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 ‘Inspirations’ 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.
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 [...]
We Can Do It!
I was so inspired by all you festival-goers who stopped by The Change tent today. After dropping off your GREEN PASSPORTS many of you filled us in on what you are doing, or are going to do, to make a difference in your life and our city. Annalea, Brad and I are amazed by how many of you bike or walk to work, use cloth shopping bags and recycle everything you can get your hands on. Thank you to all of you who let us take your photo and share with the rest of the city what you are doing to engage the change!
Good Morning Organic Islands Festival
I arrived at the festival at 10:00am this morning to meet up with the “O Reporters” (Organic Islands Festival bloggers) Ingrid, Chelsea and Eric, and the first person I bumped into was the festival founder, Deb Morse.
I’m doing video blogging for the festival this year so I wanted to get a few quick words from [...]
Change is Just Down the Road
Discussions of sustainability have an unfortunate tendency to be followed by feelings of stagnancy and futility. I recall a quote by Rex Weyler summing this up that said “Future generations are going to look back at us and think of us as barbarians … And what’s worse, we know what we’re doing. We have the science.” Guy Duancey opened the Sustainable Transportation Forum with the end of oil. This time was different though; the end of oil wasn’t a doomsday. In fact, Dauncey said “The golden age of harmony with nature lies in front of us.” When he said that, it seems as though all things inversed. The world is not full of cannots; it is full of possibilities. And indeed, we do have the science.
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 …
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.
The Organic Island Festival is in Full Swing!
What a beautiful morning! The morning dew glistens in the shrubs, the sky is clear and the sun is hot, and in the midst of the lush beautiful foliage here at Glendale Gardens, activity has exploded! The Organic Islands Festival is in full swing running today and tomorrow. Tents have mushroomed all over with a mass of activities and information to explore. The song of the birds swooping over Viaduct Lake will soon mingle with the sweet sounds of great folk musicians set to play for the day and will set the back drop for the sustainable transportation forum, about to take place in just over two hours.
Don’t miss your chance to explore over 100 great exhibitors and the diverse flora here at Glendale Gardens…. The organic ice cream and the green drinks await.
Start the “Movement”
“Once our personal connection to what is wrong becomes clear, we have to choose. We can go on as before, recognizing our dishonesty and living with it the best we can, or we can begin the effort to change the way we think and live.” – Wendell Berry
With “The Zero-Mile Diet: A Year-Round Guide to Growing Organic Food”, Carolyn Herriot’s greatest hope is to kickstart a movement: the “grow your own food” movement.
