P.E.I could soon become one of the first producers of genetically engineered animals for human consumption. The plant would be producing GE fish eggs which would be sent to fish farms in Panama to grow, and then sent back to the U.S. and eventually to Canada for consumption. The fish is engineered to grow 30% faster than wild fish, and could trigger an increase in allergies to seafood. It is also said to have lower nutritional value than its wild counterpart. (http://www.rodale.com/genetically-modified-salmon-0?page=0,1  )

Serious problems could arise if the GE salmon were to escape the Panamanian farm and to eventually invade international waters, and to potentially interbreeding with wild Atlantic salmon and outcompete them. There is much more involved in the engineering of salmon, such as the pollution from fish farm waste and the energy involved in providing food to feed the fish itself.

Is it worth the risk? What are you thoughts on the issue?

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at info@sfulocalfood.ca

For more information:

http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE-Fish

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2011-10-24/article-2785363/Public-needs-more-information-on-GM-salmon,-says-advocates–/1

For updates about Canadian fisheries check out the following videos:

http://www.cbc.ca/fisheriesbroadcast/

Long before Europeans arrived in North America, aboriginal peoples of the northeast regions collected the sap from maple tree for its sweet taste and boiled it down to make syrup or sugar. The syrup was generally made by collecting the xylem sap of sugar maple, black maple or red maple trees, however in Western Canada it could also be made from the sap from other trees such as the Bigleaf maple. The western tree giant produces sap having a slightly lower sugar content, and so significantly more sap is needed to make syrup than with other maples. Still, a few farms in British Columbia have been successfully producing and selling their big-leaf maple syrup to enthusiastic consumers.
Where can you buy Big-leaf maple syrup?
There are several small producers across the province including Glenora farms in Duncan and Inniss Maplery in Bradner.
Also check out the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festivel held in February at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan, B.C. For more information about where to buy syrup or to learn more about the festival visit their website at: http://www.bcforestmuseum.com/

The EYA’s Growing Kids Project is seeking talented, passionate, interested people to help us support a number of local schools in their efforts to build and maintain schoolyard food gardens.

We are looking for people who:

• can dedicate more than just a few hours per month,
• are committed to sticking with a school and group of students for more than just a few months,
• are passionate about helping create meaningful relationships between students and their larger social, cultural and ecological communities.

We will be hosting 2 orientation sessions for successful applicants in the first week of September and then will be offering ongoing training and support to help volunteers meaningfully engage with schools and students.

If you are interested in applying, please look over this pdf - EYA Growing Kids Volunteer Application - and send a resume and covering letter to our project coordinators Matthew and Alaina at matthewk@eya.ca and alaina@eya.ca

Dreaming beyond the 3 Rs
Matthew and Alaina

Position: Urban Agriculture Coordinator
Organization: LifeCycles Project Society 
Location: Victoria, British Columbia

LifeCycles Project is looking for an Urban Agriculture Coordinator. We are looking for someone with demonstrated experience with organic food gardening, garden creation and community-based facilitation and with excellent coordination skills and commitment to and awareness of food, health and sustainability issues in Greater Victoria. LifeCycles will provide training and orientation.

Start date: September 19th 2011
Hours per week: 20 (with possibility of reduced hours in December-January)
Length of Contract: Until June 4th 2012
Wage: $16/hr
Key Responsibilities:
• Support the Grow a Row program (in partnership with the Greater Victoria
Compost Education Centre);
• Provide ongoing garden support and consultation for our community partners
as per grant requirements and partnership agreements;
• Manage and deliver garden creation contracts- ie- design and construct
food gardens and edible landscapes ranging from community gardens to
restaurant gardens;
• Train and coordinate volunteer ‘Diggers’ to help build gardens;
• Coordinate and offer community urban agriculture workshops;
• Support the design and construction of 5 new school gardens;
• Support general LifeCycles office and outreach duties;
• Report writing;
• Co-manage LifeCycles nursery- start seedlings in greenhouse for use in
garden creation and education programs;
• Work with Education Coordinator to support Growing Schools and other
LifeCycles education programs.

Key Qualifications:
• Must be available for a Sept 19th start date and available for 20 hours
per week throughout this period
• Demonstrated organic food gardening experience
• Garden Creation experience (ie- site assessments, garden
design,construction, planting, crop planning, etc)
• Demonstrated experience with community work and facilitating workshops
• Commitment to and awareness of food, health and sustainability issues
• Ability to work as a team and also to lead a team
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and organize and coordinate projects
• Familiarity with LifeCycles work (experience volunteering with us is a
huge asset)
• Drivers License (Class 5 or 7) (please ensure you have a license before
this position
begins)

To Apply:
Submit a resume and cover letter via email BY NOON ON WEDNESDAY, August 31st
to: Danielle Stevenson, LifeCycles Project — Danielle@lifecyclesproject.ca

**Please note that you will receive an ‘away’ message. You will be contacted
after September 1st to be notified if you have been selected for an
interview or not. If you have questions about the position, please call
250-383-5800 or consult our website for more information.

All mushrooms are a type of Fungi that, like animals, are heterotrophs. This means they must get their food from the environment. They are not autotrophs, like plants, who make their own food form sunlight through photosynthesis, so they don’t need light to grow. All mushrooms are fungi but not all fungi is in the form of a mushroom. You can open your dark fruit drawer in the fridge and find mold growing on your apple or find it on your bread. Bread mold is just another type of fungus, although not a mushroom, that takes advantage of it’s surroundings.

As the fleshy body of the fungus, the mushroom absorbs nutrients from its surroundings. It is an opportunistic organism that has the ability to break down and convert even the most unfavourable surroundings into food. You can visit www.ted.com for a fascinating talk given by Paul Stamets, a specialist in the field, on 6 ways mushrooms can save the world. Mushrooms don’t need a lot to grow, and some people enjoy growing mushrooms even in their own homes. You can buy a kit or visit http://www.mycosource.com/ for kit info and “do it your self” advice on how to grow your own gourmet meal at home!

Lets get back to some of the most delicious mushrooms around. Button mushrooms can easily be served cold in salads, or hot on pizzas and sauteed as a side dish. Replace button mushrooms with Cremini’s for a more full body gourmet taste. Make any meat dish vegetarian by replacing the meat with Portobello caps, marinated, grilled or fried. They’ll enrich your dish both in taste and nutrition. Another great meat replacement are Shiitake, which are also extensively used in Oriental cuisine. Last but not least, Oyster mushrooms add a gentle seafood flavour to your pastas. So long as they are fresh, mushrooms are guaranteed to add a variety of flavour to your dishes whatever method you choose to cook them by. 

When selecting, ensure that the mushrooms are firm and mostly uniform in colour. Keep them in the refrigerator between the temperatures of 0°C to 2°C (basically average fridge temp) and in a paper bag so they can breathe easily and stay firm for longer.

Interesting
-mushrooms are high in VIt B1, B2 and D. Also high in Niacin, protein and anti-oxidants
-humans share a more recent relative with fungi than with plants
-toxic mushrooms are used by some people as a hallucinogenic drug
-there are 6 times more species of fungi than species of plants
-Some moulds continue growing at low temps (-7°C ) because their metabolic process’s generate heat
-fermented fungal bi-products include cheese and beer
-the red mushroom with white polka dots from the video game “Mario” is a real mushroom that is poisonous when eaten

Visit www.mushrooms.ca for more mushroom info!

Mushroom Crepes

Crepes
1 egg
½ cup milk
⅓ cup flour
pink of sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
tsp butter

Mix egg and milk well. Add flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Preheat pan to med-high and melt butter. Pour one ladle full on pan and spread out evenly. Let cook. Flip and cook on other side. Remove from heat when golden brown. Set aside keep warm.

Filling

1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
¾ cup mushroom of choice ( cremini recommended)
1 tsp thyme
3 tbsp of mayo
1 tsp white wine vinegar

On same pan pour olive oil and fry chopped onion till slightly translucent. Add mushrooms and thyme, sautee. Add mayo and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste.

Put mushroom filling in crepe and roll. (optional: grate cheese of choice on top )
Serve warm!

Photo Credit: EYA Lawns to Loaves project

Please submit a one page cover letter and a resume (max 2 pages) that clearly describe how your skills and experience make you a great candidate for this position by EXTENDED DEADLINE - Friday July 29th at 5pm. Please send as .pdf attachements to Emily Jubenvill at info@sfulocalfood.ca with the subject line “Solid Ground Coordinator, YOUR NAME”.  Only applicants requested for an interview will be contacted.

Register:
Please register by calling 604.323.5322

Information:
Please contact Leslie Kemp at 604-323-5981/ lkemp@langara.bc.ca or visit ourSummer School website

Job Title: Sustainability Intern (Student Contract)

Job Duration: Contract 37.5-40 hours per week till August 27, 2010

Remuneration: $18.75 per hour

Sustainable SFU is a student-run campus group created to make real change on campus by giving strength to students’ vision for a sustainable institution. By clarifying and mobilizing student ideas, by engaging the SFU administration, and by building a relationship between the two, we will promote the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of SFU.

Sustainable SFU is hiring a full-time student Sustainability Intern for the summer semester. The intern will work 37.5-40 hours per week depending on the start date of the student, with a pay rate of $18.75 per hour. The student will work closely with Sustainable SFU’s Executive Director on a variety of exciting projects with a range of areas covered. The student intern’s tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Assisting the Executive Director in researching and planning a sustainability plan for students at SFU.
• Assisting in the development of “sustainability ambassador” training programs for student in residence, including Area Coordinators, community leaders, and any interested students living in residence
• Assist in the planning and preparation of Sustainability Festival
• Researching examples of ethical and sustainable purchasing policies and ethical investment policies
• Researching best practices of community and market gardens at universities in North America
• Developing promotion material for Sustainable SFU and its Local Food Project, including marketing for the SFU Pocket Market
• Engaging in volunteer recruiting and helping organize volunteers during Sustainable SFU events.

This position is partially funded by the Service Canada Summer Jobs Program grant.  Applicants must SFU undergraduate students and have been registered as full-time students this past academic year, and be planning to return to full-time studies in the fall semester.  Successful applicants will have superior research skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and have the ability to work in a team environment with multiple stakeholders and on multiple projects.  Students who have taken one or more courses with a sustainability focus will be considered an asset.  Please see the attached job positing for further information about the position, or contact us with your questions.

If you want to spend your summer working on creating real change on the SFU campus, this is the job for you.  We thank all applicants for expressing interest, but only short listed candidates will be contacted.  Applicants should send their resume and cover letter as ONE document toinfo@sustainablesfu.org by June 6th, at 4:30pm.

For the past 15 years, the Strathcona Community Centre has been providing a free Breakfast Program for children who attend Lord Strathcona Elementary School. Each day we feed 150 school aged children, their younger siblings and caregivers and provide a safe, happy and healthy place for them to start their day.

We are seeking an Assistant for the Breakfast Program, someone who has a passion for food and is fast working and quick thinking.

• Suitable applicants are around 18-22 years old
• Enjoy working in an organized but busy environment teaching children leadership and food preparation skills
• Must have Food Safe or be willing to obtain certification

This position is from 7-10 am, Monday to Friday during the school year (no work in July or August). Training will start immediately and go until the end of June. Part time position will start in September. Rate of pay is $13/hr + 4 % in lieu of vacation.

For more info or to apply contact Milisa, SCC Food Security Coordinator: milisa@strathconaevents.ca

VANCOUVER FRUIT TREE PROJECT: COORDINATOR

The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project Society is a community-based registered charity dedicated to harvesting and sharing fresh local fruit inVancouver,British Columbia. Since 1999 we have picked more than 35 000 pounds of fruit and redistributed it to community partners. We celebrate our 13th anniversary in 2011. The Vancouver Fruit Tree Project Society seeks an enthusiastic, organized Coordinator for the 2011 season. The Coordinator position responsibilities include:

• Contacting and scheduling fruit picking volunteers, drivers/cyclists, transportation and a community partner (community organization that receives a fruit donations) for each fruit pick.
• Keeping up to date records of upcoming and completed picks, volunteers, tree owners, and community partners. Direct supervision of a part time Intern and assisting in overseeing a pilot social enterprise.
• Building capacity and awareness of the Vancouver Fruit Tree Project by communicating with volunteers, community partners and the public through an email newsletter, print materials, in-person, and with online tools.
• Liaising with the Board of Directors and community partners through the season including attending monthly meetings to give a verbal report.
• Contributing to the Annual Harvest Report and to funders’ reports as necessary.
• Responding to information requests and media inquiries.
• Attending public outreach events, as time allows.
• Coordinating and promoting VFTP events, including the Harvest season wrap up party and community tabling events, with support from VFTP volunteers. Assisting with fundraising efforts as required
• Support the Board of Directors in other ongoing projects and duties, as time allows.
• Is passionate about food security and community building
• Has demonstrated experience recruiting and coordinating volunteers
• Is extremely organized, can work independently, & is comfortable making decisions Has strong written and verbal communication skills
• Is professional and timely in both phone and electronic communication
• Has fundraising and event organizing experience
• Comfortable with online calendars, email and document sharing programs as well as MS Office.

This is a part-time seasonal contract position, with opportunity for extension, funding dependant. The contract will run from mid June through October, averaging 10-15 hrs.per week. The rate of compensation for this position is $20/hour. The schedule fluctuates, so flexibility is key. Some evening and weekend hours will be required.

Please submit a cover letter and resume that clearly describe how your skills/experience match our requirements by Monday, May 30th to info@vancouverfruittree.com