Earth Day Celebrations Saturday, April 26, 2008, 11am to 5pm
Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver, B.C
At Evergreen's 8th Annual Earth Day Vancouver Celebration you can dance, learn and celebrate with your family, neighbours and friends. We will also dig in to help restore the unique ecosystem of Jericho Park to its natural glory.

Get your hands dirty in Jericho Park! Join the Jericho Stewardship Group to root out invasive species and plant indigenous trees and wildflowers. Restoration activities are suitable for a range of ages and abilities.

Shake it up at the high-energy Earth Day Stage, produced by the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.

Be part of the show at the amazing Pedal-Powered Puppet Stage! Ride the bikes that power the sound, or put on a show of your own. .

Enjoy nature tours, roving performers, eco-themed activities for kids, an Eco-Fair, a participatory Earth Mandala by the Secret Lantern Society, a native plant sale and many more surprises.

http://www.evergreen.ca/en/involved/ed_2008.html

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Interspiritual Gathering - To Bless the Salmon as they Head to Sea

Join people of different faiths as they offer their combined blessings to the young salmon who have traveled down the rivers and are preparing for their epic ocean journey.
Sunday April 27, 1:30pm
Hadden Park - behind the Maritime Museum near Vanier Park, Vancouver
Discussion by Faith Groups
- Lost Streams History
- First Nations Participation
- Connection with nature, the salmon fry and each other
Rain or Shine
To download the poster and to view photos of last year’s event visit
http://www.falsecreekwatershed.org

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Projecting Change Film Festival - May 8-11 The Ridge Theatre

Projecting Change Film Festival focus is on promoting green and sustainable living through the use of entertaining and educational films combined with local, inspirational speakers to give the films more immediate, local relevance.

Each day's films focus on specific themes, allowing for a structured and focused insight into the issues that matter:  Food & Agriculture,Sustainable Energy Sources, Building Methods, Consumer Goods, and Kids & the Environment.

http://www.projectingchange.ca/index.php

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The Sustainable Living Arts School - Classes and Learning Parties
The Sustainable Living Arts School is a rural and urban learning initiative that emphasizes bringing local folks, local knowledge and local resources together for free-of-charge, hands-on learning experiences that help us reduce our ecological footprint, increase our individual and community self-sufficiency, and build healthy community relations. We value and work towards non-commodified, non-institutional, non-credentialized, non-evaluated learning and yes-accessible, yes-joyous, yes-empowering, yes-collective learning (among other lofty goals)! Consuming less and relating more, might be one way to sum it up.

In Vancouver we host learning parties where the subject is anything that helps us to live more lightly. We're inspired by permaculturists, 100 mile dieters ('cept for chocolate etc), slow foodies, herbalists, alternative energy folk, natural builders and thrifty, handy, food-growing and food foraging people everywhere.

In Robert's Creek at our rural campus, Robin Wheeler's lush Edible Landscapes, we host weekend intensive workshops on a wide variety of sustainability skills. Come relearn the simple, low tech skills that will reduce our local footprint, decrease our impact on others in the world, and permit breathing space and time for connection with our landscape.www.ediblelandscapes.ca

Gardening for the Faint of Heart - May 3, 10am - 4pm (Robert's Creek)
This fun and intensive full day course was designed for those who feel they are beginners in food gardening but would love to feel more confident about understanding garden systems and food production. Students will learn garden terms (the fun way!), explore the magic of "microclimates", make design choices, select plants for your needs, delve into seed catalogues and learn techniques for watering, simple soil improvement and more.

Cost: $85 includes a local, seasonal and delicious lunch with lots of time for fun and casual conversation on the topics at hand. Class size will be small (max. 15) so that all of your burning questions can be answered. More info: www.slas.wikispaces.com
Register: In person or by phone 604-323-5322 with Langara Continuing Studies . For more info email keiramc@gmail.com

Healing with Spring Herbs Learning Party, Saturday, April 26, 2008, 1-2:30pm

Come celebrate the herbs of spring by walking, talking, smelling, looking, nibbling, tasting, feeling and working with the plants that grow in and around the community garden! We will identify weeds, foods and medicines and discuss when, why, how and who should use them. Get to know lemon balm, rose, hawthorn, high bush cranberry and dock better!

There are limited spaces to allow for lots of hands-on, q& a and conversation. Learning parties fill up quickly! please contact Keira McPhee (keiramc@gmail.com - 604-707-0337) no later than Thursday, April 24, 2008 to register. This learning party will be held outdoors.

By Donation: You can't put a price on a learning party. Or at least we don't want to. That said, we want to honour the time and experience that goes into learning valuable skills and sharing them with others. The suggested donation is $25. If you can afford more, we'll put it towards making more learning parties happen. If you can afford less, come on down and share your learning with us anyway. All are welcome!

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FarmFolk/CityFolk's AGM in Tableland
Saturday, June 14th (Noon to 3pm)
Location: Glen Valley Organic Farm in Abbotsford (transportation provided)
Time for leaving city: 10:00am Arrive back in the city (approx.) 4pm
Afternoon's agenda:
Noon - welcome & lunch (BYOL - Bring your own lunch/Picnic in the field)
1:00 FF/CF information & AGM
1:30 Screening of Craig Noble's film, TABLELAND &
Discussion w/ producer/director Craig Noble
For info contact Farm Folk City Folk at info@ffcf.bc.ca or 604-730-0450

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Opportunities

Dundarave Olive Company - Job Opportunity
We are looking for parttime help in production. Stuffing olives and getting orders and inventory ready for the markets.
Hours are flexible. Contact Nico or Pia at 604 922 9355

Klippers Organic Acres - Job Opportunity
Klippers Organic Acres in Cawston is looking for a full time employee this year
Tasks:
- maintain quality control of produce
- cooler management: rotation of stock, organization of orders, keep tidy
- crop management: harvesting, planting, weeding, irrigating, pest management
- maintain harvest shed in organized fashion
- running the employee/WWOOF house. People are coming and going all season
- hours will depend on season with possible 10 hour days during peak season
- season: early April till end October- with option for full 1 year salaried contract

Requirements:
- healthy and fit (heavy lifting required and long hours of physically demanding work)
- personable
- able to work as part of a team
- good management skills
- ability to work with minimal supervision
- able to learn quickly
- able to make decisions and take initiative
- able to work long hours and under time pressure
- sense of humour
Apply to klippersorganics@nethop.net

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Farm Looking for Potential Shareholders
  The farm is located in Langley, and based on the biodynamic concept, but is currently not certified. The total size is 5 acres, with about 1 1/2 or 2 acres forested, about 1 1/2 acres of field, some well drained in the winter for over wintering crops. There is about an acre of pasture for chickens, divided into two paddocks, and a 350 sq. foot chicken house. There are two tractors and an excavator to help with the work. They need some repairs, but should be OK for this year.
The 3,000 sq. foot greenhouse is set up for growing bedding plants in the spring, and tomatoes and other crops in the ground in summer. There are lights for growing transplants in the winter, and the heat from the lights keeps that area warm in freezing weather. I have been trying to develop a processing kitchen to make products such as dried tomatoes, vegetable sauce, pizza, pasta, jam, etc. Most of the equipment is here, it just has to be installed.
The house is small, and there is a partly finished cabin. More accommodation could be developed.
I would like to make this farm available to people interested in sustainable local food production, and eventually form a community around the farm. The facilities here are suitable for a large variety of farm related products, and I would like to connect with people who could utilize what is here. Accommodation is possible, but it is basic. Please contact George Matousek at temporary_kitchens@yahoo.com or call 604 825-2821

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Read This!

Granville Magazine, Seeking Certification, Isabelle Groc
It is a chilly Saturday morning in the middle of December, but as soon as I step into the WISE Hall on Adanac Street, I immediately feel warmed by the festive atmosphere. Read Article

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Kinder-Gardening - How to teach your child to tend the land without losing your mind.
Constance Casey
Ah, there's nothing like spring with your child joining you in the garden. Little hands at work in the sweet, crumbly soil to create a wee enchanted fairyland. Phooey! (Or a stronger expletive.)

Tending a garden is not trivial work. To do any kind of gardening is to balance disorder and order, chaos and control. To be a parent is to deal with the same forces. Read Article

Sorting Salad Greens

Radicchio - adds a spiciness and beautiful red colour to salads
Mizuna (mustard greens) - a slightly sweet, mustardy essence with feathered leaves that add texture
Rapini - has a sharp, nutty flavour with a slightly bitter undertone
Arugula - a popular choice, with an exceptionally strong, rich, pepper zing
Dandelion Greens - similar in taste to endive, with an intense heartiness overlying a bitter undertone
Purslane - adds a light lemony crunch to salads. An excellent source of natural antioxidants.
Watercress - a peppery tang
In addition to adding more colour and flavour, these greens also offer health advantages. Most of these greens offer more nutrition than plain lettuce and because they are so flavourful, people tend to use less dressing.