What’s Wrong with GMOs?

19Oct09

By now most people know that GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. But how do GMOs affect us, the food we eat, and the environment? Jeffrey Smith, founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology provides a solid general overview in this interview.

The Pinky Show: http://www.pinkyshow.org/

Institute for Responsible Technology: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/

Filed under: Food Safety, GMOs, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), Society   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: education, GMO Jeffrey Smith Genetics Genetically Modified Organisms environment health food safety technology science

Home Pesticides Linked to Childhood Cancers

20Sep09

Photo via Health & Healing in North Carolina

Apparently pesticide poisons in the home are a big factor in causing bone marrow cancer (aka. ALL). When scientists did a urine test they found that 33% of kids whose mothers used pesticides in the home had cancer than those who did not (14%). These pesticide poisons are found in at least 85% of all homes and any lymphoma

Home Pesticides Linked to Childhood Cancers: “Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a malignant disease of the bone marrow, is the most common cancer diagnosed in children. In fact, nearly one third of all pediatric cancers are cases of ALL. Although this form of cancer can be cured in many cases, in the worst case scenarios the cancer crowds out normal cells in the bone marrow, metastasizes to other organs and takes the lives of about 15 percent of the youngsters it attacks. What triggers so many kids, usually between the ages of three and seven, to develop this cancer in the first place? A new study just published in the August issue of the journal Therapeutic Drug Monitoring raises the suspicion that commonly used household pesticides are the cause.
“

(Via Natural News.)

Resources

Pesticides and Cancer

Think Twice Before Using Pesticides: Strong Link Found with Pre-Cancerous Condition

Residential Pesticides Linked to Childhood Brain Cancer

Do pesticides cause cancer in children?

Toxic Chemical Pesticides Cause Cancer

Pesticide exposure and cancer

Filed under: Environment, Health and Wellness   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, bone marrow, malignant, OP, organophosphates, pesticides

Share in the Bounty: FoodCycles Harvest Shares

19Sep09

(Photos via Sunny Lam)

QUICK SUMMARY

“FoodCycles is giving special “harvest shares” with no time limit guaranteed. Your money will
a) support a local city farm not for profit,
b) build the way for more local jobs through food,
c) get you local, chemical free organic food and compost with an extra 20% bonus (30% if you’re on FoodCycles mailing list or Facebook group),
d) teach people how to grow good soil and food and
e) help you feel good since you know you’re making a real difference!”

When someone pays for a certificate worth $10, $20 or $50 they actually get $12, $24 or $60 in “gift” money credit which can go to food, compost or education workshops. It can actually be any amount and you’ll get 20% extra gift credit (30% if you’re on FoodCycles mailing list and Facebook group/page – volunteers get this too).

FoodCycles is looking to support from its local community first and foremost.

SUPPORT LOCAL, CHEMICAL FREE FOOD and FARMING

Friends,

Dedicated supporters of FoodCycles will be able to get special shares for credit towards food, compost or education workshops, and get 20% extra credit as a special offer. These pre-paid shares can be gotten as gifts for other people (like a gift card). Don’t forget to spread the word to friends and family especially if they live in Ward 9 or the Downsview area of Toronto. For those on the blog mailing list and our Facebook group or fan page, you get a special deal (see below).

For the FULL VIDEO TALK and the rest of the juicy details go to FoodCycles.org.

Filed under: Agriculture, Environment, Food, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Green Business, Non Profits/Not for Profits, Soil Management, Toronto, Urban Agriculture   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: city farming, Compost, cycles, Food, fundraising, gift certificates, security, Toronto, Urban Agriculture, vermi, vermicompost, worm

FoodCycles Officially Ignites Its Toronto City Farm

14Sep09

From FoodCycles Logbook (Photo via Carla Faccinna)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ONTARIO – September 14, 2009

FoodCycles Officially Ignites Its Toronto City Farm

TORONTO — Join FoodCycles, Toronto’s 2nd city farm (http://foodcycles.org), for their official launch party at Parc Downsview Park on Friday, October 2, 2009. The evening will include music, dancing, refreshments, a tour of the greenhouse and field, and opportunities for meeting with urban food producers and food policy shapers.

Get the full details on the event at FoodCycles.org.

Filed under: Agriculture, Environment, Events, Food, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Green Business, Local Agriculture, Organic Agriculture, Press Releases, Soil Management, Toronto, Urban Agriculture   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: celebration, city farming, Compost, cycles, Downsview Park, Events, festivity, Food, Food Security, market garden, News, Toronto, Urban Agriculture, vermicompost, volunteer, worm

Seed-saving: Keeping the Growing Going!

14Sep09

Photo via My Tiny Plot

Seed-saving: Keeping the Growing Going!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
6:30 – 8:00 pm

Pape Public Library
701 Pape Ave., Toronto
(Pape Subway, on east side of Pape, 1/2 block south of Danforth)
Cost: $5 (COG members free)

Join us as Maria Kasstan, a member of Seeds of Diversity, shares with us how we can save the seed from our gardens so that we can keep the cycle of growing going year after year. Seeds of Diversity works to preserve heirloom and rare plants through a network of seed-savers, and has a special project, Pollination Canada, a nation-wide survey of bees and other pollinators by citizen observers. A practical and informative session for beginner and seasoned gardeners alike.

Contact COG Toronto at torontochapter@cog.ca.

Filed under: Events, Gardening, Seed Saving, Toronto, Workshops   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: biodiversity, city, Gardening, pollination, Seed Saving, Urban Agriculture

How Vegetarianism Can Stop Global Warming

20Aug09

Photo and quote via Queenofheartss: “This is how you traditionally hack up a cow. Think about it.”

MEAT OF THE MATTER

Eating meat spews out more air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions than driving cars. In fact, cutting meat out helps more than switching to a Toyota Prius or eating locally. Always remember however that supporting local farmers who farm without chemicals, drugs and hormones helps to support people in your local community by providing jobs while cutting down on water and air pollution. Alas lots of people like eating too much meat as we’ve mentioned in a previous post.

Read the rest of the post at FoodCycles.org.

Filed under: Agriculture, Food, Food Distribution, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Gardening, Health and Wellness, Local Agriculture, Organic Agriculture, Science, Urban Agriculture, Vegetables and Fruit   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: animals, consumption, energy, food miles, freight, health, lagoons, lifecycle, Lifestyle, manure, meat, Prius, Toyota, vegan, vegetarian

How to Sleep “Over” a Garden

30Jul09

Most people might have slept “in” a garden yet how many do you know have slept “over” one? Jane Hutton (FoodCycles latest member) and her partner Adrian designed an award winning sleep-above-the-garden net as part of the 10th Edition of the International Garden Festival at Les Jardins de Métis in Grand-Métis, Quebec. The festival runs from June 27th to October 4th, 2009 and Jane says “the Gaspe is an absolutely amazing place to visit too.”

Read the rest of the post at FoodCycles.org.

Filed under: Art and Design, Gardening   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: art, Buckminster, design, Dymaxion, Fuller, garden, Grand-Métis, International Garden Festival, Les Jardins de Métis, map, quebec, sensory garden, sleep, world

Call 4 People: Gardener Interviews in Toronto!

23Jul09

(Photo via SCU)

FoodCycles, a Toronto urban farm, would like to conduct interviews of home gardeners and community gardeners in Toronto.
The goal of the the face-to-face interviews is to better understand gardening practices in Toronto, as well as the gardeners’ habits and needs.

Read the rest of the post at FoodCycles.org.

Filed under: Community Gardening, Gardening, Toronto, Urban Agriculture, Video/Film   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: community gardeners, Community Gardens, gardeners, marketing research

Super Bacteria in Fertilizer Breeding More Super Bugs

21Jul09

(Photo via LimbicNutrition Weblog)

Sewage sludge is often used as fertilizer on the fields of factory farmers. And we’ve seen what that sort of thing has done – from food poisoning in Earthbound salad greens to the current outbreaks of swine flu. Now there’s more proof that it may be creating super bugs that human drugs can’t beat.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Found in Fertilizer Could Breed More Super Bugs: “(NaturalNews) Waste-water treatment by-products, also known as sewage sludge, are frequently used as fertilizer. And that means whatever this stew of sewage leftovers contains, including substances hazardous to human and animal health, could potentially get into the food supply.

According to research just published in the European medical journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, that exact scenario may have already happened. Scientists have recently found antibiotic resistant super bugs in sewage sludge — and they are sounding the alarm about the danger of antibiotic resistance genes passing into the human food chain.
“

(Via Natural News.)

Once these super bugs start moving around they can do more than give people deadly infections that don’t heal easy. They can also pass on their super resistance to other bacteria or bugs – creating a lot of them. More than one could imagine.

Filed under: Health and Wellness, Medicine   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: antibiotics, bacteria, fertilizers, super bugs

Building Worm Bins Brews Good Soil [Work Event #1]

19Jul09

The prototype worm bin made of spruce. The modular unit will have 4 of these made with fir plus the growing tables over it. It’ll be elevated too. (Photo via Sunny Lam)

Want to gain some hands on construction experience? Do you enjoy using hammers, nails or handling wood? Do you want to learn how to build a really big worm composting bin to handle food waste like a pro? Here’s your chance! FoodCycles will be constructing its first modular set of worm bins, sprout-salad-herb growing tables and runoff collection systems on Tue, Jul 28, Wed Jul 29 and Sat, Aug 1, 2009 (10 am – 4 pm) at the FoodCycles greenhouse farm (70 Canuck Ave, map and directions http://bit.ly/1GYyWQ). Register ahead of time if you want to come by emailing foodcycles@gmail.com or call 416.845.0818. It’s a potluck lunch event and don’t forget to bring closed toe shoes, extra water, lighter layers and sunscreen. There will be more 3-day building sessions to follow over the next few months so stay tuned! Learn more about FoodCycles city farm at http://foodcycles.org or http://bit.ly/xxTmA.

From Growing Power – Rebekka's photos

Filed under: Composting, Events, Skill Development, Toronto, Training, Volunteering, technology   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: construction, design, volunteer, worm bins, worm composting