Village Vancouver Newsletter and Calendar of Events
September 2012
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| Part of the St George Street Rainway street mural, a collaboration between the St George Blueway and the False Creek Watershed Society, is just one of many street murals popping up around Vancouver this summer! -Photo by J. Chong |
Welcome to the September 2012 edition of the Village Vancouver monthly newsletter and Calendar of Events!
Wow, those summer months were gone like a flash! For many people, September marks the beginning of a new year, a shift in focus, a change in pace. Given all that has happened in the first two thirds of 2012, what else might shape this year before it is through?
If your focus for the rest of the year is turning to learning new skills and new ways of doing things together, you're in luck! As you will see in this newsletter, this fall abounds with opportunities to get together with neighbours and do things together that will ultimately weave stronger and more interesting communities, from building a community garden or seed library to sewing together or even something as simple as eating together. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Happy Transitioning this fall!
Your September newsletter team,
Jordan, Sharon and Ross
In transit to Transition - in Europe!
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Lee Brain, the Transition Prince Rupert co-founder who rose to fame following his compelling testimony in front of the Northern Gateway pipeline hearings earlier this year, stopped in Vancouver to visit Transitioners here before heading to Europe to attend two international conferences as an ad hoc representative of the Canadian Transition movement: the International Transition Network Conference in London, England and the International Young Naturefriends conference in Krakow, Poland sponsored by the European Union and Council of Europe.
Lee will be speaking at the conferences and leading his first workshop, entitled "Effective Group Process, Leadership & Youth in Transition." He will also being making a trip to Totnes, England, where the worldwide Transition movement began! Lee hopes to bring back plenty of ideas to Canada, and in fact will be writing a report about his findings and experiences that he will make available to all Transition initiatives in Canada, hoping to seed interest in establishing a national Transition hub. Have a great trip, Lee!
Village Vancouver September Meetup
Saturday, Sept 22 1:30-3:30 pm
SFU Harbour Centre, Rm 7000
Village is engaging in all sorts of interesting community building projects and activities nowadays - over 250 activities a year! Find out what we're up to, let us know what you're up to, and meet your neighbours.
A good place to connect whether you're a seasoned Village activist, or new to VV and wanting to find out more - or somewhere in between.
This event is part of SFU's Public Square Alone Together gathering which runs through Sunday, and is generously supported by them.
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The Village Vancouver September Video Newsletter
For a great round-up of what's been happening and what's coming up at Village Vancouver, watch this installment of our video newsletter!
Village Vancouver Quick Updates
- Woodland Park Community Garden a go in East Van! A community garden proposal spearheaded by Village Vancouver members for Woodland Park near Commercial Drive won approval from the Parks Board in July! A meeting will be held within the next couple of weeks to begin the planning and design process so that we are ready build a beautiful garden quickly in the spring. If you are interested in this new community garden and want to be kept up to date, please contact the initiating group at woodlandparkgarden@gmail.com.
- New seed libraries being established in Grandview-Woodland and Hastings-Sunrise. Village Vancouver's seed libraries have been a big hit in neighbourhoods like Main Street, Kitsilano and Cedar Cottage, and now they are being established in Grandview-Woodland and Hastings-Sunrise as well, thanks to small grants from the Vancouver Foundation! Want to help? You will be able to donate surplus seeds at the Britannia Library during the first two weeks of October. Or if you want to get involved even more (building, decorating, seed sorting/procurement, informational material, etc), please contact Jordan Bober (jordan@villagevancouver.ca) for the Grandview Seed Library or Jill Whitelaw for the Hastings-Sunrise Seed Library.
- Neighbour Savour! Remember Village Vancouver's great Neighbour Savour zero-waste potluck in October 2010? That time, we filled Heritage Hall on Main Street with almost 300 feasters. If you missed this great occasion, or were there and are longing to do it again, you're in luck: Neighbour Savour III is on it's way soon! Of course, there's a lot of work to be done to pull off an event like this successfully. If you think you can give a hand either before of during the potluck, please write to Jason Merz at jason@villagevancouver.ca.
- Have you joined the Village Vancouver community by joining our website? We hope you'll consider becoming a member of the Village Vancouver Transition Society as well, making our movement even stronger! It's easy to join - just click here!
Kits Village Drop-in Spaghetti Nights
Come share a meal with neighbours, prepared by a neighbour and sourced(?) within your neighborhood!
This series of dinners, hosted by Kits Villagers in different pockets of Kits over the fall, provides a wonderful opportunity to meet some new neighbours and explore questions related to local food sourcing. For instance, are we most interested in supporting local farmers and businesses, reducing transportation distances or securing our supply chains, amongst other possibilities? These have implications for whether we monitor where something is purchased, manufactured/grown or where the initial ingredients come from. What trade-offs will we accept for price, variety, and increased nutritional content? Bring your appetite and thirst for a lively discussion!
On November 29, at a community wide gathering, we will share what we find and what we’ve learned collectively.
Why are these called “Spaghetti” nights? Originally, a pot of water was put on the stove and neighbors were invited to come share a spaghetti meal. Later came the awareness of the fuel savings in cooking one collective meal vs. each household firing up their own stove. The meals in this series are not limited to spaghetti, they could be anything. In fact pasta is difficult to source within 100 miles!
Open to anyone, the drop-ins are especially aimed at neighbours living close to one another (within 2 or 3 blocks of a host). If you are a Village Vancouver member you can sign up at the links below. Otherwise, you can become a member and then sign up or just email your RSVP to Ross@villagevancouver.ca.
July 5 @ 6 pm, 5th & Maple, Vegan
August 30 @ 6, 5th and Vine
September 23 @ 6pm, 1st & Alma, Vegetarian
September @ , 7th & Alma,
September @ 6pm, 13th & Cypress, vegetarians accommodated
October @ , Cornwall & Labernum, Vegetarian
October 14th @ 6, 5th & Trafalgar, Vegetarian
November 7 @ 7 pm, vegetarians accomodated
There are still limited spots available if you would like to host. Hosts shop, provide the meal and track the ingredients. Email with your name, a date/time and cross-streets to Ross@villagevancouver.ca. Modest compensation for ingredients is provided with support by a Green Neighbourhood Small Grant from the Vancouver Foundation, administered by Kits Neighbourhood House.
Thanks and hope to see you in the neighbourhood!
Kitsilano Sew-Op Needs Your Help!
A group of sewing enthusiasts have been awarded a small neighbourhood grant to start a sewing collective. We are looking for a variety of equipment and skills to kickstart our project.
Specifically, the Sew-Op welcomes:
- Ideas on spaces within the Kitsilano community that could potentially house the Sew-Op in the short- to medium-term
- Donations of un/under-used sewing machines (working or not) and sewing supplies such as thread and patterns
- Experienced sewists interested in helping their neighbours learn to sew
- Potential sewing pupils who have always wanted to sew - now is the time to learn!
- Partnerships/collaborations of all kinds - we'd like to see our network grow!
If you are interested in this project or can help out in any way, please contact Sandra at saignagni@gmail.com or through the Village Vancouver website.
Calling all Surrey Transitioners!
New Collaborative Garden at Kits Community Centre
Originally posted Sept. 1st by Spring Gillard on the Village Vancouver website
Kits Community Centre is in the early planning stages of a new collaborative food and herb garden. The garden will be tied in to other centre programs and some of the produce will be donated to the shower and breakfast program. New garden members will have to register each year and become members of the garden club, but several spots will be reserved for core garden members who will manage the garden and of course reap the benefits.
We are looking for those members now who will be involved on the ground floor so to speak and who have some knowledge of gardening and perhaps some construction skills. If you are interested, please email your contact info to kitscc@vancouver.ca. Also, if you can help spread the word to your west side networks it would be appreciated.
We are looking for those members now who will be involved on the ground floor so to speak and who have some knowledge of gardening and perhaps some construction skills. If you are interested, please email your contact info to kitscc@vancouver.ca. Also, if you can help spread the word to your west side networks it would be appreciated.
East Van Community Garden Plots Now Available
Thanks to Cylia Wong for informing us about plots available to community gardeners in two locations, now and for 2013:
My Own Backyard (MOBY) garden created in 2006, with garden plots, a cobshed, playground and greenspace. To contact the Membership Liaison, email mobycommunitygarden@gmail.com for further info.
Cedar Cottage garden boasts over 90 garden plots and a lot of common space. To check out their website, go tohttps://sites.google.com/site/cedarcottagegarden/. To apply for membership, email CCGmembershipteam@gmail.com
The New Paradigm of Business: Local Economies
September 23rd, SFU Harbour Centre, 1:30-4:00pm
Right now humanity is facing a oppressive list of seemingly impossible obstacles. From global warming to rising social inequity (the 99% vs. the 1%) we appear to be at a pivotal point in our evolution.Many blame the financial markets, multinational corporations and the banks. However many of these arguments discriminate against businesses as if they are all the same.
What if business could be the way out of our global challenges?
Not the profit-above-all-else, destructive kind of business that has become rampant but a new paradigm of business. Where people and planet are harmoniously balanced with profit. Many business are already functioning according this new model and succeeding. Demonstrating that public demand is already there.
The "2011 Cone/Echo Global CR Opportunity Study" found that: A mere six percent of consumers globally channel economist Milton Friedman and only hold businesses accountable for making money.
That means that 94% of people on the planet believe that business should be doing more for us all!
This event will explore the next steps in this process with local new paradigm business leaders, economists, politicians and more. (Panel TBA soon). Focus will be on how we can build a strong local economy in Vancouver towards this end.
We will have a round table format starting with a brief introduction to the concept, then we will meet the panel and open the floor for dialogue. All with an open mind, are welcome to this FREE event!
Room #1700 (main Floor)
515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Click here to register!
UBC Reads Sustainability Speakers Series
Provincial Beekeeping Course in West Van Sept 21-23
Learn beekeeping management, bee biology and behavior, crop pollination and management of bee diseases and pests. Emphasis will be placed on disease identification and control, including lab instruction. This 18 hour course includes “hands-on” bee visits. Other bees, including bumble bees and solitary bees will also be discussed. Reference materials provided. Certificate will be issued at the end of this course. Learn more here.
Cultivating Sustainable Agroforestry - A day of workshops at UBC Farm
Saturday, September 29, 20129-5pm – Lunch and snacks provided
UBC Farm (6182 South Campus Road, Vancouver)
Enhance your understanding of the intentional mixture of trees and food crops, creative land-use, ecosystem benefits, marketing agroforestry products, small-business development, innovative value-added products and more!
Speakers, in-field demonstrations, facilitated discussion.
Farmers, students, industry and researchers unite to talk ‘agroforestry’. Join the dialogue!!
Register online at http://ubcfarm-agroforestry.eventbrite.ca. Student and Volunteer discounts available.
Questions? Email Kate at: kate.menzies@yahoo.ca.
Home 2.0 Intentional Communities Film Screenings
Home 2.0 is happy to present a 4-part movie screening series on Intentional Communities.
We wish to to learn and share knowledge about intentional communities, and to let people know about the Home 2.0 project and our progress so far.
Movies will be shown at Sideshow Studios in Vancouver, 15 West 2nd Ave., Vancouver.
Movies will be shown at Sideshow Studios in Vancouver, 15 West 2nd Ave., Vancouver.
Doors at 7pm, movie starts at 7:30pm. Please bring something to sit on (pillow, camp chair...). Suggested donation sliding scale $2-10 to cover the costs of the venue, equipment rental, and movie purchases.
For more information about the films and about Home 2.0, please visit their website (under construction) at http://ourhome2.ca/events/.
7 days of events - converging ideas, resources and people to help you thrive in the New Economy
If you have an idea, project or enterprise that benefits your community, human health or the environment, then Living the New Economy is where you want to be November 19-25. This week of events will energize, accelerate and celebrate the people, institutions and collaborations that are bringing the New Economy to life. Learn about marketing with integrity, the future of financing, the critical role of social media and the exciting future that awaits. The program is designed as a skill-building intensive with lots of opportunity for fun, creativity and expanding your network. Hosted by Healing Cities Institute in collaboration with Seedstock Community Currency, Community Micro Lending and Gen Why Media.
NEWS! Healing Cities Institute invites you to submit your application for an E-pass which provides full and affordable admission to Living the New Economy's workshops and activities as well as exclusive access to significant mentoring, networking and investment opportunities. Apply for an E-Pass here. Scholarships may be available. For more information, visit www.neweconomy.ca or write to nicole@healingcities.org.
I Share pilot poised to launch!
I Share is a great initiative starting right here in Vancouver, designed to jumpstart conversations about sharing among neighbours and co-workers.
As the Village Vancouver community knows, sharing is the stuff of which communities are woven, it significantly reduces our impact on the environment and it saves money!
Find out how you can be part of this campaign from the very start - click here!
Village Vancouver Calendar of Events
