A great new local food resource
Not sure where you can get some luscious, local, flavourful strawberries? Never fear: the Toronto Farmers' Market Network has a new website with listings of ALL the markets locations, times, farmers, and local availability. Click here:
Toronto Farmers Market Network new website
Can't wait for those strawberries: see info about Toronto's upcoming Strawberry Festival below.
FoodShare’s Annual General Meeting and Open House
Come and see what’s growing at FoodShare this year!
Saturday June 21st 2008
Annual General Meeting: 10 – 11am
Open House: 11am to 5pm
Visit our new community garden, enjoy fun activities, a good food market, great music and dancing, as well as a Fresh Salad Bar Lunch (free for all guests).
Generously sponsored by The Big Carrot.
For more information please contact Anna La 416-363-6441 ext 226 or anna@foodshare.net
For directions and a map to 90 Croatia Street, click here.
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Plants and Gardens
FoodShare needs your overgrown perennials
FoodShare Toronto is going to be planting a native and perennial garden and is inviting people to contribute flowers from their own garden to be a part of ours.
All gardeners are invited to bring perennials from their own garden to help us make this garden beautiful! We will be planting this Wednesday, June 11th and would love to have your donations before that.
If you would like to donate a plant or if you have any questions about our new garden, please drop by 90 Croatia Street and ask for Ian or contact him at 416-363-6441 x241 or ian@foodshare.net before Wednesday, June 11.
Plant Give-away!
The annual plant give away is coming up! Come out to FoodShare Toronto at 90 Croatia Street on June 17th between 3pm and 7 pm to pick up some free plants, donated by the City of Toronto!
This giveaway is primarily for community and allotment gardens--especially gardens that were just started this year. It is first come-first served and begins at 3pm.
We're not able to take orders in advance nor can we tell you what we will have--it's as much a surprise to us as it will be to you.
Please bring boxes, flats, etc. to take your plants away with.
For directions and a map to 90 Croatia Street, click here.
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Events
Strawberries Abound: The First Fruits of Spring!
Toronto's top celebrity chefs are teaming up with local strawberry farmers, along with farmers' markets and leading public and government organizations supporting local food, to send a message that nothing beats fresh strawberries grown in the nearby Greenbelt and beyond. In an unprecedented culinary focus on local strawberries, events are planned throughout June.
For example the Brickworks Strawberry Tea and Culinarium's strawberry preserve making on June 14, and the Slow Food Farm Tour to pick strawberries on June 28.
More than 25 Toronto restaurants and their chefs, each featuring strawberries from a specific farm, will be creating strawberry extravaganzas featured on their menus during the week of June 23 to 29.
List of events, restaurants, strawberry farms, and organizations is found at www.edibletoronto.com/pages/strawberry.htm
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Raising the Green Roof (Today!)
Allow us to take you to new heights with the premiere of Raising the Green Roof, a 15 minute documentary that tells the whole story. Inspiration, information, the inside scoop. You'll never look at your roof the same way again.
Tuesday June 10, 2008
4:00 to 7:00 pm
Remarks at 4:30 pm
79 Jackman Ave. near Chester subway station)
Refreshments, video screenings, industry experts, information and tours of the Jackman Green Roof.
For information, email: jackman@tdsb.on.ca
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Policies of Food and Nutrition Security in Brazil
A Betinho Project Lecture by Patrus Ananias,
Brazilian Minister of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger
Thursday, June 12 from 10:00-11:30am
Ted Rogers School of Management, room TRS 1-129 - 7th floor,
55 Dundas St W. Toronto.
Patrus Ananias was the mayor of Belo Horizonte brazil, in the 1990's, overseeing the establishment of a comprehensive plan for food and nutrition policy in that city. Today, Belo Horizonte is internationally recognized as a leader for innovative programs in this area.
For more information, see www.ryerson.ca/betinho
Centre for Studies in Food Security, Ryerson University
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The Friends of Alternative and Complementary Therapies presents:
"HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD - one man, one cow, one planet"
An award-winning film on modern industrial agriculture and biodynamic,
sustainable farming methods.
Featuring Peter Proctor, father of modern biodynamics.
Directed and produced by Thomas and Barbara Burstyn.
For background on the film, see:www.howtosavetheworld.co.nz
“Modern industrial agriculture is destroying the earth: desertification, water scarcity, toxic cocktails of agricultural chemicals pervading our food chains, ocean ecosystem
collapse, soil erosion and massive loss of soil fertility.
Can one old man and a bucket full of cow-s. . . save the world?
Are you crazy?”
Film panelists:
Lauren Baker, food researcher and activist experienced in local food economies, urban agriculture and food policy. She has worked with community groups in Toronto and beyond to implement sustainable food projects, including the Evergreen Brick Works food strategy and Food Share's urban agriculture program.
Eva Cabaca, CNP, RNCP, M.Ed. (Czech Rep.), teacher of biodynamic farming at the Toronto Waldorf School and past instructor at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition in Toronto. Devoted to sharing knowledge about simple whole living, spirituality and care for the environment, she also conducts classes in food preparation, local food production and food preservation.
Shantree Kacera, D.N, Ph.D and Lorena Bousquet-Kacera, founders and directors of Spirit of the Earth , The Living Centre and Living Arts Institute, established in 1983, offer
programs that support individuals in the practice of conscious living. They are celebrated visionaries, authors, educators, nutrition researchers and world peace workers.
Manfred Palmer, co-founder and coordinator of the organic/biodynamic "Carrville Community Garden", on Toronto Waldorf School land.
Wayne Roberts, Project Coordinator, Toronto Food Policy Council. Founder of the Coalition for a Green Economy.
Where: Workman Theatre, CAMH 1001 Queen Street W. at Ossington.
When: FRIDAY, June 13, 2008 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $12 members
$15 non-members.
Advance Tickets:
To register, please contact Diane at 416-299-5113 or
drwhittall@sympatico.ca
before Friday, June 6, 2008.
All tickets to be picked up at the door prior to the screening.
Same Day Tickets:
Tickets go on sale 30 min. prior to the screening at the Workman Theatre, CAMH.
For more information, call FACT 416.299.5113 or see www.thefacts.org
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A solstice conversation with Gustavo Esteva:
GROWING GLOBAL HUNGER
Digging for the roots of the food crisis
A public event of the International Political Economy and Ecology Summer School, co-sponsored by the Faculty of Environmental Studies and the Department of Political Science, York University
Friday, June 20, 7 PM
Carrot Common rooftop
348 Danforth Avenue, Suite 212
(second floor entrance by Book City)
Responses from Canadian food activists:
Debbie Field, FoodShare
Wayne Roberts, Toronto Food Policy Council
Michael Sacco, Chocosol
Food by CHOCOSOL
GUSTAVO ESTEVA is a grassroots activist and deprofessionalized intellectual who lives and works in Oaxaca, Mexico. In 1996, Esteva was invited by the Zapatistas to be their advisor. He has worked with Mexican, Latin American and international grassroots organizations and networks involved with indigenous struggles in Mexico and beyond. In 2003 he launched an effort of cultural regeneration, involving more than 400 Indigenous communities in Southern Mexico. He also organized a national campaign around the maize crisis entitled “Sin Maize, No Hay Pais” (Without Corn, There is No Country).
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HARVEST WEDNESDAYS Return!
Gladstone Hotel Brings the Farm to Table Experience to Queen West
Wednesdays, July through October
HARVEST WEDNESDAYS return to the Gladstone for a third harvest season! The series will feature a new line-up of weekly culinary events featuring local seasonal menus created by Chef Marc Breton showcasing what has been harvested by the farm the day before.
Each week will feature local produce from Chick–A-Biddy Acres CSA farm, and locally produced cheeses, meats, wines and beers. The series will begin in July with a cocktail party "tasting" event, continue throughout the season with harvest "prix-fixe" menus and culminate with an end of the season Harvest Table event. Learn all about Community Shared Agriculture and eating locally for Global Change. Experience how farm fresh produce tastes better!
To learn more about the Harvest Wednesdays 2008 click here »
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Improve the quality of food being served to children in City of Toronto childcare centres.
A letter from Martin Long, President of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) to the Mayor of Toronto
May 21, 2008
Dear Mayor Miller:
I am writing on behalf of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) to register our support for the efforts of the Better Day Care Food Network to improve the quality of food being served to children in City of Toronto childcare centres.
Recognizing the importance of good nutrition and the multiple benefits of locally sourced food, we encourage you to develop an appropriate strategy to improve the quality of food and increase the percentage of local food served in municipal childcare centres.
Current funding formulas set for municipal childcare facilities, as well as City of Toronto seniors’ residences, may limit existing options for improving food quality by sourcing local food products and purchasing meat and dairy products that are ethically and naturally raised. ETT would endorse and support initiatives by the City of Toronto to increase provincially set per diem allowances, with the goal of improving overall food quality and meeting specific local sourcing targets.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this letter.
Yours truly, Martin Long President
The Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT) is a Local of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO). With over 11,000 members, it is the largest teachers' Local in Canada.
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Canada's greenest grocers
Corporate Knights Magazine unveiled the first-annual Corporate Knights Green Grocer Report Card in its inaugural Food Issue. The ranking looks at the ways major Canadian grocery chains promote and integrate environmental issues into the shopping experience.
The results are as follows:
Mainstream grocers
1. Loblaw Companies Limited: C+
2. Safeway Inc.: C
3. Metro Inc.: C
4. Sobeys Inc.: C
Specialized grocers
1. Planet Organic Market Ltd.: A
2. Whole Foods Market: B+
Corporate Knights conducted anonymous assessments at six major grocery conglomerates in five Canadian cities - Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver. Corporate-level questionnaires were used to provide a sense of where things are going, but the grocers were not rated on corporate initiatives.
Corporate Knights assessed the grocery stores in five categories based on the in-store survey results: Climate Change, Consumer Education, Food Sustainability, Household Sustainability, and Waste and Recycling.
With private-label organic lines and fair trade coffee just about standard in mainstream stores, it is clear that grocers have crossed a green threshold. But the report card shows there is room for improvement across the board, since environmentally-friendly household goods, local produce, and sustainable meat and fish were difficult to find at the stores visited.
While the specialty grocers' are models for their mainstream peers, they fared poorly in their selection of local produce and neither grocery chain featured sustainably-farmed fish in their stores.
The corporate questionnaire revealed that Canadian grocers are aware that their customer base is demanding products that fit an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
"Grocers are making commendable changes to their corporate strategies, including building LEED-standard buildings and making it easier for individual stores to source local food," says Melissa Shin, Associate Editor. "However, there is a disconnect between what is being promoted at the corporate level and what the consumer sees during his or her weekly shopping trip."
The full results of the Report, including recommendations, a grading key, and a copy of the grocer survey, are available on www.corporateknights.ca and are summarized in the Food Issue (Vol. 6.4) of Corporate Knights.
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On the bookshelf:
DEMETER’S WHEATS
Growing local food and community with traditional wisdom and heritage wheat. 2008. Published by: Grassroot Solutions, Victoria. $19.95 plus $1 GST and $6 shipping.
www.grassrootsolutions.com
Author and organic agronomist Sharon Rempel has worked with heritage wheat for twenty years. She’s convinced the old varieties have the ability to adapt quickly to a diversity of growing conditions and produce crops without chemical inputs. As founder of seasonal festivals to celebrate seed (‘Seedy Saturday’ and the ‘Bread and Wheat’ Festival) she recognizes that ‘culture’ is missing from today’s agricultural system.
Her book offers practical growing information, seed saving basics and a list of Canada’s heritage wheat varieties. The book also offers insights into today’s ‘green’, ‘local food’, ‘100 mile diet’, ‘food shortages’ and ‘carbon credits’. Sharon uses wheat and bread as metaphors to discuss deep issues that haunt society. She shares hope and inspiration that is rooted in the Mystery School cycle of ‘seed’ from Neolithic times in Greece.
The cover shows a handful of ancestral heritage wheat that tops three photos from Syria. In May 2008 Sharon visited Tell Halula, a Neolithic site of agriculture (one of the first human communities where grains were cultivated 8000 B.C. and where there are no weapons found in the ruins). She was inspired by the courage of a young woman farmer to take over ‘on farm’ variety development on her family farm and by the typical ‘Syrian flat bread’ baked in tandoor ovens.
Sharon is holding a handful of Red Fife wheat on the back cover photo. It links with a photo of a hand holding seed with a quote “The hand that holds the seed controls the food supply”.
‘Demeter’s Wheats’ is a unique book that will stimulate thought, questions and provide a few answers in times when people are thinking about ‘growing community’. Sharon says ‘community starts with a seed bank’ and intentions of finding ways to work together cooperatively and collaboratively. The wisdom of local people, plants and place provide a dynamic growing energy that will provide answers for food today and in the future’.
Sharon Rempel can be reached in Victoria at (250) 298-1133 and via email at slrempel@shaw.ca
Books can be ordered on line via Paypal or with a cheque or money order payable to Sharon; address 3741 Metchosin Road, Victoria, B.C. V9C 4A8, Canada.
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The Big Buzz
The Toronto Beekeepers Coop has recently installed beehives on the roof of the Royal York Hotel. Yes that's right, beehives! There's been so much media coverage that it's been hard to miss this sotry. But in case you did, you can click on the links below to read all about it in 3 major newspapers:
The Star:
http://www.thestar.com/article/437506
The Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080605.wbees05/EmailBNStory/National
The National Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/story.html?id=565363
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Job Opportunities
The Centre for Social Innovation
The Centre for Social Innovation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to
spark, connect and support new ideas that are making positive change in the worlds. We do this by providing shared space and services to over 100 social mission groups, acting as a community centre for social innovators, and helping to launch new entrepreneurial and collaborative projects.
Currently the CSI is looking for an extraordinary individual to join the CSI staff team as a Community Animator. We need someone fantastic - really fantastic - to handle the day-to-day reception, administration and management of the fourth floor space. The Community Animator is part host, part office manager, part receptionist, part triage nurse, part executive assistant, part social networker and full-time agent for change!!
Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have: experience in customer service, superior attention to detail and organizational skills, people skills and sensitivity to people’s needs, capacity to handle a million things, enthusiasm and energy, sound judgment and comfort working autonomously, a low –stress attitude in a complex environment, familiarity with and keen interest in Toronto’s social mission sector, and willingness to do whatever it takes - zero attitude.
This is a full time position.
Salary: $32 – 35,000
If you are - or if you know - an extraordinary someone who would be perfect for this position, please send a cover letter and resume to camila@socialinnovation.ca
Deadline: June 13.
For more info, please visit the CSI website: www.socialinnovation.ca
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FoodShare Toronto
90 Croatia St. Toronto, ON M6H 1K9
General phone: 416. 363.6441 xt 221
For individual program phones and emails please click here
Fax: 416. 363.0474 , Website: www.foodshare.net
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please either click on the personalized link at the bottom of this email (faster and easier) or go to www.foodshare.net/newsletter_local_01.htm
All photos © Laura Berman www.greenfusephotos.com
