Langara College is a large public academic post-secondary school. We have existed outside of Vancouver Community College as independent since 1994. The College is a key employer in South Central Vancouver and we do many outreach activities in the Library for our students.
The Library has a Climate Action Group that launched a Seed Swap (https://langara.libguides.com/seedswap) in March 2025 with the generous donation of seeds from West Coast Seeds (please see the attached photos). We are grateful to be able to offer our community members (students, staff, faculty and general community) a place to both receive and return seeds. We have the intent to create a special library garden in the future as a place where we can grow some of the WCS donations.
The 19,000 students at Langara can utilize the Seed Swap, along with staff, faculty and any general community members who come to the library as a public space.
Creating knowledge about seed starting, plant growing and harvesting of seeds. Awareness about the benefits of greening spaces, creating butterfly and pollinator gardens. Liaising with other departments (especially biology) on education around plants, seeds, and gardening for our students and staff.
Langara has several community gardens on campus and a very active Facilities department that takes sustainability initiatives seriously. The Library Climate Action Group aims to offer students and staff opportunities to learn about how gardening and greening spaces have positive impact on climate mitigation and foster a connection with the natural world that individuals will treasure and protect for future generations. We also intend to work more closely on indigenous plant species, hopefully alongside our Musqueam First Nation.
To learn more, visit the Seed Swap's website.