disabilities who are coming into the trade, and there are more women joining all the time, but it would be lovely to see a lot more people of colour welcomed into this space. Folks from different backgrounds have a wealth of knowledge to bring. I would also love to see a lot more collaboration with Indigenous leaders. They’re the ones who are caring for the land — we should be listening to them and partnering with them. You can’t beat thousands of years of experience. It’s cool to see people talking about the Three Sisters method and how different ways of polyculture and growing can benefit the planet. Prezio: Definitely one that’s equal for all people, and very easily accessible to anybody. I think anybody should be able to go to school and become a gardener. I don’t think there should be any barriers. I also think that we should be the loudest voices when it comes to sustainability issues. We can’t hide from climate change anymore or stay quiet about it. We need to be very vocal about what we should be doing, because we are the green industry. I hope the idea of having a perfectly manicured lawn and garden is gone in 10 or 20 years, and is replaced with more biologically diverse landscapes that invite nature back into our suburbs. LT
THE MENTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
Pam Cook is an instructor, mentor and account manager at Clintar Commercial Outdoor Services in London, Ont. She taught Litterick and Prezio at Fanshawe. Landscape Trades asked her what she makes of the new generation of green professionals. Tell me about the new generation of landscape and horticulture professionals. How do you feel about leaving the industry in their hands? I am super excited for them to take over the world. They’re so driven, they are so excited and they come to the table with a new set of values and understandings not just about our industry, but about the world around us. If we’re talking about making sure that we’re being sustainable and preventing climate change, the next level of professionals come with these sets of skills ingrained in them, which is pretty amazing.
Pam Cook
What do you think the profession can do to attract and retain younger staff? A lot of it is understanding that the labour market is not what it used to be. When we were looking at the labour market in the early 2000s, it really was an employer’s market. You could pick and choose who works for you. Now, it really is an employees’ market. Financial ramifications are not the only thing driving this next generation. They want quality of life, they want opportunity, they want additional training and leadership, they want mentorship. They want to be seen as an equal instead of a labourer.
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