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Wow! The richmond Review is ALL over the Garden City Lands proposal by the PRC!
Last week they asked if people preferred a Trade Center over Agricultural Lands and the overwhelming response was in favour of farms.

This Week
***What do you think?
Go HERE to vote
"Do you support the plan to put allotment gardens and small farms on the Garden City lands?"

Do you support allotment gardens and small farms on the GCL?

Wow! The richmond Review is ALL over the Garden City Lands proposal by the PRC!
Last week they asked if people preferres a Trade Center over Agricultural Lands and the overwhelming response was in favour of farms.

This Week
***What do you think?
Go HERE to vote
"Do you support the plan to put allotment gardens and small farms on the Garden City lands?"

Food Security and Urban Agriculture

These are some terms that are pretty new to me. I live in (am from) a 'farming community' that doesn't have much farming to speak of.
Since I became involved with the PRC I have become very familiar with them.
Food Security and Sustainability and Environmental Health can be accomplished with Urban Agriculture. There are so many things that are right with Urban Agriculture that I'm not sure where to start or whether I will even think of all of them but I will try.
This past weekend there was a recall of 6000 cartons of Dole Cantaloupe because they were contaminated with Salmonella. Last fall there was a recall on bagged spinach on account of E coli.
The cantaloupe had travelled all the way from Costa Rica, I am not sure if they know when or how the food was contaminated but it would seem to me that the longer and further the food travels, the more likely it will spoil, come into contact with contaminants or even be at a higher risk of intentional contamination (if it arrives at all). If ever we had an emergency, an earthquake, war, or any reason that highway, bridge and/or train travel is disrupted for a length of time we will have 2 to 3 days worth of food. 'They' (officials and educated experts) say that we should have AT LEAST 72 hours worth of supplies in the event of an earthquake, that is for our household not the entire region. So when your supplies run out after day 3, unless the bridges have been rebuilt or the war is over, we would be in very dire straights.

The environmental impact is also high, the fuel used and emissions produced are all a waste as the fruit has to be thrown out. That, and as it turns out, Cantaloupe can be grown in North America outside during the warmer part of the year, and in greenhouses the rest of the time.
I know some people could argue that there are jobs being created along the way, the people in Costa Rica who grow the cantaloupe (who's living, working and pay conditions may or may not be considered very good), the transport people who bring it up, the border staff who search the trucks for illegal aliens and drugs, the fast food workers who feed the truckers as they head north with their bounty, and all along the way we are paying for these things and at the end of the line we are throwing the food out because it could kill us.

The only thing in the list that makes me a feel a little torn is the jobs of the people in Costa Rica, however, not only do we our own population living in deplorable conditions who could probably work to grow the cantaloupe up here, but the prevalance of corruption and crime in Costa Rica tells me that the cantaloupe we are buying is not really helping the country.
So we can look at the proposal the PRC has released (or will in 47 minutes) and see the benefits that can be had.
-Our food will be fresher, pretty much from the ground to our tables and less opportunity would be had for contamination.
-We could create jobs in our own communities.
-We could learn how to eat in a nutritionally sound way.
-In the event of a natural distaster there would be a system in place where there would be a large amount of viable food available for a substantial amount of time (far beyond our current 2 day supply).
-Fuel usage and emissions resulting from food growth and processing would be close to eliminated.
-We could ensure that the food is grown in a responsible way, environmentally and through socially proper means, any day you could stop by the urban farms and see that the staff are being treated well with decent pay and work conditions.

At the end of the day the benefits outweight any theoretical negatives, we would be healthier and self sufficient without being forced to rely on other countries, namely the United States-where 80% or more, of our organic produce is from; and most other items are at the least, transported through.

Put the gardens back in our Garden City!

***What do you think?
Go HERE to vote
"Do you prefer a trade and exhibition centre rather than an urban agricultural plan on the Garden City lands?"

This is very exciting, there has been debate, dicussion and disagreement among many groups on the fate of a parcel of land in Richmond's city center.
Currently the land is help in the ALR which stands for Agricultural Land Reserve. Basicly, as the name implies, that means the land is reserved for agricultural use.
In the past few years as Richmond grows to unbelievable proportions, many people and groups have requested the land be taken out of the ALR (it currently stands empty) and used for various developement ideas, including (but probably not limited to) a trade centre and and other 'public' buildings, and a portion for high density housing, blueberry farming, and recently a proposal from the Quilchena Golf and Country club (for what I don't know).
In the past week or so the Richmond Poverty Response Commitee put forth a proposal to use the land, for of all things, agricultural farming. They also want to locate Richmond's food bank, along with several other food and agriculture related buildings on the 55 hectares. Fancy that.
There has been much discussion on the concept of Urban Agriculture (I'll save most of it for another post) but for the community and environmental health it is a shot in the arm. The David Suzuki foundation estimates that most of our
food travels more then 2,400 km just to get to our stomachs. Currently most of our organic produce comes from California, I don't know why since with our climate there are very few items that can't be grown right here in our own backyards!
The David Suzuki foundation also has caculated that for food to feed a family of four, including packaging and distributing, can release up to 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year! Almost all of this is without any real need.
Of course many of the city's politicians are not pleased, they want the PRC to consider lands elsewhere, probably on the outskirts where those who need this most won't be able to access it.
This isn't the best image but the general idea is understandable, it would hopefully include:















Proposed Sustainable Food Systems Park • Community gardens • Community farms • Heritage orchard • Demo farm • Water reservoir • Local farmers market • Teaching kitchen • Restaurant • Food bank • Outdoor gathering place and much much more.
(This is a first proposal, as the project progresses changes are likely to be made)
Overall, I think this keeps in the theme of agrcultural land use, not to mention the fact that it provides healthy, locally grown, easily accesable, very much needed produce for the people of Richmond. Once the land is gone, that will be it, no-one will be willing to tear down whatever concrete monstrosoty they build in order to provide anything other then another concrete cash cow for the city.
I have read that some city staff want the PRC to consider other lands, I suggest that the CITY consider other lands and concede that this is by far the best proposal for this area and provides the most benefit for the residents of Richmond.

The official, public release of the proposal will be at 10:00am, Tuesday February 20th at the Richmond Museum at 7700 Minoru Gate.

Breast cancer doesn't need donations?

I have to admit I am often drawn to off the beat causes.
I prefer to give my time or money to social causes that are run by volunteers as opposed to people earning 6 figure salaries. I have just been given a new reason for this.
I hear about the 'cancer industry' and all the negative things about it, now I have seen it with my own eyes.
My mom has 3 sisters who have had breast cancer, her youngest sister passed away about 15 years ago, she was only 33. The oldest sister was diagnosed almost one year ago, she is doing well, better then I think I would be.
The statistics say that 1 in 9 women in Canada will get breast cancer in their lifetimes, that's a lot, there were 4 sisters and 3 got it, that's a lot more.
So I have a friend, she used to be an exotic dancer, now she's an advocate, she works with the homeless, the drug addicted, basically anyone who is marginilized. She runs a drop in center, she is all around amazing, she had a friend who inspired her, Jocelyne. Jocelyne was diagnosed with breast cancer so my friend organized a fundraiser, they raised $4000. In November 2004, a few months before the second annual, Jocelyne passed away, we are now organizing the fourth annual, last year we raised over $6000 so obviously the momentum is growing.
We have been awaiting confirmation from the Breast Cancer Society of Canada to say they will accept our donation, the letter came back, with regrets.
There are some 'major donors' who don't want to be associated with strippers, never mind that 1 in 9 women will be affected, never mind that there are women dying every single day because of this.
I just had to share, I'm not even mad so much as just sad.
If these major donors were really worried about breast cancer as opposed to a tax receipt would they really care who else donates? Strippers can get cancer too, we all can........

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Strippers Looking for a Charity
VANCOUVER, BC.
Former exotic dancer, Annie Temple, is asking the media for help to find a cancer charity willing to accept donations from the upcoming Fourth Annual Exotic Dancers for Cancer event on March 4, 2007 at the Drake Showlounge. Last year’s triumph when the Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) willingly agreed to be the chosen charity turned into this year’s disappointment when Temple received a rejection letter from the national society. “Unfortunately we will have to decline your kind offer as we have certain major donors that are not in favour of this connection,” wrote Rany Xanthopoulo, Executive Director of the BCSC. “This decision came as a result of donor disgruntlement and together with the Board of Directors we have decided not to accept any donations from what donors consider controversial sources.” Now, a month before the event, the exotic dance community is anxious to find a new charity willing to publicly accept their donation. “We realize that our donation is a drop in the bucket for many of these large cancer organizations,” says Temple. “But we feel that our contribution should be valued the same as any other – cancer does not discriminate, after all.” Exotic Dancers for Cancer is an annual event coordinated collectively among members of the exotic dance community and allies, in memory of Jocelyne Sioui, a former dancer who died in November 2004. Proceeds of the event will be split between another former dancer who has been fighting cancer, Lady Sable, and a chosen charity. “We wanted to make a difference in one person’s life while contributing as a community to the cause, as well,” explains Temple. Cancer charities willing to accept the donation should contact Annie Temple at annie@nakedtruth.ca. The first cancer organization to respond will be the chosen charity this year with the others being kept on a list for future events. “We are confident that there are organizations out there that would value and appreciate our contribution, as well as give us the respect we deserve,” says Temple.