31.5.06

Documentary: THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil

Richard Heinberg, author of The Party's Over, Powerdown, and The Oil Depletion Protocol, writes: "Everyone who is concerned about Peak Oil needs to see this film. Cuba survived an energy famine during the 1990s, and how it did so constitutes one of the most important and hopeful stories of the past few decades. It is a story not just of individual achievement, but of the collective mobilization of an entire society to meet an enormous challenge. Lest the point be missed, I will underscore it: this particular challenge – the problem of energy scarcity is one we will all be facing very soon. "

To read more about this important documentary, including screening locations and reviews, visit The Community Solution.

posted by Gemma Grace @ 11:52 a.m. 0 comments

30.5.06

Upcoming Event: ORGANIC GARDENING TOUR

Organic Gardening Tour

Oakville, Ontario (Canada)
Saturday,June 10th 2006 (Rain Date Sunday, June 11th)
10:00am to 3:00pm
Tickets are $10

On Saturday, June 10 the public is invited to tour seven beautiful organic gardens in Oakville. Questions are encouraged and the gardeners will be on hand to give organic gardening advice and tips.

Sponsored by the local organic gardening advocates, Gardens Off Drugs, the tour will showcase gardens that were top competitors, over the past few years, in the group’s Organic Gardening Contest.

“These gardeners have years of experience in creating healthy, natural gardens and they are very interested in answering the public’s questions and giving people
alternatives to using dangerous chemicals,” says Joanne Kay, one of the Organic Gardening Tours organizers.

For more information on the Organic Gardening Tour go to the Gardens Off Drugs website. (Click on Events.)

posted by Gemma Grace @ 2:59 p.m. 0 comments

28.5.06

Upcoming Event: THE FUTURE VILLAGE

THE FUTURE VILLAGE: A New Concept in Community Design
Presented by: OakvilleGreen

Tuesday, May 30, 2006
7:30 to 9:30 P.M.

Knox Presbyterian Church, Downstairs Hall
at 89 Dunn Street,
Oakville, Ontario
(Canada)

People have heard about new urbanism and the importance of walkable, transit-oriented and environmentally-friendly communities. Rotary International has taken this concept a step further and created a vision of a community that is also energy independent and innovative in water and waste management using a closed-loop treatment system and self-contained waste disposal system. A group representing Rotarians from the Greater Metro Toronto region will make the presentation about their ongoing project.

posted by Gemma Grace @ 2:44 p.m. 0 comments

26.5.06

Video: Inspiration

Enjoy Daryl Hannah's video eco-blog, 'DH Love Life', where every Monday a new five-minute film is featured that "offers snapshots of how people around the globe are helping each other, and the earth." Hannah says, "Basically, I'm trying to show a vision of an exciting and inspirational people." (Read Vanessa McGrady's full interview in Grist Magazine.) (Video)

posted by Gemma Grace @ 6:27 p.m. 0 comments

17.5.06

Shelf Life - Selected Books and Journals

  1. Superbia! - 31 Ways to Create Sustainable Neighborhoods: Superbia! is a book of practical ideas for creating more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods. It is about remaking suburban and urban neighborhoods to serve people better and to reduce human impact on the environment. By Dan Chiras and Dave Wann (2004) ISBN: 0865714908 (Book)
  2. Terrain.org: Terrain.org, a Journal of the Built & Natural Environments, is a twice yearly online journal searching for that interface—the integration— among the built and natural environments, that might be called the soul of place. It is not definitely about urban form, nor solely about natural landscapes. It is not precisely about human culture, nor necessarily about ecology. It is, rather, a celebration of the symbiosis between the built and natural environments where it exists, and an examination and discourse where it does not. The literary, journalistic, and artistic works contained with Terrain.org are of the highest quality, submitted by a variety of contributors for a diverse audience, including some of the finest material previously appearing in Terra Nova: Nature & Culture. The works may be idealistic, technical, historical, philosophical, and more. Above all, they focus on the environments around us—the built and natural environments—that both affect and are affected by the human species. (On-Line Journal)
  3. Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook - The Complete Guide to Renewable Energy Technologies and Sustainable Living - 12th Edition: Do you want to harvest sunlight, wind or falling water to power your home? Or sell that renewable energy back to your utility company? Are you looking to build your dream eco-home? Or to convert to biodiesel and minimize your fossil fuel use? This fully-updated classic of sustainable living technology tells how and gives you access to the world's most extensive selection of hardware to make it all happen. Edited by John Schaeffer (2005) ISBN: 091657105X (Book)
  4. The Not So Big House - A Blueprint For The Way We Really Live: People are naturally drawn to intimate spaces. Large structures inspired by outdated patterns tend to result in houses that just don't work. In The Not So Big House, Sarah Susanka proposes clear guidelines that include designing for specific lifestyles, budgeting, building a home from scratch, and using energy-efficient construction. By Sarah Susanka (2001) ISBN: 1561583766
  5. Behaving As If The God In All Life Mattered: Machaelle Small Wright is a spiritual pioneer with the profound ability to "see" and "hear" the invisible forces of nature. Her personal story is one of triumph, from a childhood of torment and isolation to discovery of her ability to communicate with the world of nature spirits and devas. At "Perelandra," her 45-acre private nature research center in Virginia, Machaelle devotes her life to understanding and demonstrating a new approach to ecological balance: * The foundation and development of co-creative gardening * The ecological effects of humans * The roles of the animal, mineral and plant kingdoms * Humankind's unrealized custodianship of Planet Earth. A book beyond theory, Behaving as if the God in All Life Mattered will excite the minds and capture the hearts of all who dare to dream of a dynamic world of harmony and compassionate living. By Machaelle Small Wright (1997 - 3rd revised edition) ISBN: 0927978245

posted by Gemma Grace @ 10:47 p.m. 0 comments

4.5.06

Urban Foraging

  1. Foraging for a Healthier Planet: Nature was the original supermarket. Even in the cities, urban foragers can find a bounty of shoots, fruits, berries, nuts, and mushrooms. (Article by Wildman Steve Brill in Common Ground Magazine.) (USA)
  2. The Neighborhood Forager - A Guide for the Wild Food Gourmet: A book by Robert K. Henderson ISBN:1552633063 (Canada)
  3. Food for Free - The Joys of Urban Foraging: Listen to this BBC Radio 4 interview. It’s not often people pass up the offer of something for nothing but when it comes to free food it seems that most of us ignore the abundance right under our noses. Jenni discusses the foods you can forage for in the most unlikely urban settings with Gennaro Contaldo, chef and owner of Passione, Charlotte St, London and Sue Style, author of Fruits of the Forest. (Audio) (UK)
  4. Ethical Wildcrafting: Wildcrafting is stewardship of the Earth. Wildcrafting is the gathering of plant material from it's native "wild" environment. Wildcrafters need to be concerned about damaging or depleting our inheritance from nature. Wildcrafters are looking for a way to connect with nature for the day and finish with some plants for food, medicine, fiber or art. Here are some recommendations for wildcrafting with integrity. (Global)
  5. Foraging and Ethnobotany Links Page: This page offers a variety of links to educational institutions, associations and organizations, individual websites, foraging theory sites, and so on. (USA)

posted by Gemma Grace @ 5:35 p.m. 0 comments