Latest

Euros discarded as impoverished Greeks resort to bartering

Communities set up local currencies and exchange networks in attempt to beat the economic crisis.

It's been a busy day at the market in downtown Volos. Angeliki Ioanitou has sold a decent quantity of olive oil and soap, while her friend Maria has done good business with her fresh pies.

But not a single euro has changed hands – none of the customers on this drizzly Saturday morning has bothered carrying money at all. For many, browsing through the racks of second-hand clothes, electrical appliances and homemade jams, the need to survive means money has been usurped.

Green Communities

32rd Guelph Organic Conference

January 4, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

Check out the 32rd Guelph Organic Conference.

Event Date and Time:

January 31, 2013 - 14:00 - February 3, 2013 - 14:00

Greening Ontario Highways Vineland Research

Planting trees along roadways and urban environments, why does it matter?

Trees help to create a healthy planet which leads to healthier Ontarians. By 2030 only 10% of the world’s forest cover will be remaining at our current rate of cutting. Highway greening and urban forestry research is just two ways Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is making an impact on the environment and improving the lives of Ontarians.

Highway greening or planting trees along roadways is an important factor in reducing carbon dioxide- a by-product of vehicle emissions which reduces the ozone layer. Through highway greening we can help counteract global warming. For instance, a group of 500 trees absorbs enough carbon dioxide to make up for one car being driven 20,000 km in one year.

Caring for Land

Video: Ethnic and Cultural Foods

January 4, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

This video is a trailer/introduction to the ethno-cultural vegetable documentary which highlights the growing demand for ethno cultural foods and the need for a concerted effort to promote the new vegetables introduced to the country.

Workshop on Ethno-Cultural Vegetables at University of Guelph

January 4, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

The Ethno-Cultural Vegetable (ECV) researchers at the University of Guelph, Dr. Glen Filson and Dr. Bamidele Adekunle invite you to attend a workshop on Ethno-Cultural Vegetables in Ontario.The one day workshop will explore opportunities and barriers in the ECV market in Ontario. The program for the day includes;

Presentations on opportunities and barriers of the ECV market by different stakeholders,
A panel discussion on the production of ECV in Ontario,
Presentations of research findings by the University of Guelph team,
A documentary on ECV and
sharing of experiences from all stakeholders on the way forward for ECV in Ontario.

The workshop will be attended by experienced ECV stakeholders including researchers, producers, wholesalers, retailers, importers and students. And will be held on Friday 17thFebruary 2012 from 8.30am to 4.30pm at the Landscape Architecture, Room 143, University of Guelph. Lunch and coffee will be provided.

RSVP by February 1, 2012 at ecvontario [at] gmail [dot] com

To view documentary trailer visit: http://youtu.be/8e8VJ90OF1g

Event Date and Time:

February 17, 2013 - 08:30 - 16:30

Farm Bill Extension Evidence Of Agriculture Sector's Lost Political Clout

WASHINGTON — A patchwork extension of federal farm programs passed as part of a larger "fiscal cliff" bill keeps the price of milk from rising but doesn't include many of the goodies that farm-state lawmakers are used to getting for their rural districts.

House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders who spent more than a year working on a half-trillion-dollar, five-year farm bill that would keep subsidies flowing had to accept in the final hours a slimmed-down, nine-month extension of 2008 law with few extras for anyone.

Local Agriculture

Video: Ontario Food Terminal

January 3, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

This video is an interview of the General Manager of the Ontario Food Terminal Bruce Nicholas. The video sheds light on the opportunities for local produce and ethnically and cultural vegetables (ECV) in the GTA.

Scientists try to save the frogs as time runs out

It should have been a hopping place. The last time Richards-Zawacki was in this spot, in 2004, she remembers counting 15 golden frogs in two hours, and a number of other diurnal species.

Because Panamanian golden frogs are known as “explosive breeders,” a few times a year one could see them congregate by the hundreds at water’s edge to copulate.http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/scientists-try-to-save-the-frogs-as-time-runs-out/2012/12/30/3ac5ffec-48c3-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story_1.html

Climate Change

California Law Tests Company Responses to Carbon Costs

The Morning Star Company’s three plants in California emit roughly 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year — about the same amount as the Pacific Island nation of Palau — as they turn tomatoes into ketchup, spaghetti sauce and juice used by millions of consumers around the world.

Climate Change

Localwashing: How corporate America is co-opting “local”

HSBC, one of the biggest banks on the planet, has taken to calling itself “the world’s local bank.” Starbucks is removing its name from at least three of its Seattle outlets, the first of which just reopened as “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.” Winn-Dixie, a 500-outlet supermarket chain, recently launched a new ad campaign under the tagline “Local flavor since 1956.” The International Council of Shopping Centers, a consortium of mall owners and developers, has poured millions of dollars into television ads urging people to “Shop Local”—at their nearest mall.

Green Communities

Sustainability

Latest

January 4, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

January 4, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

January 4, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

January 3, 2013 by Louise Livingstone