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

Beekeeping - rural Greece does it best

According to Greek mythology, the god of love Eros dipped his arrows into honey before shooting them. And while other countries are struggling with high bee mortality, that's one global crisis that has yet to touch Greece, where the golden nectar still flows abundantly, free of pesticides and genetic modification.

The rosemary season has ended, but sage is in full bloom.

In the fragrant hills of the Peloponnese in southern Greece, after a few sharp turns along a path, Nikos Reppas' old car arrives at bee heaven: a field full of violet hyacinths, close to the prehistoric ruins of Mycenae

Local Agriculture

Greek bee hives

April 24, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

Photo of Dimitris Tsapelas' bee hives in Greece.

Maple Dale Cheese wins the medium Cheddar category at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix

Congratulations to the 2013 Cheese Champions!

The Grand Champion and 19 category winners were selected from a record 225 cheese entries submitted by cheese makers from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia. The submissions were then narrowed down to 58 finalists by the jury in February.

Sponsored and hosted every two years by Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix celebrates the high quality, versatility and great taste of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian milk.

Medium Cheddar (aged 4 to 9 months)Medium Cheddar, Maple Dale Cheese, ON

Established in 1888 as a dairy co-op and originally known as Zion Cheese Manufacturing, Maple Dale was purchased in 1987 and is now family-run, specializing in cheddar and especially known for their aged cheddars. Natural aging develops the rich texture and mature cheddar taste with a spectrum of nutty, salty and slightly fruity flavours.

Local Agriculture

Beavers and us aggressive colonizers

April 17, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

Event Date and Time:

April 22, 2013 - 09:00 - 16:00

Location

Civitan Hall

6787 County Road 43

Perth, ON K7H1B0

Canada

44° 54' 6.3036" N, 76° 15' 5.976" W

See map: Google Maps

Free Community Trees

April 17, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

Community Trees

Event Date and Time:

April 20, 2013 - 08:00 - 12:00

April 21, 2013 - 09:00 - 12:00

April 27, 2013 - 08:00 - 12:00

May 4, 2013 - 09:00 - 12:00

Farmer to Farmer Workshop: Cheese making

April 17, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

Iva Zak is going to run a cheese making workshop at her home near Tweed. Please contact Louise Livingstone at info [at] harvesthastiings [dot] ca if you are interested in attending as numbers are limited.

Event Date and Time:

June 29, 2013 - 10:00 - 13:00

BAFIA and Harvest Hastings start the Local Wood Initiative

April 12, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

Bancroft Area Forest Industry Association (BAFIA) is very excited to begin its Local Wood Initiative. We have all heard how important it is for the environment to buy our food locally when ever possible, what about our wood? BAFIA would like to support our members and our local wood manufacturers, building contractors, artisans, furniture makers, cabinet makers, basically anybody working with wood. Supporting these business will help our industry, our community and our environment.

Caring for Land

Environmental Review Tribunal Hearing:

April 11, 2013 by Louise Livingstone

RE: CCCTE V. Director of the Ministry of the Environment:

Environmental Review Tribunal Case No. 12-033

The Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) will conduct a Hearing on Friday, April 12, 2013 at 10 am in the banquet hall of the Deseronto Community Centre (Arena) at 51 Mechanic Street in Deseronto, Ontario. The purpose of this hearing is to present publicly the status of the negotiations between the Concerned Citizens Committee of Tyendinaga and Environs, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Napanee Green Lights and the Director of the Ministry of the Environment and Waste Management in regards to the Citizens’ appeal of Waste Management’s monitoring of the Richmond landfill.

It is important that our communities clearly demonstrate support for the ERT hearing; please plan to attend this informative meeting and assist in spreading word of the hearing to as many concerned supporters as possible.

Thank you for your continued efforts to resolve this issue for the benefit of all who are concerned about the preservation of our health, our environment and our communities.

Directions: From 401 eastbound, take Marysville exit 566. South on Hwy 49 to Bayshore Road, left on Bayshore to Mechanic Street, left on Mechanic (arena on left). From 401 westbound, take Deseronto exit 570, Deseronto Road south to the end, turn right on Dundas, left on Pearl, right on Park and left on Mechanic. From Old Highway 2 eastbound or westbound; turn south on Pearl, right on Park and left on Mechanic.

Event Date and Time:

April 12, 2013 - 10:00 - 16:30

Location

Deseronto Community Centre?Arena

51 Mechanic Street

Deseronto, ON K0K 1X0

Canada

44° 11' 31.0236" N, 77° 3' 26.3736" W

See map: Google Maps

Frackers Are Losing $1.5 Billion Yearly to Leaks

Of all the many and varied consequences of fracking (water contamination, injured workers, earthquakes, the list goes on) one of the least understood is so-called “fugitive” methane emissions. Methane is the primary ingredient of natural gas, and it escapes into the atmosphere at every stage of production: at wells, in processing plants, and in pipes on its way to your house. According to a new study, it could become one of the worst climate impacts of the fracking boom—and yet, it’s one of the easiest to tackle right away. Best of all, fixing the leaks is good for the bottom line.