Beth Carruthers's Blog (25)

Sip Lattés and Fix Busted Stuff at the Repair Café

By Katherine Sharpe

It says something about where we’ve come as a society that the simple act of fixing something that’s broken is considered a revolutionary act. Yet here we are. It’s cheaper and easier to buy a new toaster, lamp, printer, or chair than it is to mend the one you have when it breaks — never mind that you may already be jonesing for an…

The home page for the Transition Free Press - all over the UK :-)

Transition Free Press

Monsanto owns 40% of all seed companies - yes, even heirloom seed companies. Here is a list of Monsanto-free seed companies : http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/06/monsanto-free-seed-companies/http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/06/monsanto-free-seed-companies/

"In 2012, as never before, the earth as a living being is calling out to us for recognition, for healing, for sacred and sustainable ways of tending her soil, plants, animals, and landscapes..."

Join us on November 14-18, 2012, at the beautiful Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, WI, for an extraordinary event — the 2012 North American Biodynamic Conference. This biennial conference is the foremost event for biodynamic education, networking, and community…

Nora Bateson will present her film "An Ecology of Mind"
Wednesday, Oct 31, 2012
Room SB 301, Emily Carr University, Vancouver
5:30 - 7:00 pm

An Ecology of Mind - Trailer

TOUR: No Pipelines. No Tankers.

To raise awareness and build community solidarity and support in the fights to stop pipeline expansions in BC, the Council of Canadians is organizing a six-city tour this month to say: “No Pipelines, No Tankers.” The tour will help educate about the devastating environmental impacts of these massive pipeline projects, which will move tar sands crude to BC’s coastline where it will be loaded into supertankers and shipped through precarious waters to new…

This briefing note introduces some ways of bringing sustainability priorities into action, notably through food policies. Download pdf here:
Enabling Sustainability Policy and Planning at the Local Level: The Example of Food Policy

Liking this. Thought others might too.

Just for the Love of It - The Free Economy Community

A new currency hit the streets of Nelson Wednesday, one with more bang for its buck than the sinking Euro.

Columbia Community Dollars, a community initiative two years in the making, represents a growing trend of communities finding their own solutions to ailing economies. 



"Creating community currencies is perfectly legal," said Michael Sheely, coordinator for the community dollars said in a written email release.

"Probably because it seems too good to be true is why…

The relationship between food and the weather is one of the topics to be reflected upon at the next Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, in Turin, Italy from October 25-29,2012. Think globally and act locally. Join Slow Food members from around the world at this biennial event. Open to non-members as well.

Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, in Turin, Italy from October 25-29,2012

Nice and informative teaser for the longer upcoming conversation between Bill Moyers and Vandana Shiva on the food system.

Vandana Shiva talks with Bill Moyers about the food system [VIDEO]

Only a couple of days left to register for my short workshops at Langara College:

July 9th - Intro to Bioremedial Ecoart practice. An intensive half-day intro to Bioremedial practices. Learn about pragmatic arts-based practices of rehabbing damaged sites, wetlands, and waterways.

July 11th - Wild in the City. Gain in-depth knowledge of local flora and fauna through this daylong journaling workshop in Stanley Park. Based on early Naturalist observation and journaling. With a…

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…

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…

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

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…

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…