The Portage Regional Library is involved in somewhat of a sustainability project. Programming Assistant McKayla Goddard explains funding was provided from the Conservation Climate Fund Project through the province.

"We have a Seed Library of local plants, grasses, and shrubs that are native to Manitoba. This is to kind of help repopulate the native plant life and support biodiversity. All the seeds were purchased from Prairie Originals in Selkirk, Manitoba. We have this huge binder that shows you all the different plants that we have available. You don't even have to be a library patron to come grab seeds."

She notes they will give you seed packets for what you'd like to plant. They only ask that you take some seeds from the plants in the fall when you're harvesting or mowing the lawn for the last time, and bring them back.

"This is so that we can continue it in an eco-friendly way. It's fairly small right now, but we're hoping that eventually if this takes off, we'll be able to get a broader selection and support those kinds of initiatives, too."

She notes they have a large selection of seed packs that are labelled with information concerning what kind of sunlight the plant needs, how high it grows, and what kind of soil it requires. 

"A lot of these are also very easy to plant. You can just toss them and let them go. Anyone who's looking to have a pollinator-friendly lawn, or they just want something nice, but they don't really want a lot of upkeep, these are really great plants for that, too."

Goddard adds all the plants should grow quite well in Portage.

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