Photobucket


La Vida Locavore
 Subscribe in a reader
Follow La Vida Locavore on Twitter - Read La Vida Locavore on Kindle

Vancouver

Parking Lots to Gardens In Vancouver, BC

by: JayinPortland

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 11:24:04 AM PST

When I'm up near Union Station here in Portland, I can't help but think there's gotta be a better use for many of the empty, eyesore surface parking lots than the current service they provide, which is apparently to hold extinguished cigarette butts and broken glass, while blades of grass pop up through the cracks here and there to admire their unparalleled view of the Steel Bridge.  

A few hundred miles north of us, local charities are teaming up with businesses to turn those places in the city of Vancouver, B.C.'s Downtown Eastside into gardens with work opportunities for those who need them most -

About 50 volunteers took to wheelbarrows, shovels, and drills Saturday to begin construction of a new community garden in the Downtown Eastside.

The half-acre garden, located on East Hastings Street at Hawk Avenue, will provide food, job training, and education on urban agriculture for local residents, businesses, and community organizations starting next year.

This neighborhood is said to be Canada's poorest.  Some food from the garden will be sold at farmers' markets and to local restaurants to support worker's salaries, while some will be donated to meal centers in the neighborhood.

Discuss :: (9 Comments)

July 24 Random News: Unintentionally Canadian-Centric Edition; Also Featuring LA, Ohio and Europe

by: JayinPortland

Thu Jul 24, 2008 at 05:02:25 AM PDT

Update on South Central LA's Fast Food Moratorium

A Los Angeles City Council Planning Committee unanimously approved the current proposal to ban the opening of new fast 'food' restaurants for one year in a 32-square mile area of lower-income communities in the city -

The measure, the latest in efforts by U.S. cities to promote healthier eating, will go to the full council for a vote next month.

If passed, it would affect about half a million Angelenos living in an area that supporters say already has about 400 fast-food eateries and few grocery stores.

Of course, the Professional Whiners at the California Restaurant Association are throwing things, shaking their fists and pitching a fit -

The restaurant industry has lobbied against the measure, saying it places too much blame for obesity at its door.

"Even fast food establishments have healthy choices now. They all offer salads and smaller portions," said Andrew Casana, a spokesman for the California Restaurant Association.

Ooh, salads!  Which come with packets of HFCS-packed 'dressings' that contain just as much crap as their burgers and fries do; but of course, that won't really matter if the chemical and disease-laden industrial veggies in their 'salads' manage to kill you first...

And 'smaller portions'?  12 ounces of nasty crap is still 12 ounces of nasty crap.  It's probably marginally better than 16 ounces of nasty crap, but in the end it's nowhere near comparable to actually eating real food instead.

More items below the fold...

There's More... :: (2 Comments, 867 words in story)
Political Activism Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?


Notable Diaries
- The 2007 Ag Census
- Cuba Diaries
- Mexico Diaries
- Bolivia Diaries
- Philippines Diaries
- My Visit to Growing Power
- My Trip to a Hog Confinement
- Why We Grow So Much Corn and Soy
- How the Chicken Gets to Your Plate

Search




Advanced Search


Blog Roll
Blogs
- Beginning Farmers
- Chews Wise
- City Farmer News
- Civil Eats
- Cooking Up a Story
- Cook For Good
- DailyKos
- Eating Liberally
- Epicurean Ideal
- The Ethicurean
- F is For French Fry
- Farm Aid Blog
- Food Politics
- Food Sleuth Blog
- Foodgirl.ca
- Foodperson.com
- Ghost Town Farm
- Goods from the Woods
- The Green Fork
- Gristmill
- GroundTruth
- Irresistable Fleet of Bicycles
- John Bunting's Dairy Journal
- Liberal Oasis
- Livable Future Blog
- Marler Blog
- My Left Wing
- Not In My Food
- Obama Foodorama
- Organic on the Green
- Rural Enterprise Center
- Take a Bite Out of Climate Change
- Treehugger
- U.S. Food Policy
- Yale Sustainable Food Project

Reference
- Recipe For America
- Eat Well Guide
- Local Harvest
- Sustainable Table
- Farm Bill Primer
- California School Garden Network

Organizations
- The Center for Food Safety
- Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Community Food Security Coalition
- The Cornucopia Institute
- Farm Aid
- Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
- Food and Water Watch
-
National Family Farm Coalition
- Organic Consumers Association
- Rodale Institute
- Slow Food USA
- Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
- Union of Concerned Scientists

Magazines
- Acres USA
- Edible Communities
- Farmers' Markets Today
- Mother Earth News
- Organic Gardening

Book Recommendations
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
- Appetite for Profit
- Closing the Food Gap
- Diet for a Dead Planet
- Diet for a Small Planet
- Food Politics
- Grub
- Holistic Management
- Hope's Edge
- In Defense of Food
- Mad Cow USA
- Mad Sheep
- The Omnivore's Dilemma
- Organic, Inc.
- Recipe for America
- Safe Food
- Seeds of Deception
- Teaming With Microbes
- What To Eat

User Blogs
- Beyond Green
- Bifurcated Carrot
- Born-A-Green
- Cats and Cows
- The Food Groove
- H2Ome: Smart Water Savings
- The Locavore
- Loving Spoonful
- Nourish the Spirit
- Open Air Market Network
- Orange County Progressive
- Peak Soil
- Pink Slip Nation
- Progressive Electorate
- Trees and Flowers and Birds
- Urbana's Market at the Square


Active Users
Currently 0 user(s) logged on.

Powered by: SoapBlox