All-natural, biodegradable beauty products from Rocky Mountain Soap Company!

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.

Nezza Naturals also has a great selection of personal, household and cosmetic products. The hottest seller at the festival was their all-natural sunscreen. I tried a quick sample and am definitely going to head to the store (#101-3 Fan Tan Alley) to pick up a higher SPF (so popular they ran out – what a great sign!). All natural sunscreen is a great option as many people, especially children, are allergic to the chemicals in commercial lines.

An eco-friendly, all natural hand sanitzer from Nezza Naturals

All of Nezza Natural products are hand made locally on Galiano Island. And, becuase they are natural products you don’t have to worry about parabens or pthalates. I was really excited to see an all natural hand sanitizer, tea tree oil face wash and aluminum free deoderant. Also, for all you make-up lovers, Nezza Naturals carries a full line of cosmetics including eye-liner, mascara, eyeshadow and lipsticks in their store in China Town.

If you aren’t convinced your make-up is bad for you, check out Environmental Working’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database which rates your favorite brand on a hazard scale of ten – I was shocked to learn what my old products contained. Once you’re convinced your cosmetics need a green-haul, swing by Rocky Mountain Soap Factory and Nezza Naturals to stock up your new favorite bath, body and cosmetic products!

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 extremely knowledgeable and always helpful Devon (featured in the video below) manages their non-profit partnerships and  was on-hand to talk about the coffees they were brewing up. I sampled the dark roast (I think it was Columbian) which set me straight for the rest of the morning.

If you’re a coffee drinker, and why wouldn’t you be, make a conscious decision to vote with your dollars and uphold your values by drinking a coffee that is fair trade, rich and delicious.

Written by Chris Burdge: bWEST

I’m doing video blogging for the festival this year so I wanted to get a few quick words from Deb before she had to rush off and do one of 1,000 things she’ll be doing this weekend. Deb, I hope you have a chance to take it all in and enjoy what you have built. I, for one, have been inspired, motivated and amazed the OIF over the years.

And I just realized after watching the video that the person coming walking in just at the end of the video is Nicole Celine from Woodwynn Farms, another amazing and inspirational organization.

What’s inspiring you these days?  Leave your comments or thoughts in the box below. We’d love to hear from you.

Written by Chris Burdge, bWEST

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.

Quince and Vanilla jelly - photo taken by Eric Leong

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 Valhalla Farm is located in Duncan, in the heart of the Cowichan Valley.  The owners, Pat and Henri Andersen, both came down to Saanich to attend the Festival for the 5th year in a row.  Their exhibit was a fascinating apothecary of jellies, jams, and herbs, and Pat had a set of jellies for patrons to try.  I glanced at the names on some of the jars – ‘Black Fire’, ‘Roasted Plum and Cicely’ – and my curiosity simply couldn’t resist: I had to try some!  I tried one called ‘Garlic and Dragon Fingers”, and I was nearly taken aback with the

Garlic and Dragon Fingers jelly - photo taken by Eric Leong

spiciness.  It immediately reminded me of the food from Southeast Asia, where my family roots are.  When I asked Pat what ‘dragon fingers’ were, she told me that they were a variety of Thai peppers, and they’re grown locally on their farm.  No wonder, I thought to myself.  The taste is so similar to the chili sauce used in Southeast Asian cuisine that it could potentially be used as a great ‘100 mile diet’ substitute!

My tongue was looking for something sweet to resolve the spicy taste of the jelly, and my eyes fell on the ‘Quince and Vanilla’.  Pat and Henri told me about the quince fruit, and its tart taste discouraged many from trying to eat it.  What a pity that is, because the ‘Quince and Vanilla’ jelly tasted absolutely delicious.  Henri mentioned that, while eating it from the tree may be distasteful, boiling and cooking a quince fruit will truly reveal its flavours.  I tasted zero bitterness in this jelly and, combined together with the vanilla, it tasted like the fond honey sticks I had when I was growing up.

Pat and Henri will be here at Organic Islands for the whole weekend if you want to try this out for yourself.  You can also visit their website to see  their other products and great recipes to cook with their jellies too.

Valhalla Farm exhibit at Organic Islands - photo taken by Eric Leong

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.

The Organic Island Festival is waiting for you!

“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.”

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. As Herriot says, it is important to “make sure your neighbour is fed”, because when they are fed, you will have greater food security too. While most of us are detached from our food and the soil its springs from, the modern industrialized model of growing food has an impact that can be measured. Where our food used to be grown in healthy soil and ripened by the sun, it is now grown in depleted soil that is filled with a high level of pesticides. This means that many of the products we currently consume are low in phytonutrients, which are essential nutrients for good health and originate from the plant. It only takes a small step to begin, maybe a container plant of tomatoes, or even something larger that can feed the whole family. With this, the seed of sustainability is sown and the idea of food security becomes more achievable. After all, it is only the individual who can liberate food from the vise grip of industrialization and increase the quantity that is grown and consumed locally from 5% to something more substantial. “The Zero-Mile Diet” can represent the first step in changing the way that we think and look at food, and, in the long run, it can change the way that we live. Come hear Carolyn speak in person about her vision and passion for this movement on Saturday, July 10th at 2:30 at the main stage of the Organic Islands festival.

A tomato recipe for you:

Salsa Fresca

1 cup (250 mL) tomatoes (cherry or salad tomatoes are best)
¼ cup (60 mL) onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. (5 mL) jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
3 Tbsp. (45 mL) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

Whirl the tomatoes in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and leave to marinate. Stain off liquid and freeze as ice-cube-tray cubes or in plastic tubs. Perfect for the winter munchies.

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.