets.

I also had the pleasure of getting to know the man in charge of pulling the mobile greenhouse around; Kenny! He quickly assumed the role of comic relief with his witty jokes and always managed to keep smiles on our faces. It’s amazing how quickly the team has come together and developed great communication with each other. I’m looking forward to the rest of our journey together!