Embark Sustainability Society

Food Rescue
2026-02-26 13:30 - 14:45, 2026-03-05 13:30 - 14:45, 2026-03-12 13:30 - 14:45, 2026-03-19 13:30 - 14:45, 2026-03-26 13:30 - 14:45, 2026-04-02 13:30 - 14:45, 2026-04-09 13:30 - 14:45 (America/Vancouver) | BC
Embark Sustainability’s
Food Rescue Program
We collect healthy yet imperfect-looking produce that does not meet the selling criteria of supermarket chains and redistribute it to Simon Fraser University (SFU) students for free or by donation. Food is collected from Nesters Market and distributed at SFU Burnaby.
Stop by and grab some brain food between classes! Distribution takes place throughout each academic term and does not occur during exam periods or breaks between terms.

Garden Workshop: On the Way to Full Bloom
2026-03-06 14:00 - 16:00 | Embark Sustainability’s Burnaby Learning Garden, Science Road, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Garden Workshop: On the Way to Full Bloom

Date & Time
Fri, Mar 6, 20262:00 PM – 4:00 PM PDT

Location
Burnaby Learning Garden (Maggie Benston Field via Science Rd.)

Register now

Join our Gardens Manager, Pablo Vimos, for a hands-on workshop on the best tips and tricks for indoor seed-starting! If you want to enjoy fresh, homegrown produce this spring, look no further. This experience will guide you through four methods of seeding cool crops like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, pak choi, and spinach. Plus, you’ll leave with:

Started seeds to nurture at home 🌱
Printed guides with step-by-step instructions 📖
Extra seeds to keep your garden growing 🎁

AGENDA

Registration
Welcome & Land Acknowledgment
Seed Starting Approaches
Garden Planning
Hands-on activities
Wrap up & Closing

This workshop is open to all experience levels and physical abilities, so come ready to dig in, learn, and set yourself up for a thriving garden season!
Spots are limited, so sign up now to kickstart your garden with confidence!

Land Acknowledgement
This event takes place on the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem) Nations.

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Pablo Vimos (he/him)
Pablo is an organic master gardener with a degree in Landscape Ecology. He has been managing Embark gardens for a decade, facilitating hands-on activities on how to grow food, plant and maintain gardening beds, and build wildlife habitats. He loves sharing his knowledge to help others start their gardening journey.

Event Accessibility
Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark Sustainability members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Sustainability Associate Members.
This workshop will be held outdoors at the Burnaby Learning Garden (Maggie Benston Field, via Science Rd.), SFU Burnaby. Accessibility details include:

Easy access from Science Road.
If weather conditions are poor, this workshop will be held indoors at the Embark Studio, room #1310 of the SUB, SFU Burnaby.
All materials will be provided to participants.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time.

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, please contact Embark Sustainability’s Director of Engagement at engagement@embarksustainability.org.

Health & Safety
Participants who register are agreeing to release Embark Sustainability Society from any liability related to COVID-19. Masks are optional but encouraged.

Community Agreement
By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.
Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.
If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.

Questions
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Pablo, Embark Sustainability’s Garden’s Manager at gardens@embarksustainability.org.

Register for this Event
GET REMINDERS & EVENT DETAILS NOW

Land, Labour, and Liberation
2026-03-07 13:30 - 17:30 | SUB Ballroom – SFU Burnaby, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
Land, Labour, and Liberation

Date & Time
Sat, Mar 7th, 20261:30 PM – 5:30 PM PDT

Location
SUB Ballroom (5th. floor)

Register now

Food Justice asks a simple but urgent question: who controls our food, and at whose expense? Across colonial states, food systems are shaped by land dispossession, racialized labour exploitation, and policies that produce food insecurity while concentrating power.
Join us for a critical discussion led by scholar and community organizers Evelyn Encalada Grez, Nasya, and Byron, who are each at the forefront of advancing migrant justice and Indigenous food sovereignty. Their collective wealth of knowledge and experience will guide our exploration of:

Migrant labour struggles in agriculture: exploitation, racialization, precarity, and exclusion from rights within colonial labour regimes.

The weaponization of food systems by colonial states: land dispossession, food insecurity, and agricultural control function as tools of governance and oppression
What students can do: how to build true solidarity towards more just and sovereign food systems

Together, we’ll connect these struggles to the broader fight for food justice—one rooted in sovereignty, dignity, and collective responsibility.

Land Acknowledgement
Embark Sustainability’s work takes place across the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo, and Tsawwassen Nations. We greatly encourage our community members to reflect on the lands they are tuning in from; learn whose lands you occupy through native-land.ca.

AGenda

1:20PM |Doors Open for Registration
1:30PM | Food Service Begins
1:45PM | Land Acknowledgement with Elder Les George
2:15PM | Introductions
2:30PM | Key Note Session Part 1
3:15PM | Break
3:30PM | Key Note Session Part 2
4:15PM | Zine-making Activity
5:15PM | Closing Remarks

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Evelyn Encalada Grez (she/her)Evelyn Encalada Grez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Labour Studies Program at SFU. She is the co-founder of Justice for Migrant Workers, a collective that has been at the forefront of the migrant farmworker movement in Canada for over 20 years. She is an award-winning scholar and organizer specializing in transnational labour-migration, migrant justice, and community-engaged research.

Nasya Moore (she/her)Nasya is a scientist from the Nisga’a Nation and Leq’a:mel First Nation. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, where she studied Indigenous Food Systems. Her work is informed by curiosity and culturally grounded learning, and an understanding of resilient foodways as healing Indigenous lands and peoples. Passionate about youth engagement and language revitalization, she supports growing food sovereignty and youth education programs in her home territory of the Nass River valley. Nasya is excited to continue contributing to the reclamation and resilience of Indigenous food systems throughout the west coast.

Byron Cruz (he/him) Byron came to Canada fleeing persecution for resisting inequity and State violence in Guatemala. He is currently a community organizer. He is also an active member of the Sanctuary Health Collective and Migrant Rights Network, a grassroots collective advocating universal access to healthcare, education, and social services for all. His passion to build a society rooted in equity, human rights, dignified working conditions, and high quality of life has led him to organize grassroots community efforts to ensure that the essential needs of the people are met and services are provided.

ABOUT EMBARK’S ANNUAL FOOD JUSTICE EVENTS
Every spring, the students of Embark’s Food Justice Collective organize one large event as part of our Food Justice programming to wrap up the school year. It aims to bridge students and the wider community in jointly discussing global issues impacting food security and food sovereignty

Event Accessibility
Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Associate Members. For this event, you will have to register with your active SFU email.
This event will be held indoors at SFU Burnaby in the SUB Ballroom (located on the 5th floor of the SUB). Accessibility details to note include:

The fifth floor of the SUB is accessible via elevator and hosts accessible washrooms, including a single-stall all gender washroom.
We aim to host a scent-free space. Please refrain from wearing scented products in attendance of this event.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time. However, we can provide a copy of the facilitator’s script.
Sturdy, armless chairs will be available for those looking to sit during this event.
Attendees are free to opt in and opt out of activities as suits their needs throughout the event, including exiting and re-entering the event space.

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, or if you have any questions, please contact our Director of Engagement, Marie, at engagement@embarksustainability.org.

Community Agreement
By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.
Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.
If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.

Questions
If you have any questions about this event, please contact our Food Justice Coordinator, Phone, at food@embarksustainability.org.

Register for this event
GET YOUR TICKET NOW

Lived Realities of the Climate Crisis
2026-03-19 14:00 - 18:00 | SUB Ballroom – SFU Burnaby, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
Lived Realities of the Climate Crisis

Our Grandmother the Inlet: A Special Screening with Filmmaker Kai George

Date & Time
Thu, Mar 19th, 20262:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT

Location
SUB Ballroom (5th. floor)

Register now

In the face of the climate crisis, colonial systems continue to extract from lands and waters while marginalizing the very communities who have stewarded them for generations. Climate change is not an isolated environmental issue, but a justice issue rooted in dispossession, erasure, and unequal responsibility.
Join us for an afternoon of learning, reflection, and shared conversation as we gather for a screening of Our Grandmother the Inlet (2023) by filmmaker Kai George, followed by a facilitated discussion and food. Together, we will explore:

Indigenous voices in the climate crisis: youth leadership, cultural resurgence, and art as resistance in the face of ongoing colonization.
Relationality in practice: understanding land and water as living relations, not resources.
What climate equity requires: confronting colonial histories and building collective responsibility toward reconciliation and climate justice

Let’s connect storytelling, film, and dialogue to the broader struggle for climate equity!

Land Acknowledgement
Embark Sustainability’s work takes place across the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem), q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), Qayqayt, Kwantlen, Semiahmoo, and Tsawwassen Nations. We greatly encourage our community members to reflect on the lands they are tuning in from; learn whose lands you occupy through native-land.ca.

AGenda

2:00PM | Doors Open for Registration
2:50PM | Drumming & Song by Cedar George
3:10PM | Appreciation & Gifting Ceremony
3:20PM | Land Acknowledgement by Rebecca Ballard
3:30PM | Introducing Filmmaker Kai George
4:20PM | Film Screening
4:30PM | Break & Food Service
4:50PM | Discussion Panel
5:50PM | Closing Remarks

ABOUT THE FIlm
Delving into the ancestral lineage of the George family, the film explores the significance of [Kai] and Ta7a’s deep connection to water, revered in the Tsleil-Waututh Nation as their oldest grandmother and the birthplace of creation.

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Kai (Kayah) George (she/they)Kai is an Indigenous filmmaker, activist, and student from the Tulalip and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her work blends storytelling, environmental advocacy, and cultural revitalization. She co-wrote, directed, and produced Our Grandmother the Inlet (2023), which received an honourable mention for Best Canadian Short at the Vancouver International Film Festival and won the Trickster Award at SFU’s Skoden indigenous film festival. Kayah is currently co-directing a National Geographic-funded educational documentary series on orcas and matriarchy with Danielle Khan Da Silva. Recognized in Globe and Mail and named one of Corporate Knights’ “30 Under 30” sustainability leaders in Canada, she continues to work in film and activism. Alongside filmmaking, she studies Linguistics and Psychology at Simon Fraser University.

ABOUT EMBARK’S ANNUAL CLIMATE EQUITY EVENTS
Every spring, the students of Embark’s Climate Equity Collective organize one large event as part of our Climate Equity programming to wrap up the school year. It aims to bridge students and the wider community in meaningful conversation and collective action towards climate equity.

Event Accessibility
Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Associate Members. For this event, you will have to register with your active SFU email.
This event will be held indoors at SFU Burnaby in the SUB Ballroom (located on the 5th floor of the SUB). Accessibility details to note include:

The fifth floor of the SUB is accessible via elevator and hosts accessible washrooms, including a single-stall all gender washroom.
We aim to host a scent-free space. Please refrain from wearing scented products in attendance of this event.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time. However, we can provide a copy of the facilitator’s script.
Sturdy, armless chairs will be available for those looking to sit during this event.
Attendees are free to opt in and opt out of activities as suits their needs throughout the event, including exiting and re-entering the event space.

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, or if you have any questions, please contact our Director of Engagement, Marie, at engagement@embarksustainability.org.

Community Agreement
By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.
Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.
If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.

Questions
If you have any questions about this event, please contact our Climate Equity Coordinator, Rebecca, at climate@embarksustainability.org.

Register for this event
GET YOUR TICKET NOW

Community Kitchen: For Migrant Justice, with Migrant Activists
2026-03-25 17:30 - 21:30 | SUB Community Kitchen – SFU Burnaby, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada
Community Kitchen: For Migrant Justice, with Migrant Activists

FARMWORKER AWARENESS WEEK: A CONVERSATION ON MIGRANT WORKERS’ RIGHTS ACROSS TURTLE ISLAND

Date & Time
Wed, Mar 255:30 PM – 9:30 PM PDT

Location
SUB Community Kitchen, room #2125 (SFU Burnaby)

Register now

ABOUT THE EVENT
Join us in celebrating and honouring Farmworker Awareness Week with migrant activists Evelyn Encalada Grez, Gabriel Allahdua, and Aaraón Díaz Mendiburo!
We’ll be cooking, eating, appreciating, and discussing staple foods in migrant workers’ diets throughout Turtle Island while raising awareness of farmworker rights and working conditions. This special Community Kitchen will unite migrant workers and the SFU community together in active resistance against the structural injustices faced by migrant workers and their families.
We’ll be making:

Traditional Mexican Mole with chicken (mushrooms for vegetarian substitute), served with rice pilau
Stew with green figs and ground provisions (Vegan), served with rice
Jelly with sour cream

Please let us know of any dietary restrictions and/or food allergies in the registration form ahead of the event.

AGENDA

Introductions and Housekeeping
Cooking and Activities
Eating and Discussion
Wrap-up and Clean-up

Whether you’re a seasoned chef or new to the kitchen, all are welcome! This event is first-come first-serve until we reach capacity, so we encourage you to register and arrive 10 minutes early. Thanks and see you there!✨

Land Acknowledgement
This event takes place on the unceded homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and kʷikʷəƛw̓əm (Kwikwetlem) Nations.

ABOUT THE FACILITATORS

Evelyn Encalada Grez (she/her)

Meet Evelyn
Evelyn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Labour Studies Program at SFU. She is the co-founder of Justice for Migrant Workers (J4MW), a collective that has been at the forefront of the migrant farmworker movement in Canada for over 20 years. She is an award-winning scholar and organizer that specializes in transnational labour-migration, migrant justice, and community-engaged research.

Gabriel Allahdua (he/him)

Meet Gabriel
Gabriel is a former migrant farm worker from St. Lucia, an island in the Eastern Caribbean. For almost a decade, he has organized with the (J4MW) collective. He was an Activist in Residence (AIR) at the University of Guelph, the first person to hold that position, which brought activists and researchers together.
Gabriel is currently an Outreach Worker working with migrant workers across Ontario and Education and Mobilization Officer with the Association for the Rights of Household and Farm Workers (DTMF).

Aaraón Díaz Mendiburo (he/him)

Meet Aaraón
Aaraón is an academic and filmmaker that has followed migrant workers and their families for over a decade. His research deals with health, education, employment, social representation, and intercultural relations issues of agricultural migrants to Canada, their families, and both their communities of origin and destination. As an independent documentary filmmaker, he has directed and produced Migrant Mother (2020), Matices: “Temporary” Migration in Canada (2011), and Migrants: Those who come from within (2007). He is currently working on his fourth documentary about activism on cannabis destigmatization in North America.
Aaraón is also a professor in the anthropology bachelor’s program and in the master’s Mexico-USA program at the Center for Research on North America – UNAM / Researchers (UNAM). He has further taught in the master’s migration studies program at the Universidad Iberoamericana. He is a level-I member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers.

Event Accessibility

Embark Sustainability events are free and open to Embark Sustainability members which includes Simon Fraser University undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Embark Sustainability Associate Members.
This event will be held indoors at the SUB Community Kitchen, room #2125 of the Student Union Building (SUB), SFU Burnaby. Accessibility details include:

Attendees are free to opt in and opt out of activities as suits their needs throughout the event, including exiting and re-entering the event space.
Some appliances and counter areas of this room are not accessible when using a wheelchair or other mobility aids. The dining/lounge area is accessible when using a wheelchair or other mobility aids.
We aim to host a scent-free space. Please refrain from wearing scented products in attendance of this event.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide ASL interpretation at this time. We will be providing written recipe instructions.

We aim to make our events accessible to as many of our community members as possible. If we can take further action to make this event accessible to you, please contact Embark Sustainability’s Director of Engagement at engagement@embarksustainability.org.

Health & Safety
Participants who register are agreeing to release Embark Sustainability Society from any liability related to COVID-19. Masks are optional but encouraged.

Community Agreement
By registering to attend this event, you are agreeing to be respectful when listening to and communicating with others, and be mindful of the space you are taking up amongst your peers.
Embark Sustainability does not tolerate violence or aggression against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, place of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or ability. Please also refer to people using the introductions they provide and do not assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance.
If these agreements are broken by someone, we will have to ensure the safety of our community members by removing them from the event.

Questions
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Embark Sustainability’s Food justice Programs Coordinator at food@embarksustainability.org.

Register for this Event
get reminders & event details now
