Top Ten Things You Can Do To keep Your Kids Healthy

1. Walk or bike your kids to school, or if that’s not feasible, ride on weekends–a family that bikes together saves the planet together!

2. Teach them about Farmers Markets, It’s so important bring awareness early in life. It’s fun to see where your food comes from.  Explain how food choices affect their health and environment. Be honest about where meat comes from.

3. Make sure their toys are PVC-free–keep them from breathing in any off gasing plastic softeners.

4. Don’t reward with toys. Try to teach them that happiness doesn’t comes from buying new things, and the planet doesn’t need the resource extraction, chemical-pollution and landfill clogging that comes with making and eventually trashing them.

5. Use natural shampoos, creams and soaps. What you put on your young one’s body is as important as what you put in it.

6. Feed them organic whenever you can afford it, so they get a pesticide, hormone, and antibiotic-free diet.

7. Say no to high-fat, high-sugar, chemical-laden processed foods. There are plenty of natural alternatives, even for packaged kids’ snacks.

8. Create a non-toxic nursery or kids’ room full of earth-loving children’s books.

9. Resist the urge to swaddle your babe in landfill-clogging disposable diapers. But if cloth is out of the question, get unbleached, biodegradable, chlorine-free throw-away ones. Like these.

10. Teach them to love nature: take them to the park, on little hikes, or picnics in conservation centres. Teach them that animals are nature, including house pets and that we need to respect them. When you teach a child to be kind to animals, you help pave the way to a brighter future for all living beings.

Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something

What is a Meatless Meatup?

Even though this was filmed in 2002, I would say it is even more relevant today as more and more attempts are made to bring additional GMO crops into the food chain, both in the US and abroad. We are also seeing the real cost for oil beyond what we pay at the pump. Most food is trucked an average of 1500 miles, large scale commercial agriculture uses huge amounts of oil and those chemicals used on crops are usually petroleum based. Did you know that the USA is borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf, this oil is destroying the planet and our food.

The greatest thing to me is when people get involved change happens, just by saying no. We can use this as an inspiration for all of us to ask questions and make real choices about what path we take on what foods we put in our bodies; our loved ones too. Discover how to make better choices, buy local, buy organic when possible, get your food from places that care about the food they sell, educate each other and collaborate with your family on how you can all work together to attain optimum food for health and earth.

If we all “deconstructed” our meals what would we find; if we knew would we still want to eat what was on our plate? Shopping local is an easy way to do this in order to know what you are eating. When you eat out ask questions so restaurant owners know that this is important to their customers, after all they need us. It was because of customers asking questions that John Bishop investigated the state of food and made a change in his restaurant to serving primarily organic and locally produced products.

I leave you with this: keep in mind that we have the power to make change as consumers. Businesses operate by our demand. Big and small companies need our business. It is time to stop following the dictates of these companies and tell them what we want and what we will buy. Watch the film, keep learning, ask questions and let’s keep working together to achieve what we all deserve: optimum health, healthy food, healthy land and a long happy life.

Bishops 2183 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver BC Canada V6K 1N7
604 738 2025

Your food choices can have impacts beyond your own kitchen. Food deserts, exploitation of workers and animals, environmental racism – learn about how what you eat and drink might not necessarily be connected to animal exploitation but might indeed have direct connections to human exploitation! And learn what you can do to help create a more just and equitable food system.

lauren Ornelas is the Food Empowerment Project’s founder and serves as the group’s volunteer executive director. She is also the former executive director of Viva!USA, a national nonprofit vegan advocacy organization. lauren has been active in the animal rights movement for over 20 years. After spending four years as National Campaign Coordinator for In Defense of Animals, lauren was asked by Viva!UK to start and run Viva!USA in 1999. In cooperation with activists across the country, she worked and achieved corporate changes within Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, and Pier 1 Imports, among others. She currently serves as Campaign Director with the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition.

This event is free & open to the public. No pre-registration is required.

WHEN:
Saturday, May 21, 2011
7:00pm – 9:00pm

WHERE:
Vancouver Public Library, Main Branch
350 West Georgia Street Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Room, Lower Level
Vancouver, BC V6B 6B1

ORGANIZED BY:
Liberation BC

Assisted By

become the voice

You can go beyond Earth hour by switching off lights when you’re not home, by turning on less lights when you are and being conscious of your usage. Reduce your meat consumption or try being a weekday vegetarian. Eat local, buy local and live simply.

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating.

At 8:30 PM (Tonight) on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour. Imagine what we can achieve if we go beyond the hour.

I think leaving a small footprint is so important, it’s also important to buy and eat organic food as much as possible. I also think we should try to eat vegetarian as much as possible too. If our earth gets any more polluted with pesticides and fertilizers for rasing food than having a small footprint won’t even matter. Not eating organics allows the conventional farmer the right to pollute our earth and our bodies.

Eating locally also called the 100 mile diet or Locavore celebrates every aspect of real food. Where it comes from, how it grows and how you can enjoy it.  This initiative can set out to create change for something  good and something we can all be a part of.

Grassroots grocery delivery services are popping up all over the place. In Vancouver the one that appeals to me the most is SPUD.CA I mean of course one of the biggest appeals for me to sign up was the fact that I don’t have to lug around heavy bags  from the supermarket to my apartment anymore. I also liked that they had a vegan recipe section.

There are many reasons why I have decided to sign up for SPUD.CA some of them being. I am doing my part in supporting local farmers (contributing to BC’s sustainability) I am reducing my carbon footprint (no bags, limited imports) I have access to organics all the time. It forces me to explore other foods.  There is also a section on your invoice that will tell you how far, on average, your items have traveled and how much less they have traveled compared to the average for a supermarket. (Super Cool) I know it in my heart that I am doing the right thing and I am single-handedly saving the world  (ok not really but it’s a start) you know the quote:

“I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” ~Edward Everett Hale“

Sustainability

Most people who think about food and sustainability are aware of the 100-Mile Diet. While many would love to achieve a 100-mile diet, most of us leave it as an ideal to work toward rather than one we work to achieve. The 100mile diet, under new definition states that all protein and produce must come from within 100 miles. So for source less available such as rice, flour and spices from further afield, this makes a lot of sense. It means that the “fresh” foods, i.e. those that will perish rapidly, are traveling less.

The negative side of eating locally and the negative side’s positive side

It takes a while to become re-accustomed to what’s in season. This means that you can’t eat peaches in winter (unless you take the time to preserve some during that season) Something I am going to try this summer for sure. Also it could make it challenging for international dishes that call for things like mangos and coconut. I say stock up in summer and find a way to preserve.

The positive side of making this shift is that the seasons begin to take on greater meaning. Fall becomes more than “the season between volleyball and skiing.” and you start to look forward to root vegetables, brussel-sprouts and cozy family dinners. There are ways to join in on the 100 mile diet in Vancouver.

Vancouver Peeps check this out

The 100 mile diet Vancouver is providing local resources, FAQ’s, recipes, information. Also a great get started guide. Check out the Why Eat Local? section.

For a larger-scale perspective, thinklocal.ca provides a snapshot of how much milk, beef or salmon Canada imports (that’s right, we import salmon), how far it travels on average and how many grams of greenhouse gas emissions are saved by buying locally. As well as informative articles, the Vancouver based site also has a directory and links for buying locally.

This seasonal food chart is also very useful for priming your taste buds for the seasons (it also works well as a shopping list).

There are some great blogs out there about eating local and being local, like Sarah Eltons Locavore, or the blog Locavore, I like this one. Another interesting one is the Glenbrook North Zero Waste Blog and a good food blog Once Upon A Feast, though it’s not vegan it’s easy to replace the products with vegan ones. I also really enjoyed a film called No Impact Man, though some of his ideas were a bit extreme it gave you perspective on what NOT to take for granted. Hey meat eaters! If you are going to eat meat for peat sakes make it local at least. If you are eating for the 100 mile diet send me your thoughts, Id love to hear from you.

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority”

~Elwyn Brooks

“Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables.  They probably get jet-lagged, just like people” ~Elizabeth Berry

Do you know what’s in your food? Where it comes from? Why it costs so much?

Did you know that Canada has no official Food Policy?

Canada currently has no food policy or strategy.  Food is currently looked after by municipal, provincial and federal governments.  At the federal level 7 ministries including health, foreign affairs, agriculture and fisheries govern a piece of the food pie.  In order to overcome the complex problems that we face today (including the loss of young farmers, obesity, poverty, etc.)  we must work together across our differences to find a way forward.

Thirty years ago, a group of activists created the People’s Food Commission (PFC). The Commission toured the country, holding hearings in 75 communities which explored how food systems affected ordinary Canadians: farmers, fisher people, housewives, poor people, trade unionists, academics, artists and others. Unfortunately, this change has not materialized. The policy framework supporting the industrialized food system and its social, environmental and economic costs is still firmly in place – even as the advent of ‘Peak Oil’ and climate change make a new approach imperative.

Socially, however, much has changed in the past 30 years. There is a growing movement of people who have been moved to action by awareness of the deep problems in the food system, especially those related to hunger, pollution, and chronic disease.

Current production systems churn out large amounts of food at low prices, but can harm the environment, encourage over-consumption of unhealthy foods, and – despite huge productive capacity – leave many people unfed. We can make enough food for everyone, yet the number of humans who are undernourished or starving recently surpassed one billion, according to the UN World Food Program.

In contrast, the “bottom line” for Canadians, is that by ignoring the ancient relationships between us and the lands and waters we inhabit, by exploiting, degrading and destroying our food resources, we will not be able to sustain ourselves for much longer.

From local to global, such pressing issues are all affected by food policy, which is not just theoretical. It’s the network of decisions at local, regional, national, and international levels that determines what food is available and what we’re likely to eat. Food policy is dynamic, and you can be part of it.

Taking Action Current strategic actions.

Click here Food Secure Canada.

Click here Why Canada Needs a Food Policy

Join the conversation Eleanor Boyle on Food Policies, Sustainable Food, Attainable Health

Key Proposals Canada

As much of an inspiration it is to see the caring that goes on for these animals it also reminds you how neglected and forgotten some animals end up. As Carol walked us through the property telling us the stories of how each animal arrived here, you can’t help but to feel emotional or angry.

It is so foreign to me that after 10, 12, 14 years a person can decide that they can no longer care for their beloved pet! I just can’t imagine dropping of my Chico at the SPCA because of sickness or that somehow his life will disrupt mine to the point that I would dump him off.

Some of these dogs hardly seem senior or sick and most show no signs of neglect, then you see the ones that are just completely defeated and you are reminded how cruel this world can be and how far we still need to go in educating and building compassion in people.

Carol the woman who founded SAINTS is very humble, she runs SAINTS purely from her heart. She doesn’t respond to compliments no matter how many you throw at her and she lights up a room with her compassion. She knows all the animals by name and all of their stories.

When you visit SAINTS you will find, volunteers, dogs , cats, horses, cows, ducks a donkey and even a goat and some pigs! All of these animals rescued. Some find homes but most stay to live out their final days. I highly recommend a visit, bring lots of treats and if you are able a donation. SAINTS is 100% run by donations from the public. Most of the animals at SAINTS require expensive treatments and vet visits.

I hope you will find the time to go. I promise you will be glad you did. The animals will be happy to greet you. It is a beautiful experience and it feels good to give back. Visiting sanctuary’s like SAINTS reinforces the desire to make positive changes in the world. I highly recommend it.

SAINTS