We did come and enjoy the music, food, people and the festival this weekend. It was awesome! The music was great, food was incredible and we left with a fistful of information and a gratifying feeling about being part of something good.
It was after a brief introduction and an evocative performance of “Trouble In The Fields” by Caroline Venters that Carolyn Herriot took to the main stage for her presentation of “The Zero-Mile Diet: A Year Round Guide to Growing Organic Food.” Carolyn spoke to the sun-drenched but otherwise engaged crowd for 30 minutes about individual responsibility, going back to the garden, and how it is we alone who are responsible for what we are putting into our mouths, not only for the sake of ourselves but for those of the next generation who will inherit the world we are living in now.
Posts in the ‘Exhibitors’ Category
“The Zero-Mile Diet” Book Launch
Green is the New Pretty
Women of Victoria raise your make-up brushes! I am so impressed by how many women are searching for more natural options to cosmetics and bath products. After learning that my favorite go-to drug store cosmetic line includes mercury (horrors!) in their mascara, I too, am on the hunt for better, greener, more natural products.
Rocky Mountain Soap Company has an amazing selection of bath and body products from foot butter to a complete skin care line. Their company is based in Canmore, AB and is a completely Canadian company. Their products are all handmade and natural and, as such, contain no parabens, pthalates, petrochemicals or sulfates. Rocky Mountain Soap Factory provided free lemon grass hand soap for use at the festival. The lemon grass hand and body wash (called “Alpine Air”) has a very fresh, clean scent, perfect for both men and women. (Mayfair Mall also uses this line of soap for their public washrooms, so next time you are there, head to the loo and try it out!). The friendly staff at the booth let me try out some of their fabulous Foot Butter which is their number one seller this summer. If you have dry heels, I definitely suggest picking some up! You can find Rocky Mountain Soap Company in Mayfair Mall, or at the Sidney Market on Thursday nights if you like your shopping to be outdoors.
A local farm with a social conscience
As I’m profiling local food sources here at the Festival, I really get a picture of how diverse our local farms are, including their history. There’s one particular farm that probably has the most unique and inspiring story I’ve come across so far here. Woodwynn Farms not only contributes to the local food economy, but also produces food with a social conscience in mind: their 193 acre organic farm serves as a therapeutic community to help homeless and individuals affected by addictions to re-integrate back into society.
Waste is Fuel
Waste equals food is one of Mother Nature’s fundamental principles and one that has been highlighted by McDonough and Braungart. The idea is that all waste products can be regenerated into new life or new energy.
After the Sustainable Transportation Forum, I thought I might look into some of the alternative forms of transportation parked right here at the festival. I set out to investigate Dr.Bjorn’s car, run almost completely on vegetable oil, and the CHFCA’s fuel cell car, parked just outside the entrance. Both, as it turns out, can be fueled by waste.
Level Ground Trading
One of the most amazing things I saw at the festival last year, and there were many, was the “Go-One Cubed” bike (?) that Level Ground President, Hugo Ciro rides to work most days. So when I walked up to the Level Ground booth this year in the main area I was surprised not to [...]
Rocky Mountain Soap – Victoria
I met Rocky Mountain Soap Victoria owners Scott and Kazuyo at the OIF last year while doing the live blogging. I’m happy to say that I now call them (and they are) our good friends. Amazing what a year, a little social media and a few things in common will do.
I’ve enjoyed watching their success [...]
Spice Up Your Life & Sweeten Out Your Summer
One of the easiest things you can do to green-ify your diet is to swap out the condiments in your kitchen for eco-friendly ones! You use these items everyday and they’ll taste so much better than your store-bought stuff you’ll be doing your taste-buds (and the environment) a huge favour.
Replace that store bought honey in your pantry with the good stuff from Sunset Bay Honey Farm. Sunset Bay honey is local, fresh and best of all – pesticide free. Wanita and Roy Moody harvest their honey on hills overlooking Cowichan Bay. The remote location assures the excellent quality of their honey. Bees, apparently, are foragers (who knew!) and will fly approximately two kilometers from their hives to collect pollen; basically this means only remote honey farmers can guarantee that their bees are not collecting from plants that have been sprayed with pesticides. The Moody’s are confident that their honey is a high quality product due to the remoteness of their farm. Wanita Moody also makes soap and an all natural bug repellent from the excess beeswax. Stop by their booth at the festival and pick up some smooth, golden honey!
What can I do with ‘quince’?
When you Google “quince”, one of the first few search engine suggestions is “quince how to eat“. A fruit that resembles a fuzzy pear, the quince tree is grown widely on the Island; unfortunately, not many people know what to do with it, since it tastes bitter when eaten raw. Luckily, for me (and all others who find themselves searching “quince how to eat”), there are a couple who know how to prepare it, one of whom is the Valhalla Farm Herbs N’ Things, an exhibitor at the Organic Islands Festival.
A ‘drunken woman’ in your salad?
If you fancy ‘ears of the devil’ too, you can certainly have it. Believe it or not, these are the names of the greens used in a salad mix prepared by Echo Valley Farm, all grown locally on the Island and 100% certified organic.
Engage the Change!
Today is a day to make some changes! One of the first tables you’ll see set up at the festival is The Change Tent, and it is definitely one you want to visit. Annalea and Brad are there from The Change to tell you all about local companies that are “Greener, Fairer and Truer.
At The Change Tent pick up an Organic Islands GREEN PASSPORT. This baby is basically a scavenger hunt through the festival exhibitors. Stop by the 12 tables listed, find out about that company, get your passport stamped and have a fun day in the sun learning about everything Victoria has to offer the green movement!
