[getsmart-l] A list of community garden activities and courses - for those who would like to see more in your own Region
John O'Gorman
jcogorman at sympatico.ca
Tue Jul 15 09:27:16 EDT 2008
----- Original Message -----
From: TCGN E NEWS
To: jcogorman at sympatico.ca
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 10:43 PM
Subject: TCGN ENews July 2008
In this Issue
Community Garden News
1. Toronto Community Garden Network Survey
2. The TCGN Advocacy Committee
3, San Lorenzo Community Garden Seeking Volunteers
4. The Sunshine Garden Market Shines On for 6th year
5. Toronto Community Food Animators Community Garden Trainings
6. Upcoming Workshops in the HOPE Garden
7. The Stop Community Food Centre July Events
8. Green Thumbs Growing Kids
Out of Town workshops
9. Market Garden Basics for Newcomer Gardeners
10.The Art of Agriculture and Wildculturing
11. Let Nature Do the Work: A Course in the Fundamentals of Permaculture Design
Happenings
12. Farmers Markets Everywhere
13. MaRS Global Leadership Series - Rising Food Prices: Global Dynamics & Canada's Response
14. Food for Talk: Our Role In The International Food Chain
15. Harvest Wednesdays
16. Canadian Organic Growers Toronto
Trip to Pelee Island
Save the Dates:
17. Picnic at the Brickworks 2008
18. Canada Blooms
Of the Birds and the Bees
19. A Chicken in Every Backyard
20. Where the Beez Buzz
21. Share your fruit this season!
22. Growing local food and community with traditional wisdom and heritage wheat
23. Alert: OCA Launches Kellogg's Boycott
Genetically Engineered Sugar To Hit Supermarket Shelves This Year
24.Lettuce on the White House lawn
Job posting:
25. Local Food Plus (LFP)
.
Community Garden News
If you or your garden has an item to post in an upcoming TCGN E News, please send it to ravenna at foodshare.net at least 10 days before the date needed.
Toronto Community Garden Network Survey
The Toronto Community Garden Network is gathering information about all of the community gardens in Toronto. Please complete the TCGN survey for a chance to win a free compost delivery to your garden!
The TCGN Advocacy Committee
The TCGN Advocacy Committee wants to let you know that we are up and running, This group has two functions: doing broad scale political advocacy on issues that affect community gardeners and urban agriculture in Toronto; and acting as advocates when crisis or difficulties arise in specific gardens
We are interested in hearing ideas from you all in the network - if there is a systemic issue that you feel should be worked on, or if you are experiencing a particular difficulty in your garden, contact Ian at ian at foodshare.net.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Lorenzo Community Garden Seeking Volunteers
San Lorenzo Community Garden is looking for more volunteers every Tuesday from 4 - 8 pm and Sundays from 5 - 8 pm. We can give community hours to high school students.
Seeking Medicinal Plants
We are looking for medicinal plants, if anyone has some extra ones. We have a volunteer who is doctor in natural medicine and he would like to dedicate a section of the garden to growing medicinal plants. Does anyone have an aloe plant or others they would like to donate to San Lorenzo Community Garden?
Jduque at sanlorenzo.ca
Dufferin and Wenderly Drive (near Lawrence)
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sunshine Garden Market Shines On for 6th year
The very freshest food in Toronto comes from the CAMH/ FoodShare Sunshine Garden Market. Vegetables are harvested the same day as they are sold--early in the morning just before the market opens at 10 am. It's all over by 11:30 and shoppers in the know are there by 10!
Dates: Mondays and Thursdays beginning July 7 (except holiday Mondays)
Times: 10:00-11:30 am
Location: Sunshine Garden Market, on the sidewalk in front of 1001 Queen St W at Ossington
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Workshops Around Town
Toronto Community Food Animators Community Garden Trainings
Mark your calendars! Register now for the free upcoming community garden workshops in North York, part of a series put on by the Toronto Community Food Animators (FoodShare Toronto, The Stop Community Food Centre and the Afri-Can Food Basket).
To register or for more information on nay of the workshops, please contact Sari at 416 652-7867 x244 or email sari at thestop.org.
Please let us know if you need transportation or childcare.
Organic Gardening Methods
Date: July 19
Location: Elmbank Community Centre, 10 Rampart Rd. (off Martin Grove Rd., between Finch Ave. W. and John Garland Blvd)
Garden Leadership Training and Gardener Gathering
Date: August 16
Location: The Peanut Garden, 2800 Don Mills Drive (north of Sheppard on Don Mills)
Season Extension and Fall Garden Care
Date: October 18
Location: Elmbank Community Centre, 10 Rampart Rd. (off Martin Grove Rd., between Finch Ave. W. and John Garland Blvd)
Engaging People in Your Garden
Date: November 22
Location: Driftwood Community Centre 4401 Jane Street (near Jane and Finch)
Finding Resources for Community Gardens
Date: To Be Announced
Location: Lawrence Heights Community Centre, 5 Replin Rd (Allen Rd & Lawrence Ave)
To register or for more information, please contact Sari at 416 652-7867 x244 or email sari at thestop.org.
Please let us know if you need transportation or childcare.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming Workshops in the HOPE Garden
The HOPE garden is located on Cowan just south of Queen St. Please contact gelek at greenestcity.ca with any questions.
All of our workshops are free and open to everyone. We do not ask for RSVPs, but it would help us prepare better if we get an idea of how many participants we are having.
Organic Pest Management: Learn how to prevent and manage pests naturally
Robert Weeks
July 15
Where Does Our Food Come From?: Understanding the Global Food System
Melissa Benner
July 29
Pollinators/Beneficial Insects: Identifying beneficial insects and pollinators in our garden
Tania Sanhueza
August 5
Native Plants
Designing a Native Plant Garden
Bennet Deakin, Abbey Huggan, & Pat Cepin
August 12
Potluck & Rainwater Harvesting System Opening
August 13
The Food Movement: Eating Local, Thinking Global
Melissa Benner
August 19
World on a Plate: An evening of sharing cooking and eating with our Parkdale gardeners
August 26
Harvest Festival
September 28
Sprouting at Home
Toronto Sprouts
September 30
All of our workshops are free and open to everyone. We do not ask for RSVPs, but it would help us prepare better if we get an idea of how many participants we are having.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Stop Community Food Centre July Events
Free Gardening Workshop
Controlling Pests and Weeds Naturally
Wednesday July 16th 6:00-8:00pm
Learn how to prevent and manage pests and weeds using organic methods
Earlscourt Park
Rain date: Thursday July 17th 6:00-8:00
Earlscourt Park is located at the corner of Lansdowne and Davenport Rd. We're on the east side of the track north of the basketball courts.
The Stop Community Garden's 10th Birthday Party!
Saturday July 26th 1-4pm
Free BBQ! Kids activities!
Loot bags! Bring Your Family!
Earlscourt Park
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Green Thumbs Growing Kids
Garden Drop-In: All Welcome!
Evenings 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Families are welcome to drop in on garden night to plants, water and pick our summer bounty of growing vegetables and greens. Bring your own vegetables and fruit waste for the compost bins (except at Nelson Mandela) in exchange for some fresh garden produce go take home.
No registration required.
a.. Winchester School garden: Tuesdays July 8,15,22,29 Aug 5, 12,& 19
b.. Rose Ave. School garden: Thursdays July 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug 7, 14, & 21
c.. Nelson Mandela Park School garden (no compost) Mondays' July 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug. 11 & 18
Morning Garden Programs: Camps & Agencies
Camps and agencies are invited to bring groups of children ages 6-12 into one of our garden locations for some outdoor summer fun. Activities include food harvesting, watering, nature inspired crafts, nature and environmental exploration, outdoor games and fresh garden tastings. Hour-long workshops in one or two parts. call or email to register.
a.. Winchester School garden: Mondays July 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug. 11 & 18
b.. Rose Ave. School garden: Tuesdays July 8,15,22,29 Aug 5, 12,& 19
c.. Nelson Mandela Park School garden: Thursdays July 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug 7, 14, & 21
Art taking Root: Camps & Agencies*
Art and nature collide! Green Thumbs in collaboration with Upwards Art will host art and garden-inspired activities for groups of children ages 9-12.
a.. Winchester School Garden location: Fridays 9:30 -12 noon July 11,18,25 Aug 8, 15,& 22
*Camp visits are operated in a pay-what-you-can basis with a suggested donation of $2 per child. No group turned away for lack of funds.
To register for morning programs, call 416-876-1480 or email: kidsgrowing at gmail.com
Green Thumbs Growing Kids is a non-profit corporation partnering with the charitable Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Clubs. Volunteers are welcome!
See our website for more details www.kidsgrowing.ca
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Out of Town workshops
Market Garden Basics for Newcomer Gardeners
A workshop featuring Hanna Jacobs of Matchbox Garden & Seed Co.
Wed July 16, 7-9pm
McVean Incubator Farm, Brampton
McVean Drive b/w Queen Street E. and Castlemore Road
Workshop fee is $15
Even for newcomers with experience growing vegetables back home, learning to grow vegetables in Ontario can take some time. This workshop will introduce new Canadian gardeners and future farmers to the basics of setting up a market garden.
Topics to be covered include:
a.. Understanding the Ontario growing season
b.. Drawing up a crop plan
c.. Sourcing and selecting seeds
d.. Extending the season with greenhouses and row cover
e.. Managing weeds and pests the organic way
This is an outdoor, hands-on workshop, so please dress appropriately!
For more information and to register, please contact sophie at farmstart.ca or visit www.farmstart.ca to register online.
Click here for a map.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Art of Agriculture and Wildculturing
A great workshop at the Little Black Bear Earth Wisdom Centre near Eganville, ON from July 20-25th
We cover it all, from windowsill and backyard growing to greenhouse and field production.
Experience hands-on learning, from the basics to the professional organic growers secrets:
* outdoor vegetable and herb growing
* seasonal and year round greenhouse production
* creating magic compost
* Community Shared Agriculture
No-till and French Intensive methods:
* Permaculture
* Native gardening
* Forest Gardening
* Polyculture and Shift-agriculture
* Wildculturing
View workshop costs and details:
http://www.earthwisdomcentre.com/content/workshops/workshop-costs-details.shtml
Little Black Bear Earth Wisdom Centre
workshops at earthwisdomcentre.com
613-625-1106
486 Trail Blazers Road,
Golden Lake,
Ontario, Canada
K0J 1X0
Click to view on google map
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let Nature Do the Work: A Course in the Fundamentals of Permaculture Design
July 20 to 27th, 2008
The Permaculture Practicum
July 28 to August 3, 2008
Ecology Retreat Centre
RR#1, Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
The Fundamentals of Permaculture Design course offers practical training in permaculture design principles & techniques. It enables the participants to use the principles in their life to design sustainable and ecological environments that can provide for their basic needs for food, shelter, energy, fulfilling employment and supportive community. It provides a basic grounding in Permaculture as a whole systems approach to ecological living so that participants are empowered to apply these skills where they live, on their own properties and within their communities. Course topics include Ethics and Co-operation for Ecological Design, Ecosystem Dynamics and Permaculture Principles, Energy Analysis for Landscape Design and many more. There will be a balance between classroom time, hands-on experiential learning and personal empowerment work. This training will be useful for people with varying levels of experience - from backyard gardeners to design professionals.
Course Instructors: Gregoire Lamoureux - is the director of the Kootenay Permaculture Institute in BC. He has over seventeen years of experience as a permaculture designer, consultant and teacher presenting courses in many parts of the country.
Guest Speakers: Richard Griffith - is a founder and president of the Permaculture Action Worknet having organized and taught Permaculture courses across Ontario for the last twelve years.
Course Tuition: Tuition is $795.00. Time payments (guaranteed by a co-signer) for 9 months are available for those who cannot finance the full amount. A commuter rate is available for those living close to the retreat centre. Past participants of the course may repeat the course for $150.00 plus meals and accommodation.
Certification: Completion of the course and an additional 7 Days of Permaculture Practicum will fulfill the requirements for the Permaculture Design Course Certificate.
For more information and to enroll contact Russell Scott at 519-942-8339 or info at truesourceseminars.com.
To find out more, visit www.truesourceseminars.com
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Happenings
Farmers Markets Everywhere
Looking for a farmers market? There's certainly a lot of them this year. Check out the Toronto Farmers' Market Network for the days and hours of ones near you www.tfmn.ca/
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
MaRS Global Leadership Series - Rising Food Prices: Global Dynamics & Canada's Response
Dr. David Sparling and Dr. John Johnston explore the global issues affecting rising food prices, looking at the role of policy, markets, trade and social demographics. Ron Bonnett and Michael Detlefsen share examples of how new agricultural economics are shaping science, innovation and product development, and provide insight on the search for future investment opportunities.
Session Themes
a.. Why are global food prices rising?
b.. What does it mean for Canadian agri-food innovation and investment?
c.. How is Canada responding through public policy and programs?
Panel Guests
a.. Dr. John W. Johnston - Royal Bank of Canada
b.. Dr. David Sparling - University of Guelph
c.. Ron Bonnett- Canadian Federation of Agriculture
d.. Michael Detlefsen - former CEO, Maple Leaf
Moderator: Kim Parlee - Business News Network
July 23, 2008
9:30AM - 12:00PM
MaRS Collaboration Centre , Auditorium
101 College St. , Toronto, ON
AGENDA
9:30am - Coffee / networking
10:00am - 12:00pm Discussion / Interactive Q & A
REGISTRATION
Complimentary but required.
To register for this event, and for more details, go to:
http://www.marsdd.com/Events/Event-Calendar/Globalleadership/globalleadership-07232008.html
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Dialogue on the State of Local and Global Food Security
Food for Talk: Our Role In The International Food Chain
The price of rice has risen by as much as 70% over the last year.Why? And what does that mean for Canada and the rest of the world? Rising populations, trade and climate change have sent food prices soaring across the globe. These factors have recently prompted the United Nations to declare a world food "crisis". Join us for a public dialogue bringing together youth, senior and local community members with representatives from business, government and NGOs. Hear from expert guest speakers and have your say.
Tuesday July 29, 2008
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
(Registration begins at 9:00)
Lunch will be provided
Great Hall, University of Toronto
7 Hart House Circle, Toronto
This dialogue is free, but registration is required.
Register by e-mailing jameshaga at ewb.ca, and include your full name, phone number and dietary restrictions
or call 416-642-9145 ext. 237 (leave a message)
For more information visit www.canadasworld.ca.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harvest Wednesdays
Harvest Wednesdays return to the Gladstone for a third harvest season!, The series will feature a new line-up of weekly culinary events featuring local seasonal menus created by Chef Marc Breton showcasing what has been harvested by the farm the day before. Each week will feature local produce from Chick-A-Biddy Acres CSA farm, and locally produced cheeses, meats, wines and beers.
The series will begin July 9th with a cocktail party "tasting" event, and continues every Wednesday till Oct 22nd harvest "prix-fixe" menus and culminate with an end of the season Harvest Table event. Learn all about Community Shared Agriculture and eating locally for Global Change. Experience how farm fresh produce tastes better!
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen St. West, Toronto
Info: www.gladstonehotel.com
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canadian Organic Growers Toronto
Trip to Pelee Island
August 22-24 (Friday-Sunday)
Cost: $25 for tour + travel and accommodation
Registration required.
Info: July 1: Christine at 416-686-7085 or christinefinder at yahoo.ca
Carpooling can be arranged
Make your arrangements to camp or stay at one of Pelee Island's B&B's: www.pelee.org
Ferry to and from the Island books up quickly, so reserve ASAP.
Pelee Island is a unique community in southwestern Ontario. Known as the most biodiverse ecosystem in Canada, this island community sees organic as a way to preserve the environment for people and all species. We have an opportunity to visit the Island under the guidance of Ron Tiessen. We'll learn about the human, natural and agricultural history as we tour Meadowlark Organic Farm, the historical museum, the bird sanctuary, and have an opportunity to explore the beaches and the natural environment. Walk, swim, bike, shop, eat good food and enjoy good company. Let us know if you're interested in joining COG Toronto for this special trip to a unique corner of Ontario.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Save the Dates:
PICNIC AT THE BRICK WORKS 2008
Evergreen and Slow Food Toronto Present:
Picnic at the Brick Works 2008
Sunday September 14, 2008
1-4 pm @ Evergreen Brick Works
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE!
Ticket Purchases: https://registration.evergreen.ca/
Information: http://www.evergreen.ca/en/events/picnic.html
More details soon.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada Blooms
Mark your calendars! Canada Blooms will be held from Wednesday March 18 to Sunday March 22, 2009
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of the Birds and the Bees
A Chicken in Every Backyard
A group of concerned Toronto chickavores has flocked together to work on getting the City of Toronto to amend its residential bylaws concerning the keeping of chickens (not roosters -- they're too noisy and we want eggs, not baby chicks!).
It is legal to own hens in many Canadian and U.S. cities and it is quite commonplace in Britain and elsewhere in the EU. As we become more concerned with where our food is coming from and how it was raised, owning hens for the purpose of gathering their eggs seems like the logical step after we've planted our own vegetable gardens.
Torontochickens.com has been created by a midtown Toronto resident who is raising three hens in her backyard. "Toronto Chicken," as she calls herself (because she fears being arrested for harbouring contraband), provides information on her hen-raising experiences and on topics ranging from where to buy urban chicken coops to expert commentary on possible health issues (or lack thereof) resulting from the keeping of chicken littles.
Edible Toronto is committed to this project and to gathering support from all sectors of the city. Please visit TorontoChickens.com to read more and click here to sign a petition addressed to Toronto City Council.
If you'd like to get involved, please let us know by clicking here.
It would also be a good idea to contact your own city councillor to let him/her know of your support for A Chicken in Every Backyard. Click here to find out who your city councillor is and how to contact him/her.
http://www.torontochickens.com/
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where the Beez Buzz
Wonder where the bees have gone? Well, there's 2 hive locations in downtown Toronto, thanks to the Toronto Beekeepers Coop. Check out the Urban Honeybees map for the hive locations and some sweet info:
http://www3.thestar.com/static/googlemaps/starmaps.html?xml=beehives.xml
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Share your fruit this season!
If you have a fruit tree in Ward 21 (Toronto) that you can't fully harvest, we can help you out!
When your fruit is ready to be picked, we'll send a team of gleaners to harvest your fruit. The yield will be divided up to share with volunteers, community organizations (e.g., food banks and shelters), and yourself. The benefits for you include:
We harvest as much of the fruit as we can (within safety limits);
We leave the ground beneath clean;
You can keep up to 1/3 of the fruit that we pick, if you wish;
You help minimize food waste in our community and supply fresh fruit to those in need.
Contact us now at info at notfarfromthetree.org to find out how!
To get involved: http://www.notfarfromthetree.org/?page_id=96
More info: www.notfarfromthetree.org
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Growing local food and community with traditional wisdom and heritage wheat
Demeter's Wheats
Published: Grassroots Solutions, Victoria www.grassrootsolutions.com
Cost: $19.95 plus $1 GST and $6 shipping
Author and organic agronomist Sharon Rempel has worked with heritage wheat for twenty years. She's convinced the old varieties have the ability to adapt quickly to a diversity of growing conditions and produce crops without chemical inputs. As founder of seasonal festivals to celebrate seed ('Seedy Saturday' and the 'Bread and Wheat' Festival) she recognizes that 'culture' is missing from today's agricultural system.
Her book offers practical growing information, seed saving basics and a list of Canada's heritage wheat varieties. The book also offers insights into today's 'green', 'local food', '100 mile diet', 'food shortages' and 'carbon credits'. Sharon uses wheat and bread as metaphors to discuss deep issues that haunt society. She shares hope and inspiration that is rooted in the Mystery School cycle of 'seed' from Neolithic times in Greece.
Demeter's Wheats is a unique book that will stimulate thought, questions and provide a few answers in times when people are thinking about 'growing community'. Sharon says 'community starts with a seed bank' and intentions of finding ways to work together cooperatively and collaboratively. The wisdom of local people, plants and place provide a dynamic growing energy that will provide answers for food today and in the future'.
Books can be ordered online with PayPal, or by cheque or money order payable to Sharon; address 3741 Metchosin Road, Victoria, B.C. V9C 4A8, Canada.
Sharon Rempel can be reached in Victoria at (250) 298-1133 and via email slrempel at shaw.ca.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alert: OCA Launches Kellogg's Boycott
Genetically Engineered Sugar To Hit Supermarket Shelves This Year
The Organic Consumers Association's (OCA) and allies are calling for a boycott of all Kellogg's products after Kellogg's refuses to source only GE-Free Sugar. Monsanto's RoundUp Ready Genetically Engineered Sugar is due to hit stores this year, exposing millions of consumers to untested and unlabeled "Franken Foods" that threaten human heath, the environment and farmers' rights everywhere.
Take Action-Join the Boycott! http://organicconsumers.org/kelloggs.cfm
Sign OCA's Petition to Kellogg's http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1300
Make a Free Call to Kellogg's and let them know how you feel http://organicconsumers.org/ge/CallKelloggs.htm
Send a Letter to the Editor of you Local Newspapers about the Boycott http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/letter/?letter_KEY=1009
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lettuce on the White House lawn
By Ellen Goodman
Friday, July 4, 2008
SCARBOROUGH, Maine: It has been decades since that famous forager Euell Gibbons reached through the White House fence and picked four edible weeds out of the president's garden. This is not something that the Secret Service would recommend you try today.
But Roger Doiron has a better plan for eating the view of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He's started a campaign to get a kitchen garden growing on the White House lawn.
Doiron works out of his small Cape house in Maine, where I find him one summer day. A wasp-thin 41-year-old, he's part of the fastest-growing (I used the words literally) movement in the country. His organization, Kitchen Gardeners International, is one link in a loose chain of partisans who are neither conservatives nor liberals but locavores. They want to think global, eat local. Very local. As in their front and backyard.
He shows me the lawn sign that expresses his politics: "1,500 Miles, 400 Gallons, Say What?" It's a reference to the average miles food travels to your plate and the gallons of fuel used in its migration. It's not the sexiest slogan, but kitchen gardeners are probably as passionate about vegetables as Republicans are about tax cuts.
Doiron spent a decade with a grass-roots environmental group in Europe. After returning to his hometown in 2001, he became a lettuce-roots environmentalist. As head of Kitchen Gardeners International, he also walks the walk, showing me 50 varieties of vegetables he grows for his family of five on about a sixth of an acre. Memo to other amateurs: You will be pleased to know that Doiron's garden also has weeds.
The appeal of kitchen gardens - food you grow for the table - has been increasing pretty steadily. Taste bud by taste bud. But this year, a harmonic or maybe disharmonic convergence of factors led to a giant leap in the number of grow-it-yourselfers.
For one thing, there's the rising cost of food - 45 percent worldwide in two years. There's also the rising consciousness about the carbon footprint on your dinner plate. There is, as well, recognition of an international food shortage and moral queasiness about biofuels, growing corn to feed cars while people are going hungry.
Meanwhile, we've had more uncertainty about food safety, whether it was spinach in 2006 or this year's tomatoes. And the floods that ruined millions of acres in the Midwest have undermined our easy sense of plenty.
"When people feel they are living in uncertain times, they turn to things that give them a sense of security," says Doiron. "There are not many sure things but if you put a few seeds in the ground and you don't muck it up too much you'll get a crop." As proof, he stands beside a neat patch of potatoes.
He adds, "Don't do it because it's the cheap thing to do or because Al Gore said it's the right thing to do. Do it to make a small yet concrete step. You may not be able to single-handedly take on Exxon and Chevron but you can take on your backyard."
In that spirit, Doiron is pushing for edible landscapes everywhere from schoolyards to governor's mansions to empty urban plots. But his eyes are on the White House.
He wants the candidates to pledge they'll turn a piece of the 18-acre White House terrain into an edible garden. Or rather, return it into an edible garden.
After all, John Adams, the first president to live in the White House, had a garden to feed his family. Woodrow Wilson had a Liberty Garden and sheep grazing during the First World War. And, of course, the Roosevelts famously had their Victory Garden during World War II, a time when 40 percent of the nation's produce came from citizen gardeners.
It's too late for a Bush harvest, but the campaign to get the next president to model a bit of homeland food security has sprouted on Doiron's website called EatTheView.org where you are invited to sign a petition.
Eat the View doesn't have the marching sound of John Philip Sousa. It doesn't have the patriotic salience of a flag. But in dicey times, the idea of growing just a bit of your own food carries the real flavor of July Fourth. It smacks a lot of independence.
top
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Job posting:
Local Food Plus (LFP)
Assistant To The President
One year contract, full-time, based in Toronto, Ontario
Local Food Plus (LFP) is a non-profit organization committed to growing environmentally, socially and economically sustainable local food systems, in order to foster vibrant regional economies.
Job Description:
Local Food Plus (LFP) works in three main ways to help grow local sustainable food systems - through a certification system that identifies farmers and processors who are producing food in ways that are environmentally and socially sustainable, a market development program that opens new markets for certified farmers and processors, and a public education program. The President requires an assistant who can provide the support needed to operate at peak efficiency and to help support communications and fundraising roles.
Responsibilities:
a.. Manage the President's schedule by responding to speaking invitations,
b.. phone calls and emails on behalf of the President
c.. Organize and coordinate meetings and events for the President
d.. Keep website up to date, including helping to write news releases
e.. Provide administrative support for grant proposals and reports
f.. Prepare briefing notes and assemble materials for the President on a
g.. wide range of food-related subjects
h.. Perform administrative duties as required by the President
Qualifications:
a.. Experience in an Administrative role
b.. Excellent communication, organizational and customer service skills
c.. Excellent computer skills (Word, Power Point, Excel, etc.) and web experience
d.. Ability to synthesize material for briefing notes and correspondence
e.. Ability to work independently and as part of a team
f.. Willingness and ability to work overtime when necessary to meet deadlines
g.. Experience with working in a non-profit environment an asset
h.. Bilingualism an asset
i.. A strong commitment to growing local sustainable food systems according to LFP principles
j.. Knowledge of food system issues and of the Ontario Greenbelt an asset
Compensation: $40,000 to $45,000 annually, depending on experience, plus a full benefits package
LFP is an equal opportunity employer and invites applications from all interested individuals.
Please submit a detailed cover letter and resume by email only to hr at localfoodplus.ca.
We thank all applicants for their interest, but advise that only those selected for interviews will be contacted. No telephone inquires please.
Date Posted: June 24, 2008
Application Deadline: July 16, 2008
Start date: Approximately August 20, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The TCGN E News is a monthly electronic newsletter of the
Toronto Community Garden Network.
If you have events, jobs, volunteer postings or items of interest, please email them to Ravenna Barker ravenna at foodshare.net, no later than the 15th of the month.
To change your subscription, please click on the personalized link at the very bottom of this newsletter.
Photos © 2008 Laura Berman www.greenfusephotos.com
top
To Subscribe Or Unsubscribe:
<http://www.foodshare.net/newsletter_garden_01.htm>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Change email address / Leave mailing list
Hosting by YourMailingListProvider
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://list.web.net/archives/getsmart-l/attachments/20080715/8f4c7a28/attachment.htm
More information about the getsmart-l
mailing list