Consumable Earth – Kamloops

I’m very pleased to announce the upcoming Earth Day (April 22) launch of a new site called SharedEarth.com. It is a free website that connects land owners with gardeners and farmers. Land owners
share their land with someone they trust and get free fruits, vegetables and flowers. Gardeners and farmers get free access to land and the opportunity to grow what they love. The produce is shared between the two parties as they see fit. The result is a more efficient use of land and a greener planet.

Much like online dating sites, SharedEarth.com users create their own profile and find matches based on criteria such as location, years of gardening experience and the type of produce to be grown. Gardeners and farmers find the service useful because they are able to gain free access to land. Land owners find the service useful because they often lack the time, experience or commitment needed to cultivate a productive garden on their property.

Despite the fact that we haven’t officially launched yet, we already have over 19 million sq feet of land registered. (We couldn’t be happier.)

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

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..

If you have ever wanted to talk about and share your heart’s passion, the work you do in community, and or the  community projects that your are involved in Kim Jensen hosts a Spoken Word/Talk show on CFBX 92.5 FM Campus Community radio called “Community Connections”.   It’s on every Wednesday afternoon from 3 – 4 pm.  She talks about everything and anything to do with community.

She has put out the all to anyone working in the community to join her for some informal conversation. She does live and telephone interviews. She is in the midst of  planning for the new year so if you are interested in being a guest on my show please let her know which Wednesday in 2010 would work best for you if you’re able to come into the studio from about 2:45 – 4:15 pm.

Contact her at  inchange(at)telus.net
ph. 250-374-6614