Consumable Earth – Kamloops

March 27, 2010 – 8:30 pm

During Earth Hour, hundreds of millions of people around the world will come together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour.

Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future.

The Earth Run is a grassroots run that will launch for the first time in Kamloops this Spring on April 24th at Riverside Park Bandshell. Other runs were held last year, for the first time, in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Kamloops is one of only six official Earth Run locations in 2010.

The Earth Run Foundation ( the parent/national organization) is committed to raising funds to be used for local, regional and national environmental issues. The Earth Run is a new annual awareness and fund raising initiative that will help bring people together to build green communities and promote sustainable lifestyles.

The Earth Run is centered on a 5K community run/walk fund raising event with the two major elements of Education and Fund raising. National charities are the David Suzuki Foundations and the Earth Run Foundation. Locally, the Organizing Committee has chosen to support the Grasslands Conservation Council.

We will have a mini-expo of sponsors and other environmental initiatives on site for the participants to enjoy before and after the run. The idea is for the event to be zero (or minimal) impact. We are not handing out paper materials of any type and have asked our exhibitors to minimize waste and use only recyclable or compostable materials. We’d like our “carbon footprint” to be as small as possible.

We are hoping for between 100 and 200 participants and their families. Registration will mainly be done online but we will have some promotion of the event in the media and a couple of on-site registration opportunities at Nature’s Fare, our major local sponsor. We are also hoping to set up for one day at the Farmer’s Market.

Registration Tables will be set up at 8:30am and the run will start at 10:00am.
With the event wrapping up around 12:30pm, perhaps sooner if the weather is uncooperative.

On Saturday, April 17th 2010, the City of Kamloops will be hosting a public forum on planning for sustainability in the community. It will run from 9am to 5pm at the Interior Savings Centre. I hope many people will attend to share their thoughts and to converse with other citizens.

This is a message that those of us who were part of a Facebook Group called ‘Opposed to Creosote Burning in Kamloops’ received this morning:

March 19, 2010 at 10:36am

Subject: Congratulations Everybody

Whoever said that the people don’t have the power haven’t come to Kamloops, because we proved a lot of people wrong. It is confirmed that the ACC has pulled out of their gasification proposal in Kamloops, thanks to all of you. There are so many people to thank and dedicated citizens behind this that I hope we can get the chance to give them the thanks that they deserve. SaveKamloops website took alot of chances being created and those behind it did vast research. Ruth Madsen is a veteran at standing up for the environment and the health of citizens, so chalk up another victory. Derek Cook and many of the faculty at TRU got us educated at the public forums, and our city councilor Dennis Walsh fought this the whole way. Thanks to our mayor and rest of city council for sticking up for your decision as well, and thanks to our doctor for caring. There has been so many other people doing huge amounts of work that have been unrecognized, so I hope they also get the acknowledgment they deserve.

Well that’s all for now and thanks for being part of this group. Stay involved if you can, cause I’m sure there might be more ordeals down the road that requires us to come together. If the title of this group changes I’ll let you know.

Cheers

It truly is an amazing thing what people can do when they come together. I for one am proud to live in a community that contains such powerful and brave spirits.

Training and Support for the BC Community Development Movement
Monday, May 17 to Wednesday 19, 2010
First Nations Longhouse, UBC

This conference is for anyone involved in building community in BC who wants to develop knowledge and skills, network with others, and help shape the future of the community development movement in BC.
Frontline community developers to organization decision-makers, from across the province, wanted themes on community learning, capacity building and governance.

Here is a taste of what is included:

• Collaboration and Partnership Building
• Theatre and Community
• Change (Headlines Theatre)
• Peer Led Learning (PeerNet BC)
• Learning for Change (Storyteller’s Foundation)
• Cooperatives and Community Economic Development (SFU Centre for Sustainable Community Development)
• and a highlight will be an evening film and discussion featuring Finding our Way: The Journey for Colonialism to Partnership (Leonie Sandercock, School of Community and Regional Planning, UBC)

Challenges for this movement will be discussed: Thinking Like a Network (Community Foundations of Canada), What have we Learned about Putting Population Health into Practice, Putting Fun and Evaluation in the Same Sentence (Rock, Paper, Scissors), Future of funding for Community Development in BC (Panel Discussion).

Time for highly valued networking is built into the conference and the following groups are taking up that opportunity: Community Social Planning Network of BC, population health practitioners in BC, Youth Activities Network, and your group can as well.
After March 16th, for more information, go to: www.sparc.bc.ca/community-developers-conference-2010
Presented by the Capacity Development Consortium and the Community Social Planning Network of BC, with support from the Community Capacity Building Strategy led by the Canadian Cancer Society, an initiative of the BC Healthy Living Alliance, and SPARC BC

The Aboriginal Agricultural Education Society of British Columbia (AAESBC) is hosting the second annual 100 Mile Diet, Health & Wellness Show being held in Kamloops at the Norkam High school.
730-12th Street, Kamloops,
from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
on Saturday, April 10, 2010.

This year we will be offering education sessions on grass fed beef and the carbon foot print, natural pest control, creating local community food systems, and much more!

An evening dinner will also be hosted at the same location from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm. Local Chefs will prepare dishes based seasonal produce. Dinner tickets are $25 or 2 for $40.

Our goal is to keep BC agriculture strong and thriving and to raise consumer awareness of products grown close to home, to reduce our carbon footprint.

The AAESBC is a registered charity promoting the development of local food systems among Aboriginal peoples residing in BC. The activities include hands on agricultural training programs to promote food security and sustainability on and off reserve in agricultural production, from field to plate – beef and produce.

We will be showcasing local food, health and wellness exhibits while creating community awareness of the programs offered by the Aboriginal Agricultural Education Society of British Columbia (AAESBC)

• Promoting Aboriginal agricultural and agri-food business opportunities
• Promoting Nutrition, local food systems, healthy living and food security
• Creating community awareness of the programs offered by the Aboriginal Agricultural Education Society and others in our region.

The first of the annual 100 Mile Diet, Health & Wellness Show, held March 26, 2009 attracted participants from many surrounding communities throughout the Thompson Nicola Region including producers, ranchers and farmers displaying vegetables, grass fed beef, locally made products, and services from Kamloops, Barriere, Salmon Arm, north to Clinton and Canim Lake. Also attending were local government, neighbouring First Nations bands, interested members of the public, backyard gardeners, and small businesses, as well as numerous local societies involved in food security, community gardens, and agri projects.

Please contact Lesley at (250) 314-6804 or (250)571-7048 if you have any questions and we are looking forward to seeing you at Norkam Highschool to celebrate local food on Saturday, April 10, 2010.

Must have at least Level 1 Reiki

316-141 Victoria St
250.372.1424
Please call for times and to confirm you are coming

3rd Monday of every month.

Notice to Stakeholders – Deadline for nominations extended until March 19, 2010

March 5, 2010

Dear Stakeholders:

I am pleased to advise you that the open call for nominations to the Food
Directorate’s Food Regulatory Advisory Committee (FRAC) is now posted on
our web site:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/consultation/init/frac-ccra/index-eng.php.

The FRAC will provide the FD with advice on matters relating to strategic
planning, priority-setting, and environmental scanning of food safety,
nutritional quality, or other issues within the mandate of the FD.
Representing a mix of expertise and experience, the Committee will consist
of 20 members from the research and academia, health and regulatory
professional, industry, and patient and consumer group sectors.

The call for nominations will be open until March 19, 2010.  As part of our
effort to recruit members to the FRAC, we invite you to nominate a
candidate as per the attached letter.  The draft terms of reference for the
FRAC, the guidelines for submitting a nomination, as well as a nomination
form are also attached.

Please feel free to forward information about this nomination process to
your membership, affiliated networks, or any one else whom you believe may
be interested.

If you have any questions or require more information, please contact
Gordon Laing by email at: Gordon.Laing@hc-sc.gc.ca..

First Monday of every month at The Art We Are

Every month people with an interest in environmental conservation meet up for a beer at informal sessions known as Green Drinks.

It’s a great way of catching up with people you know and also for making new contacts.

Location: Heritage House, 100 Lorne Street
Time: 10-3:00 Saturday, March 6, 2010

If you’d like a booth:
Contact person: Fawn Knox
Email: fknox@telus.net
Phone: 250.579.5768
Contact person: Leslie Welch
Email: fknox@telus.net
Phone: 250.828.2321
Sponsor: Friends of the New Victory Gardens

Seminars:

Soil Fertility — Leslie Welch 1:00

Worm Composting — Penny Powers 1:00

Prevent Pests Naturally — Leslie Welch 1:45

Planting the Veggie Garden — Jo-Lynn Forbes 1:45

Must-grow Vegetables — Ann Sutherland 2:30

Herbs — Janet Kernachan 2:30

Garden Seminars presented by the Master Gardeners & Local Experts

Refreshments will be available, kid activities are planned and door prizes will be drawn. Fun for all.