Locavore events by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: December 29, 2009
Categories: Events / News from Sustain Ontario
December 23, 2009
***NEW***Growing Forward Information Session, January 12
Growing Forward is a five-year commitment by Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments to support the development of a profitable, innovative agri-food sector that is adept at managing risk and responsive to market demands.9 am to 10:30 am, Conference Centre, 1 Stone Rd. W. Guelph. Information from Stuart Budd.
***NEW***How to Grow Winter-Harvest Vegetables, January 23 (in BC)
“The Full Circle Workshop” with Carol McIntyre. Four 2010 dates: Jan 23, Mar 6, May 30 and Oct 3. Starts with seeds, ends with winter prep. $50. Details
Grown Close to Home – Really! January 26, 2010
Tired of food that looks and tastes like it has traveled miles to your plate? Not really sure where the “Grown Close to Home” food in the grocery stores comes from? Concerned about pesticides and chemicals on your food? Want to eat more local, sustainable food? Join us for a panel discussion about where, why, and how to eat local and sustainable foods in Waterloo Region. Get connected to your food and some of the farmers who grow it. January 26, 2010, 7-9pm, Kitchener Public Library Main Branch, 85 Queen St N, Kitchener.
***NEW***Creative Economy Seminar Series, Starting January 26
The Creative Economy has emerged as the number one research issue for rural Eastern Ontario. With support from the Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington CFDC, The Monieson Centre is hosting a five-part public lecture series on how rural businesses and communities can thrive in this new economy. Seminar topics include Defining the Creative Economy; Issues and Challenges for Rural Communities; and Rural Policy Implications. Details on the Monieson Centre website.
***NEW*** Ignite! Guelph Entrepreneurship Course, February 1 to 5
Invest five half-days and learn what it takes to start and grow a business. This intensive course will immerse you in the language, culture, tools and tactics of entrepreneurial business. Designed for researchers, graduate students, entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial. Course content will be delivered mainly by business leaders who have “been there, done that, got the stained and torn t-shirtâ€. Keynote speaker EVERY DAY and Business “War Stories†throughout. Includes attendance at the January 28 GPI Breakfast. Funding assistance available. For details, click here. Details on website of Guelph Partnership for Innovation.
***NEW*** The Chicken & Egg Dance Rehatched! February 13 (in BC)
Good old-fashioned family fun! This time around, the dance will support the work of Farm Folk City Folk, Vancouver Farmers Markets and BC Association of Regenerative Agriculture. Video of last year’s dance. Details on Vancouver Farmers Market website.
The Threat of Gravel Pits to Agriculture and Food, February 23, 2010
Over 7,000 acres of the best potato land in Dufferin County has been bought by a company that seeks to mine the land for the mineral aggregates below the surface. Across the province, many more acres of prime agricultural farmland lie on top of valuable aggregates, and existing provincial and municipal policies do little to prevent their conversion to gravel pits. Come hear from a panel of local farmers and activists talk about the threat to our food production and what can be done about it. February 23, 2010, 7-9pm, Kitchener Public Library Main Branch, 85 Queen St N, Kitchener.
***NEW*** Cultural Mapping and Cultural Planning: Making the Connection, March 2 &3
The Ontario Workshop is scheduled to take place March 2-3, 2010 at the MaRS Centre, Toronto. The workshop is presented by the CCNC in partnership with the City of Toronto, Municipal Cultural Planning Incorporated and the Martin Prosperity Institute. Cultural Mapping and Cultural Planning: Making the Connection will include presentations on Creative City Network of Canada’s cultural planning and mapping toolkits, panel discussions from those in the field and a facilitated discussion on what’s next will give you the knowledge and connections to move the cultural planning agenda forward in your community. Join cultural planning practitioners from across Ontario for an inspiring and informative workshop on cultural planning and mapping. Visit creativecity.ca to register.
***NEW*** “Bring Food Home†Conference, March 4 to 6
This conference will feature a daily plenary, workshop choice in five programming streams, networking space and special events. Each day of the conference is organized to present a different aspect of food security and local sustainable food systems. Day one is devoted to technical training and tours, day two examines projects and policy and day three draws the participants together to develop a plan for future collaboration and action. Joel Salatin, an alternative farmer from Virginia that was featured in Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemmaâ€, has been invited to give the opening keynote. The balance of the speakers is food and farming experts from across the province. Registration on the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition website.
Value Chain Management Workshop, March 10
The best lessons tend to come from those who have done it themselves, and the Canadian Farm Business Management Council’s latest workshop will bring the innovators and trend setters to you. Kitchener, partner FoodNet Ontario. Details.
***NEW*** Sustainable Living Symposium 2010, March 20 & 21 Loyalist College, Belleville
Local, affordable, and do-able lifestyle solutions for right now will be demonstrated and discussed at the 5th Annual Sustainable Living Symposium. Living within our environmental and economic means has become even more important during this time of climate change and economic turmoil. Local experts will show you how to implement earth-friendly and cost-effective solutions such as urban food gardens, environmentally friendly cleaning products, renewable energy and more. The focus is on local solutions, local services, and local businesses. You’ll work with your neighbours and local experts to find out how to make a difference today, for a sustainable tomorrow. Details on Quinte Sustainability website.
AND in case you have time
Wine by numbers, with a digital content twist
We’ve seen several innovations at the intersection of wine and technology, including Aromicon’s “virtual taste search engine,” which we featured just last week. Dutch startup 94wines is now bringing a new technological twist to the table, so to speak, by offering a line of numbered and colour-coded wines that can be personalized with digital content.
Launched a week ago, 94wines offers a line of French wines in which each variety is indicated by a number and a bottle colour rather than a name linked to its maker, vintage or region. Consumers begin by taking a short quiz of six questions regarding their likes and dislikes. That, in turn, produces their personal WineID, which can then be used to guide their choices from among the company’s series of wines. The use of numbers and colours makes wine preferences easy to remember, while personal ID profiles allow friends to see each other’s preferences for gift-giving purposes. Springwise story.