Previous Events and Listings – Summer 2010
Summer 2010 Event Archive
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Agriculture and Climate Change: A Search for Low Greenhouse Gas Food
July 10 2010, 2:00-4:00pm
SPEC Demonstration Centre (2150 Maple Street, Vancouver BC) (www.spec.bc.ca/)
With the change of seasons come locally available foods. For example, spring yields rhubarb; summer ushers in a bounty of fruits and vegetables; apples rule autumn while winter supplies root vegetables. Imagine if all this were to change.
By 2050, global agro-ecosystems are projected to undergo rising temperatures and CO2 levels, erradic water availability and an increase of extreme weather events. Join presenters Tara Moreau and Tegan Adams who will introduce the science of climate change, examine the projected impacts on farming, highlight solutions for regional agriculture and explore individual actions for a low carbon diet.
Registration is available at www.spec.roundtablelive.org/events. Registration is $10.
Note: space is limited to 30 participants to allow for interactive dialogue. All funds go to SPEC’s School Gardens Project, which promotes sustainable food choices through hands-on agriculture experiences in Vancouver area schools.
Supporters:
Institute for Sustainable Horticulture, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (http://www.kwantlen.ca/ish.html)
Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (http://www.pics.uvic.ca/)
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Strathcona & Cottonwood Community Gardens Annual Open House
Sunday July 11, 10am- 2pm
For more info, call 604-608-0384 or 604-253-3384
VISIT: www.strathconagardens.ca or www.cottonwoodcommunitygardens.ca
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Urban Agriculture Workshops with Robin Wheeler
Tuesday July 13
Kitsilano neighborhood, Vancouver BC
Robin is the founder of the Sustainable Living Arts School and runs Edible Landscapes (www.ediblelandscapes.ca) on the Sunshine Coast. She is the author of Food Security for the Faint of Heart, and Gardening for the Faint of Heart, and her workshops are a real treat.
All workshops are on Tuesday, July 13
Winter Gardening/Concepts in Year Round Gardening | 9:00-11:30am
Improve your skills for keeping your pantry and garden full all year round. We’ll be discussing techniques for proper harvesting for long term storage as well as extending planting times with plant selection and site choices. We’ll discuss what is edible all year round. Suggested donation $30-35.
Water Wisdom | 11:45am-12:30pm
There is so much more than just buying a rain barrel that will help us through a dry spell. Choosing varieties that ripen early, improving tilth, creating “pot holes” and “miniswales”, planting for deep roots – these are some of the techniques we will learn so that we can “drought proof” our gardens. Suggested donation $10.
Intentional Community – Shapes in Sharing | 1:15-2:30pm
City Dwellers have many skills and resources all around them, but may not have a mechanism for organizing and drawing on those skills in times of trouble. This class will look at the different shapes in sharing that take place so easily in rural communities and may need a boost in the city. We will talk about building trust and safeguarding our precious possessions while opening up to a wider community and its valuable support. Suggested donation $15.
Seed Saving in the City | 2:45-4:15pm
Seed saving is the missing link in food security. In our current climate of seed patenting and ownership, it’s important that our communities retain their knowledge about how to properly save seeds. We’ll talk about the politics and the joy of seed saving, learn basic skills, and discuss the creation of neighbourhood seed saving collectives in Vancouver. Your donation includes a copy of The Five Levels of Seed Saving by Terry Klokeid. Suggested donation $20-25.
Apartment and Container Gardening | 4:30-6:00pm
We will cover the problems of tiny gardens and will address some cures. We will talk about the best plants for small gardens and how to get the biggest, healthiest harvest possible. Suggested donation $15-20.
Fees
Workshops are offered on a pay what you can basis, and no one is turned away. Suggested donations range from $10-35, depending on the length of the workshop. Suggested donation for the full day (5 workshops) is $80. Descriptions below.
To register: (or to find out more about hosting a future workshop), please contact Ross at rmoster@flash.net. Participation is limited to 15 people per workshop.
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SPEC Workshop: Winter Container Gardening Planning
July 17 2010, 2:00-4:00pm
SPEC Demonstration Centre (2150 Maple Street, Vancouver BC) (www.spec.bc.ca/)
Facilitator: Carole Christopher
How can you extend your season and continue to grow your own food over the winter months? You can keep your small space food gardens producing if you take the right steps. Winter growing is a process that begins in July so let us help you get growing. $10
To register: http://www.spec.roundtablelive.org/events
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