Their model is straight-forward.  Based on the San Patrignano model of a therapeutic community, Woodwynn Farms accepts, at maximum, 12 people at a time to develop personal and employable skills on their farm.  Additionally, these individuals are provided with shelter, food, and legal assistance.  According to Woodwynn Farms, this holistic approach aims to encompass “all areas of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of the person”, with hopes to help these individuals to change their lives.

If you’re looking to buy local produce while helping to combat our social issues with homelessness, Woodwynn Farms is a great place to go.  If you want to get involved with this innovative social project, Woodwynn Farms lists several ways to do on their website, which includes volunteering.  If you thought eating locally was considered ’social’ enough, the amazing people behind Woodwynn Farms really show how much further you can go.

Woodwynn Farms exhibit - photo taken by Eric Leong

The Green Building and Development panel

The Green Building and Development Forum heated up this morning, with Gord Baird, JC Scott, Doug Makaroff, John Gower, and Elke Cole, as panelists. Each of these speakers brought a unique perspective to the green building debate but all of them universally emphasized one thing: make your house a home – not an investment. Make your house beautiful. Love it and it will last for a long time.

JC Scott explained 100 mile design and using local products. He asked the audience to consider if building materials are made from renewable resources, if they are extracted responsibly, if they can be recycled or are recycled and if they are energy efficient. Gord Bard followed with a personal experience of building an eco-home, explaining that a house should be in harmony with its surroundings, and resources should flow between the house and the local ecosystem. Elke Cole and John Gower both explain that natural building is about conscious decision making and that sustainable design will involve new measures of what it means to be happy. Doug Makaroff spoke of building with forests, rather than building over them.

Lastly, the panel advocated that green building isn’t necessarily about cob, earthen homes, or even solar panels and wind power – it’s about making a difference with what you have.

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.

Dr.Bjorn's Auto, showing a car that has been converted to run on vegetable oil

Dr. Bjorn showed me that a diesel engine can easily be altered (or in some cases, does not need to be altered) to be fueled by vegetable oil. The best part of this is that the car can be run on waste oil from restaurants after a simple straining procedure. This is not the same as biodiesel – the oil does not go through a chemical conversion process as it would for diesel. A vehicle that is run on vegetable oil rather than diesel can reduce particulate matter emissions by 30 – 50 % and these cars are simultaneously 30 – 40 % more efficient than a gasoline engine.

A few minutes later, I had the chance to jump in the back of the fuel cell car as a back seat driver in a test run. The fuel cell car can be fueled on hydrogen that is the byproduct of other chemical processes; Canada produces over 200 000 tonnes of this waste hydrogen per year. Alternatively, the hydrogen can be produced from a number of renewable energy sources including solar, hydro, wind, wave, or geothermal. Hydrogen is carbon-free and non-toxic; a fuel cell car emits only water and heat. The particular model at the festival can get roughly 300 km for a tank filled to 5000 psi.

I asked the test driver what he thought of the car. He answered, “Feels great to drive! Reminds me of driving a hybrid.” The car nearly seemed to float on air with only a gentle refrigerator-like hum.

Both Dr.Bjorn’s Auto and the Fuel Cell Association of Canada are available for questions at the Organic Islands Festival or you can visit their websites below:

http://www.drbjornsauto.com/

http://www.poweringnow.ca/

Duancey was accompanied by Elizabeth May of the Green Party, who spoke about the need for policy coherence between all three levels of government and the benefits of mass transit for a number of social groups. Sue Hallack followed May with an explaination of a corridor strategy, which would increase transit, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure on major routes in the Capital Regional District. Several other speakers provided statistics on transportation and on the economics of sustainable transportation. The alternative forms of transportation discussed truly were endless: electric tricycles, ride-sharing, cycling (electric and manual), light rail, pedestrian traffic, electric vehicles, solar airplanes, biofuels and many more.

And if you have a doubt about the changing face of transportation, why not take a stroll down to the valet bike parking? There you’ll find just under 100 reasons that change is on the horizon and the golden era is on its way.

Jeremy Oaten engages the change by deciding to take shorter showers!

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!

When you’ve traveled through all the exhibitors and your passport is fully stamped head back to The Change Tent to complete your final mission. Annalea or Brad will ask you what you already do, or what you are going to do to engage with the change and go green! They will take a video or photo (or if you are media-shy you can just tell them the old-fashioned way) and in exchange you will get a ticket to enter to win some fabulous prizes.

Jeremy Oaten was one of the first visitors to complete his GREEN PASSPORT. He was inspired to take shorter greener showers after visiting the Terasen Gas booth where he got a free shower-timer. His goal? The 5 minute shower!

So, while enjoying the festival make sure you pick up your passport from The Change Tent so you can be part of the movement too! The prizes you can win include:

- $1500 door prize from La Vida Eco
- Test drive the $1 million fuel cell car

And the following prizes donated by members of thechange.com

- Gift bag from thechange.com
- $20 gift card for ethicaldeal.com
- 2 gift cards for Spinnakers
- 2 bags of Fair Trade Coffee from Salt Spring Coffee
- Stainless Steel water thermos from Fairware
- 24 healthy cereal bars from Nature’s Path Organic
- 2 bags of Fair Trade Coffee from E
- $25 gift card for hip baby
- $20 gift card for ecoeverything
- Hand crafted wooden art piece from Clegg Woodcrafts
- An Eco-product from the good planet
- Foot butter and a 6 piece soap set from Rocky Mountain Soap Company
- 3 GB of online data backup from Swift Kick Computers.

Now go get those passports stamped!

(Also make sure you enter to win a green shopping spree for ethicaldeal.com while you are at the Change Tent and with some luck you might just score yourself some prizes!)

With the popularization of many alternative forms of energy, the number of solar-powered gadgets ranging from those cute little gardens lamps to even potentially solar powered cameras is not surprising. What may be unbeknownst to you is that with the help of Kevin Pegg and EA Energy Alternatives Ltd, the Organic Islands Festival has its very own solar power plant. This miniature power plant will produce 6 – 8 kWh over the weekend. That’s enough to power over 7 laptops, a cash machine, several blenders, a cooler, a gelato cart, the main stage and plenty more, all present in the village at the festival.

Solar power is energy that is captured in sunlight and converted into electricity. Specifically, when light energy hits a solar panel composed of different layers of silicon, electrons move between the layers and thus generate an electric current. An archetype of bio-mimicry, solar power is actually one of the most reliable forms of alternative energy. The pathways and angles of the sun, after all, have been constant for millennia. And, recent research shows that Southeastern Ontario alone has the potential to produce nearly 90 gigawatts of electricity from solar power – that’s nearly the equivalent produced from nuclear power in all of the United States! Today, we power the Organic Islands Festival but tomorrow, the possibilities are endless.

To speak to the expert, drop by the EA Energy Alternatives power station at the Organic Islands Festival.

Newlyweds abandon the city to work the land and explore and explore the American Landscape are making their one and only trip to Canada and will be at the Organic Islands Festival on July 10 and 11 speaking to attendees about their journey not just the geographical one that’s taken them across America but the one that’s transforming their lives as they work on organic farms.

Come on down and hear what they have to say at the festival’s DIY Open Space booth #70 in the Village.  In the meantime, check out their blog at: http://wwoofingpattaps.blogspot.com/

Now there is, with Breezesta.

Every year, Breezesta removes hundreds of thousands of petroleum-based HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) milk jugs and water bottles from the waste stream, recycling and converting it all into sturdy poly lumber.

The result is maintenance-free, fade-resistant, eco-friendly, outdoor living furniture built to last in every environment. It’s mold and mildew resistant. Stands up to rain, wind and salt spray. Guaranteed against twisting, with strong mortise and tenon construction and long-life Sure-Lok Joints. Bonus. Breezesta backs that all up with its unconditional Residential Lifetime Warranty.

Now don’t go thinking dull or drab. Breezesta Poly Outdoor Furniture goes way beyond basic white, with 20 rich, vivid, vibrant colours and every one is ‘green’! Summer sizzlers like Sunshine, Pink Lemonade and Papaya. Relaxing Sky Blue and Seafoam for your Zen time. Weatherwood, Redwood and Cedar for the naturalist. Or mix and match to create your own exclusive custom colour combinations. Imagine stunning black and white in your outdoor room, crayon brights at the cottage, cool blues on deck or corporate colours at the office.

Breezesta does it with style. All of them with kick-off-your shoes comfort. The classic Adirondack collection includes chairs and rockers, from popular Shoreline and Fanback designs, to right or left Windsail, high back Royale and new Coastal Adirondack, making your biggest challenge simply choosing your fabourite. There’s even a folding chair and separate footrest. Breezesta’s attractive Ridgeline, Horizon and Skyline Collections, including benches and rocker benches, feature design details for appeal to a variety of decorator tastes. Beauty meets functionality in Breezesta’s Outdoor Dining Collection with park bench or backless bench for flexible seating arrangements.

Create your own mood. Like the clamour of a sidewalk cafe with the charming Cafe Collection of counter-height tables, stools and chairs. A party with the tall Bar Collection for 2 or 4. A quiet conversation corner with the cozy Tete-a-Tete. Family fun with a picnic table. Breezesta is hospitality furniture that welcomes guests or just says “welcome home”.

View Breezesta Poly Outdoor Furniture in all its bold, beatuiful, glorious colour, at the 6th annual Organic Islands Festival & Sustainability Expo, July 10th & 11th. Be sure to ask about the special bonus offer, in effect during the festival only.

Following the Festival, it’s worth the drive any time to see Breezesta on display at Independent Marine Supply Store, Pacific Cottage Division, 2443 Alberni Hwy, in Coombs

Herriot’s first rule is seed selection, which involves choosing to plant vegetables that you already enjoy.  While the idea of planting unfamiliar or new items is enticing, it might not assist you in actually using the items in your garden. If you have a limited amount of space, you might also want to grow plants that will save you more money at the grocery store.

Another important rule for the garden is diversity. If your garden contains a variety of items like flowers, grasses, and berries, bugs will be kept away and plant growth will be improved; a homogenous garden will only serve to attract pests and disease.

The last rule I’m going to give you is crop rotation. While you may not notice a problem if you don’t move plants around in the first few years, diseases like white rot and pests like weevils will eventually show up. If the host plant is moved, the life cycle of the disease or the pest will automatically be broken.

While I hope some of these rules will help, you’ll have to read the book for the rest!

A recipe for your own fertilizer:

Mix four parts (by volume) seed meal (Nitrogen) with one part dolomite lime (potential Hydrogen), add one part rock phosphate (Phosphorus) and one half-part kelp meal (Potassium).

Thank you to Carolyn Herriot and Harbour Publishing for recipes and information from “The Zero-Mile Diet: A Year-Round Guide to Growing Organic Food.” You can attend the book launch on July 10th, 2010 at 2:30 PM at the Organic Islands Festival in Victoria, BC. For the complete Program Schedule, click here.