Sustainability

The County of Hastings County includes Hastings County, the City of Belleville and the City of Quinte West and the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, with its forests, farmland, lakes, rivers and small and large communities, is well situated to lead in the field of alternative energy development, conservation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and forestry and artisan food production.

Harvest Hastings is about living lightly on the land. Sustainability has four sections on land stewardship, tree planting, managing woods and wildlife at Caring for Land; discussion about Climate Change; finfd out about Green Communities, and read about what's happening in Local Agriculture. There are Audio, Videos, and a Photo Gallery. Look for "Know your farmer" video or audio interviews with local farmers and other producers. Web links has l links to local organizations as well as provincial ones. Check Coming Events to find workshops, agricultural events, community meals and much more. Above all get outand explore

Latest Articles

Local health stats 'terrifying' Residents overweight

by Luke Hendry, The Intelligencer

The numbers on heart health in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties are in, and one local official calls the results "terrifying."

Statistics released Monday by the Heart and Stroke Foundation show worrying trends in Canadians' health and the two local counties fare poorly in several key categories.

"You're definitely in the bottom third of performers across Ontario," Dr. Chris Simpson, chief of cardiology at Queen's University and a spokesman for Heart and Stroke, told The Intelligencer in a phone interview.

Local Agriculture

Barnheart: Yearning to be a Farmer

January 25, 2010 by Jenn_Nash

This is a lighthearted article about the dreamer's disease Barnheart: yearning to be a farmer. It starts by browsing the internet for articles about homesteading and grows from there. The only cure according to author Jenna Woginrich is stepping outside and getting some fresh air. How about picking up some seed catalogues instead. Karen Wright of The Village Green in Foxboro has huge collection of Terra Edible heritage seeds.

Local Agriculture

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

January 25, 2010 by LAV in America

Jay Shafer has been living in houses smaller than some people’s closets since 1997. "My decision to inhabit just 89 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space.

Green Communities

Cheers to locally-grown ingredients Ontario's smallest brewery

Maclean's Ales is the smallest brewery in Ontario, yet Charlie Maclean, owner, brew maker and chief bottle washer, has plans to make his beer the best tasting beer in Ontario.

"Eventually I want to use all my own ingredients in all the different types of beers I make," he says. The weekly capacity of Maclean's Ales is 400 litres of beer.

Local Agriculture

In Transitions

January 20, 2010 by Louise Livingstone

In Transition - A re-screening of this hour-long film about the Transition Town movement: the story of citizens who have been motivated by the prospect of peak oil and climate change to respond with creative, compassionate and well thought-out initiatives to adapt our cities and towns for the changes that will impact all of us over the next few years. This film provides a sense of the impressive scale of this movement and its accomplishments to date, and presents a call to action by local governments and community groups. Following the film, Fred Irwin from Transition Peterborough will lead a discussion to outline details of how all the official Canadian Transition Towns function.

Location

St. Andrew's Church

Picton, Ontario

Canada

44° 0' 31.0572" N, 77° 8' 21.048" W

See map: Google Maps

Green Communities

Ontario names new ag minister in shuffle

A southwestern Ontario MPP from one of the province's key farming regions will be Premier Dalton McGuinty's new agriculture minister.

McGuinty on Monday announced a thorough cabinet shuffle that will see Carol Mitchell, the two-term MPP for Huron-Bruce and a former parliamentary assistant to the minister of agriculture (2003-06), become Ontario's minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs.

Local Agriculture

Food 2030 - Food strategy for UK

Food 2030, the Government’s new food strategy, is the first of its kind in over 50 years. In it we set out our vision of what we want the food system to look like in 2030, and how we can get there. What we want by 2030

Consumers are informed, can choose, and afford, healthy, sustainable food. This demand is met by profitable, competitive, highly skilled and resilient farming, fishing and food businesses, supported by first class research and development.

Food is produced, processed and distributed to feed a growing global population in ways which:

use global natural resources sustainably, enable the continuing provision of the benefits and services that a healthy natural environment provides, promote high standards of animal health and welfare, protect food safety, make a significant contribution to rural communities, and allow us to show global leadership on food sustainability. Our food security is ensured through strong British agriculture and international trade links with EU and global partners, which support developing economies.

The UK has a low carbon food system which is efficient with resources – any waste is reused, recycled or used for energy generation.

Local Agriculture

Uk environment minister Hilary Benn unveils plan to boost UK food and 'grow your own'

Plans to boost food production in Britain and reduce its impact on the environment have been unveiled. The government's 20-year food strategy includes making land available for people to grow their own food and more healthy cooking courses.

Local Agriculture

British Food Strategy Could Create Fodder for Ontario Discussions

January 18, 2010 by Louise Livingstone

By Nathan Stevens January 15, 2010

Many of Ontario’s farm leaders believe that there is the need for a long-term food strategy, which would raise the profile of farmers in the eyes of government and the public. The British Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recently published a food security strategy that is meant to act as the strategic policy guide through to the year 2030. This strategy, despite how it’s perceived, could serve as a great starting point for further discussions in Ontario.

Local Agriculture

Compost project generates opportunities

FCC Express by Mark Cardwell Some Quebec agriculture producers will soon be earning extra income -- and getting free top-grade soil to boot -- thanks to a new business venture that helps big grocery stores dispose of organic garbage.

Caring for Land