Foodshed Vancouver: Agricultural Planning for Food System Resilience

How much land does it take to feed Vancouver? Could Vancouver produce all its own food? What would that look like? What should I plant? How much will it produce? How much compost will I need to replace lost nutrients? How can I communicate an agricultural plan to others and document the process for future land stewards?

 In this interactive and hands-on workshop, we'll explore food security at a global, regional, local and farm scale, considering the production capacity of each. We'll speak to the issues surrounding food system energy inputs and outputs, and empower participants with planning and communication skills to do something about it in their community, on their farm, in their back yard or on their patio.

Time: September 8, 2013 from 2:30pm to 5pm Location: UBC Vancouver Website or Map: http://foodshedvancouver.even… Event Neighbourhood and Type: workshop Organized By: James Richardson Latest Activity: 2 hours ago
Sponsored by Village Vancouver as part of our FED-AP Community Food Resiliency Project (a Project in partnership with the Vancouver Food Policy Council and the Museum of Vancouver). Register here: http://foodshedvancouver.eventbrite.com/

Trashtalk in Full Swing – Deadline for More Applications: September 16, 2013

With the project first phase in full swing, Trashtalk welcomes more applications for its second phase intake. Trashtalk is a pilot project working with recycling champions in apartments, condos and co-ops to establish food scraps recycling and improve current recycling programs in Vancouver multi-family residences.  With the 2015 Metro Van ban on organics looming and Vancouver’s Greenest City Action Plan targeting new food scraps recycling as a key path to its Zero Waste goals, now is the time to sign up for Trashtalk. Trashtalk is currently working with co-ops, condos and apartments in the West End and Mount Pleasant but welcomes applications from anywhere in Vancouver. There are lots of good reasons to participate including free assistance to plan and implement a food scraps recycling program and modest financial support to engage your neighbours. Check out our resource: Six Reasons to Participate in Trashtalk. For more info, Sign Up or send us an email: trashtalk@telus.net

Unused Vancouver parking lot now a horn of plenty-Strathcona BIA wants urban farm to grow

Unused Vancouver parking lot now a horn of plenty

Strathcona BIA wants urban farm to grow

- See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/news/unused-vancouver-parking-lot-now-a-horn-of-plenty-1.374540#sthash.CqL3H9mF.dpuf

 

 

http://www.vancourier.com/news/unused-vancouver-parking-lot-now-a-horn-of-plenty-1.374540

 

Unused Vancouver parking lot now a horn of plenty

Strathcona BIA wants urban farm to grow

- See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/news/unused-vancouver-parking-lot-now-a-horn-of-plenty-1.374540#sthash.CqL3H9mF.dpuf

Unused Vancouver parking lot now a horn of plenty

Strathcona BIA wants urban farm to grow

- See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/news/unused-vancouver-parking-lot-now-a-horn-of-plenty-1.374540#sthash.CqL3H9mF.dpuf

Unused Vancouver parking lot now a horn of plenty

Strathcona BIA wants urban farm to grow

- See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/news/unused-vancouver-parking-lot-now-a-horn-of-plenty-1.374540#sthash.CqL3H9mF.dpuf

An unused parking lot on East Hastings is being transformed into an urban farm and composting and recycling hub by the Strathcona Business Improvement Association. The business association, Metro Vancouver and the City of Vancouver are officially opening the Strathcona Green Zone Resource Park at 1245 East Hastings, at the northwest corner of Clark Drive, Thursday, Sept. 20. Visitors will see long raised beds where zucchini, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, arugula, mini pumpkins and collards have flourished, cedar sheds that store recyclable materials and host low-tech composting units, and new trees.

The hub builds on a Zero Waste Challenge the BIA ran with Metro Vancouver last year. The trial ran for nine weeks with 15 businesses engaged in recycling that focused on organic waste, soft plastics and mixed containers. "A lot of these businesses wouldn't be able to take on contracts to be able to divert these kinds of materials because they just don't have the volume, so it wouldn't be worthwhile for the business or the recycling company," said Joji Kumagai, executive director of the BIA. "This leverages economies of scale and allowed us to do that."

 The association has run a resource exchange where waste can be reclaimed and repurposed but it hasn't had a designated spot to store items. One man donated 1,000 books of fabric samples that crammed the BIA's 1,200 square foot office until artists were able to pick them up a week later. Now such items can be stored at the resource park. The compost will be reused in the site's gardens.

 "The organic material right now_ is transported quite a long distance, so we thought it would be great if we could keep it here," Kumagai said. "It helps to create an education about how waste is actually dealt with."

Mission Possible, a social enterprise and Christian humanitarian agency, is paying workers to collect waste from 40 of the nearly 450 businesses that operate in the area bounded by Gore Avenue, Clark Drive, Railway and Venables streets. The BIA hopes to double the number of businesses involved. The association expects to charge about $5 per pickup, one to three times a week. The resource park can compost up to 50 tonnes of material a year.

See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/news/unused-vancouver-parking-lot-now-a-horn-of-plenty-1.374540#sthash.61AbGFCB.dpuf

 

Community Kitchen

at South Vancouver Family Place

7710 Nanaimo Street Ph 604-325-5213

Our first community kitchen for parents/grandparents and their young children will start this summer at Family Place on Tuesday afternoons.  We have some ideas from past experiences as to what you would like to learn and share, but we are open to your ideas. 

The program will run Tuesdays 12:30 to 2:30pm-July 2 to 30th for 5 sessions.  We will provide limited childcare during this time.  Cost is $2- per session and pre-registration is needed as space is limited to 12 adults.

The program to date is as follows:

·       Easy cakes & squares

·       Sauces, dips & dressings

·       Sushi

·       Kid friendly meals

·       Meatless main dishes

 

Registration is with Midori or Ingrid.  If you want to attend all 5 sessions you can pay $10 in advance. Although this is our session plan we are open to suggestions for other ideas.  Thank you!

Here are some food security updates from around town:

FARMcamp
FARMcamp is a 7-day experiential summer camp for youth aged 14-18! We will incorporate workshops (such as farm skills and group decision-making), community building activities, whole-camp games, participant-led workshops, skill sharing and free-fun-time (swimming, stargazing, napping, singing, etc.) Check out the the FARMcamp handy-dandy handbook detailing: what to expect, food, what you will need to bring and travel information!

It takes place on Linnaea Farm School on beautiful Cortes Island: Klahoose, Wei We Kai, Kwaikah, Homalco and Sliammon Territories. Linnaea is a 315 acre property, covering lakes, farm animals, pasture/farmland, and forest.

This Summer! The camp will run from July 2nd to 9th, 2013.
More details and to register please visit: www.farmcamp.ca

Grandview WoodlandsFood Connection

GARDENING WORKSHOPS

All workshops in the Britannia Garden (NW Corner of Britannia School)
All Workshops $15

Fruit Tree Pruning

Help your trees produce better crops through summer pruning. We'll discuss the art and science of shaping trees to increase fruit size, color and taste. This workshop offers a hands-on look into techniques that have been used for generations to enhance fruiting in apples, pears and plums. Led by Tree City Executive Director David Tracey
Thursday, July 18, 6:30-8pm

Sheet Mulching and Edge Garden Integration

Anytime is a good time to start a garden, and it is especially fun in the sun. We will be finding nooks and edges to start a big new plot. A lasagna garden is easy to make by layering organic matter, allowing time to break down the grass underneath, and all the matter we layer on top. If can dig soil from pathways that can be a good way to get extra soil. We will plant field peas and other nitrogen fixers to fix nitrogen naturally.
Wednesday July 3, 5-7pm

Winter Garden

Summer is the time to plant a winter garden! “And don’t think the garden loses it’s ecstasy in winter. The roots down there are riotous!” – cabbages, onions, leeks, carrots, brussels, broccoli and many more can be in your garden to feed you through even the coldest seasons in our climate. Come join your community in preparing for a year round harvest, and take home some plants for your garden, patio or kitchen.
Wednesday July 17, 5-7pm

Soil Building and caring for Worm Boxes 
Soil can be made from many different types of organic matter. We can help it decompose in many ways, and also find a lot around in ‘waste streams’ though it can still be organic and ready to use. What do worms love? How can we make monstrous veggies and harvest year round? This workshop will also have an introduction to your local food network, a place to really get in touch with your community, food and environment.
Wednesday July 10, 5-7pm

Fertilizing Naturally

Would you like to produce healthy vegetables from scratch? Without the use of commercial fertilizers, we can still grow big veggies, and they will be healthier, too. With a few tried and true techniques, using natural systems and plants and ‘Dynamic Activators’. We can feed our plants and ourselves naturally and organically, promoting healthy body systems, and a healthy mind.
Wednesday July 24, 5-7pm

Jill Whitelaw is a local permaculture farmer and educator, involved with Permaculture Vancouver, the Hastings Sunrise Community Food Network, Seasons of Food and Cascadia North.

As the Food Security and Literacy Community Developer for South Vancouver Neighborhood House I attended:

From Here to There 3: Stories of Food, Energy, and Transitioning to Resilient Communities on June 19th 2013

What is the future of food in Vancouver, especially as cheap energy sources peak and climate change intensifies? In partnership with the Vancouver Food Policy Council and Village Vancouver Transition Society, MOV is pleased to host an interactive evening of inspirational stories and storytelling from local innovators, practitioners, and community members that encourage people to think about our local circumstances and how we can map a course for change here in Vancouver.

A group of wonderful speakers and storytellers spoke. Each of them spoke eloquently about their personal connection and history with food justice and food security.

Click on the links and find out a little more about them!

Sara Dent from Young Agrarians and Farm love

Harold Steves  (Richmond City Councilor/Farmer)

 

Marc Schutzbank (Fresh Roots)

Naomi Steinberg (Storyteller)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cease Wyss (T'Uy'Tanat, UNYA)

After the speaker we broke into small groups and each group worked on developing a narrative regarding various food security topics.

Some Pics from Fresh Roots Farm Build at David Thompson Secondary School

In South Vancouver

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi! My name is Zinnia and I am the new Food Security and Literacy Programmer for the South Vancouver Neighborhood House. I have been involved in food security and community development for the past 9 years and more recently in aboriginal inter-generational community kitchen, food sovereignty and, food justice.
I am looking forward to getting to know South Vancouver better and to meeting everyone involved or interested in food, and food security in South Vancouver and beyond.

Healthy Snacks Workshop

Rushed for time? Not eating right? How about starting with something as simple as your snacking habits?

In February, Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition, http://wholefoodscooking.ca/, showed us how to make healthier versions of fruit/vegetable chips and demystified the art of food preservation. 

She demonstrated  how to use your oven to create your own dehydrator. We had a great time snacking on apple, pear, parsnip, and zucchini chips along with a blackberry ginger fruit leather. 

What surprised everyone was that no salt or sugars were added to any of the snacks that had been sampled. Some participants were so excited that they made apple chips the next day. A great workshop to start off the new year!