All Blog Posts (381)

We’re about to push the Earth over the brink, new study finds

By David Roberts

There’s a new scientific paper out in the journal Nature called “Approaching a state shift in Earth’s biosphere.” In a sane world, it would be front page news. This is from the…

Hey folks,

As part of a "Compassionate Communities" project put on by Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, a small group of people started talking about a way to visit and get to know others interested in edible gardens, chicken coops and bee hives. We came up with the idea of a "crawl" and applied for a Neighbourhood Small Grant...and got it! So now we have to organize the thing.

Here's the email we just sent out to our current mailing list (see below). I'm hoping some of you…

Crime & Fear

There are two conflicting outlooks towards city trees and vegetation. On one hand, a natural landscape is believed to promote healing and renewal. On the other hand, the presence of vegetation is implicated as a screen for criminal activity. This article addresses the second perspective and summarizes the research findings on the relationship between urban vegetation and crimes, aggressive behavior, and safety. The science findings are not conclusive and even may…

"At Amsterdam’s first Repair Cafe, an event originally held in a theater’s foyer, then in a rented room in a former hotel and now in a community center a couple of times a month, people can bring in whatever they want to have repaired, at no cost, by volunteers who just like to fix things."

Awesome!

Read the article:…

Welcome to the Nature Language Project

We love nature, fear it, play in it – but we’re losing it, and we’re losing the language to speak of it. This website is a place where you can join in a community by reading stories, sharing a story, and commenting on stories about meaningful interactions with nature. It’s also a place where you can contribute to research. If you choose, your story will be used by a research group at the University of Washington interested in the ways people…

Off-the-Grid Living in Brooklyn

TEST BUILDING The Delta in Carroll Gardens, which has been built to run entirely on solar energy,

is a showroom for a “net-zero” rental planned for Park Slope.

added: Above right, Ronald F. Faia of Voltaic Solaire,…

I'm writing a piece about food forests for a Vancouver magazine.
Do you know of any food forests in the city?
I'm especially interested in getting photos of mature sites...
Thanks!

I have half a yard of soil in the back of my truck. Need to get it gone! Happy to deliver it to your curb for $25 if you're not too far from 25th/Knight :)

NOTE - Most of these have now been picked up...

FREE concrete pieces (aka East Van paving stones) from a sidewalk demo. Good for a walkway, small patio or permaculture herb spiral. Help yourself. They're in the alley behind 557 E12th (near cedar hedge). Please don't disturb the residents! If you take them, kindly let me know so I can delete this notice.

Nifty little article of self-help advice from Grist Magazine

Why do we love our lawns when they don’t love us back? We pay a gardener or mow every week. We weed, edge, and blow. We aerate and add chemicals that pollute our waterways. And still, our lawns need more—often a lot more.

What’s more, a tremendous amount potable water is used to irrigate our landscapes. And because grass and the soil under it are often severely compacted, many lawns act like a paved surface that water…

This story is part of AlertNet’s special report Solutions For A Hungry World

By Katie Nguyen

LONDON (AlertNet) - It was designed to increase production and exports of vegetable oil, a commodity in short supply after World War Two, and foster growth in post-war Britain and Tanganyika.

Instead, Britain's scheme to carve out million-acre plantations for growing groundnuts in what is now Tanzania ended in disaster - scuppered by the thick bush that rendered machines to clear…

(Reuters) - Disillusioned by the unfulfilled promise of the cities and feeling stifled by tough austerity measures aimed at coping with an economic downturn, some Portuguese are opting out and returning to the land.

More:
Portuguese plant seeds to cope with crisis

By Lisa Hymas

E. O. Wilson thinks you should get out there and make some noise.  We had lots of questions for acclaimed biologist and conservationist.

Edward O. Wilson when he dropped by the Grist office recently while touring to promote his latest book, The Social Conquest of Earth.

But Wilson directed the toughest question of the day back at us: Why aren’t you young people out protesting the mess that’s being made of the planet?

As we squirmed in our seats,…

Okay - so not local, but a good sharing story.

Compared to canvas grocery bags or CFL light bulbs or even solar panels, larger "green infrastructure" projects such as roof gardens or permeable streets can be hugely expensive. It turns out, however, that they're actually not that expensive when compared to the costs of building more traditional infrastructure, and can even save money. According to a new study, governments are wasting billions of dollars a year by not going…

Full video of this speech is on the National Endowment for the Humanities' website here.

The essayist, novelist, and poet Wendell Berry, shown at…

Planning is now underway for the B.C. Food Systems Network Gathering that is taking place from July 5th through the 8th, 2012. In preparation for the event, the Gathering Committee is putting out a request for:

proposals, workshops, roundtables and discussion topics;

potential sources for funding; and

ideas for making the gathering a meaningful and enriching experience for all.

This will be the 14th Annual Gathering of the BC Food Systems Network and we hope you will…

Our goal is to design, plant and grow an edible urban forest garden that inspires our community to gather together, grow our own food and rehabilitate our local ecosystem.

A Food Forest is a gardening technique or land management system that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes in edible trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Fruit and nut trees are the upper level, while below are berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals. Companions or beneficial plants are included to…

Nice example.

"Compass Green is a mobile greenhouse built into a truck, which runs on vegetable oil (natch). Handsome hipsters Nick Runkle and Justin Cutter retooled the truck, which was already fitted with Plexiglas display panels, to turn it into a biofuel-powered educational farm on wheels."

read more:…

Water is Life Event 

Are you interested in hearing about current water issues in Vancouver and what you can do about them?

Please join us on Saturday May 19th at the Roundhouse Community Centre from 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM as we spend an afternoon with like-minded people to discuss what healthy water means to us all!



Confirmed speakers are:

 

Celia Brauer- False Creek Watershed Society - sewers, runoff, beach health, our special events,…

As we pass the half way mark on Slow Food’s ambitious project, to create 1000 food gardens in Africa (580 and counting!) we look at what it takes to create a successful community or school garden. From the experience and expertise of those working on the ground in Thousand Gardens in Africa project, ten steps for a flourishing good, clean and fair garden that can be put into action anywhere…