About Us
This land
This Land The land that is now our farm has long been stewarded by the Anishinaabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Métis. It is part of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy, the Ojibway, and other allied Nations to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes in peace. We acknowledge that our farmland is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
Canadian settlers later acquired this land from the descendants of Sir Joseph Brant, and for generations, farming families in our area worked together to build the Nelson community. With growth and expansion, much has changed in the last 50 years, and it will continue to evolve in the decades ahead. As proud members of the Ontario Farming Association, we are honored to be part of Burlington’s 21st-century farming community.
Our Approach to Farming
At Blue Dot Acres, we embrace a farming philosophy rooted in sustainability, respect, and slow, mindful growth. We are constantly learning—about the land, our animals, and the interconnectedness of it all. Our approach is guided by permaculture principles, a deep commitment to biodiversity, and the belief that farming should work in harmony with nature, not against it. We choose to be spray-free and chemical-free, focusing instead on regenerative practices that nourish the soil, support pollinators, and create a thriving, balanced ecosystem.
Why Small-Scale Farming Matters to Us
We celebrate the beauty of small-scale farming. Being small allows us to focus on quality over quantity, relationships over transactions, and care over convenience. It means we can give our animals individual attention, grow food with integrity, and create meaningful experiences for those who visit. In a world that often prioritizes speed and mass production, we choose a different path—one that values patience, connection, and long-term sustainability.
Community & Connection
At Blue Dot Acres, we see our farm as more than just a place to grow food and care for animals—it’s a space for people to gather, learn, and connect. We love partnering with local organizations, educators, and small businesses to offer meaningful experiences that bring people closer to nature, animals, and each other.
Whether it’s through workshops, special events, or simply sharing a quiet moment with our bunnies, we believe in creating opportunities for connection, curiosity, and shared learning.
Who We Are
Hello! It’s nice to meet you!
Erin Fleming
Erin (she/her) is the lead farmer, Blue Dot social media manager, bunny lover, camp facilitator, and event coordinator. A qualified teacher, homeschooling mom, community builder, and NVC practitioner, she is also a thoughtful entrepreneur with an MBA. You’ll often find her enjoying herbal tea, surrounded by nature, and fostering connections between people, animals, and the land.
Steve Kostidis
Steve (he/him) is the farm’s IT department, accounting department, and general contractor—when he’s not focused on his day job in sustainable technology and construction. A problem solver at heart, he loves efficiency, practicality, and in-depth discussions on politics and economics. Whether driving his tractor while listening to history podcasts or exploring new ideas, Steve’s passion for learning never stops. With degrees in engineering, education, and an MBA, he’d go back to school in a heartbeat if he could! He is also a real estate agent, LEED-certified consultant, and EV enthusiast.
Anne Mette Pederson
Anne (she/her) owns Mother’s Gardener, a design and landscape company specializing in native plants and permaculture principles. From the start, Anne has guided Blue Dot Acres with planning support and solutions for the unexpected challenges that arise from our changing climate. She’s a wealth of knowledge on native plants and garden design—definitely reach out if you have questions!
Charlene Gray
Char (she/her) is a gifted Early Childhood Educator and Educational Assistant. Her compassionate approach makes her a favorite at summer camps and kids’ learning workshops, where she fosters curiosity, creativity, and connection.
Our Values
We believe:
● Human needs must be in balance with the well-being of all living and non-living entities in our environment. Sustainability requires us to consider and respect the interconnectedness of all life forms.
● Learning, healing, and connection are interwoven, lifelong processes. We strive to approach each challenge with compassion for ourselves and others.
● Diversity in all its forms is essential to peace and sustainability. We embrace diversity across race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, class, religion, disability, neurodivergence, age, and more.
We are grateful to collaborate with several wonderful organizations that enrich our farm’s mission:
www.bloomspeech.ca
www.transitiontreemobile.org
www.thepurseprojectnetwork.com
With diverse careers and interests, our farm is an expression of our shared passions for health, learning, and community-building.
How We Got the Name Blue Dot Acres
When searching for the perfect name for our farm, we found inspiration in Carl Sagan’s profound writing, A Pale Blue Dot . His words remind us of our shared humanity, our responsibility to care for our planet, and the beauty of living in harmony with the Earth.
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.“
—Carl Sagan, A Pale Blue Dot (1994)
Our farm name is a reflection of this philosophy—a reminder that our small actions matter, and that caring for the land, animals, and each other is one way we can honor our place on this beautiful, fragile planet. Welcome to Blue Dot Acres. We’re so glad you’re here.
Contact Us
2179A Dundas Street,
Burlington, Ontario
2179A Dundas Street,
Burlington, Ontario
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