Dirt Fights Climate Change Guaranteed

01Dec09

The UK’s Soil Association just put out a report 5 days before Copenhagen that farming’s biggest thing is in fighting climate change — putting carbon back into the soil and earth. Organic, chemical free farms have dirt that has 20-28% more carbon (the lego brick of all life) than your burned out non-organic, chemical fried farm. If the whole world turned to organic farming, you could cut greenhouse gas emissions (not to mention air pollution or acid rain) by 11%.

Filed under: Agriculture, climate change, climate chaos, Composting, Environment, Food, Food Sovereignty, Global/World, Organic Agriculture, Society, Soil, Soil Management, sustainability, technology, Urban Agriculture, vermicomposting   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: biochar, carbon, climate change, COP15, copenhagen, dirt, greenhouse gas emissions, Soil Management

7 Points for Fantastic Food and Cities

22Nov09

Dr. Wayne Roberts spoke on food policy and a new vision for cities at Toledo Library in the US. As always his witty humour is always a hit. The photos he uses in the presentation are also quite insightful. Dr. Roberts also proposes hopeful solutions and answers to fixing cities and the food system. If you want the quick written summary you can read it below.

Filed under: Agriculture, Community Development, Community Gardening, Composting, Conferences, Environment, Food, Food Distribution, Food Justice, Food Retail, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Gardening, Global/World, Health and Wellness, Local Agriculture, Meat Me Organic, Policy and Law, Skill Development, Society, Soil Management, sustainability, Toronto, Urban Agriculture, Urban Development, Vegetables and Fruit, vermicomposting, Video/Film, Youth   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: careers, cities, colleges, Community Development, community food systems, Community Gardens, development, direct trade, economy, fair trade, Food, job, policy, public health, standard of living, urban, Wayne Roberts

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

19Jul09

FoodCycles will be constructing its first modular set of worm bins, sprout-salad-herb growing tables and runoff collection systems on Mon, Jul 27, Wed Jul 29 and Sat, Aug 1, 2009 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. There will be 7 more 3-day building sessions to follow over the next few months so stay tuned!

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

City Farm Hands – FoodCycles, Toronto, ON, ft/pt [Volunteer Job]

10Jul09

Are you interested in:  City farming, gardening and growing food?  Learning the practical side of environmental and food issues?  Getting lots of exercise and fresh air?  Composting and creating good soil?  Learning skills to get you a paying job?  Are you ready to make a difference!

Filed under: Community Development, Composting, Gardening, Jobs/Careers, Local Agriculture, Soil Management, Urban Agriculture, Vegetables and Fruit, Volunteering   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: assistance, city, farming, FoodCycles, News, Urban Agriculture, volunteer

Black Gold Bankruptcy: 4 Things to Beware Of

27Apr09

Wrecking good soil is like wrecking the foundations of your house. It’s costly and it’s dangerous (not to mention the possibility of having the roof collapse on your head). The destruction of healthy, nutritious soil costs US agriculture $20 billion a year [1]. Topsoil (the stuff you get when you jab your hand into the first 6 inches of dirt) is vanishing faster than you can say, “Duh” in a third of the world’s food growing land.[1]

Filed under: Agriculture, Composting, Environment, Food Sovereignty, Soil, Soil Management   |  1 Comment
Tags: Agriculture, chemical, Compost, conventional, crisis, environmental, erosion, organic, Soil Management, tillage, topsoil, waste

RFP: Marketing Consultant(s) for Compost and Food Products, Toronto, Ontario (FoodCycles)

30Mar09

FoodCycles is seeking marketing consultant(s) to conduct refined market research and develop a strategic marketing plan for 2009.

Filed under: Composting, Green Business, Jobs/Careers, Toronto, Urban Development   |  3 Comments
Tags: advertising, contracts, demo, design, eco, environmentally friendly, FoodCycles, jobs, marketing, packaging, request for proposal, RFP, sustainable

“Lost” star confesses: “I’ve been worming”

16Mar09

If you’re a fan of ‘Lost’ you’ll get a kick out of this.  Jorge Garcia, who plays Hurley, blogs about his worm  composting operation, offering this assessment:  ‘It’s fun and gross at the same time.’ 

Filed under: Composting, Soil Management   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: actors, celebrities, LOST, Soil, TV series, vermicomposting, worm composting, worms

Urban Homesteading Workshop Series 2009

07Mar09

Little City Farm is a small-scale urban homestead in Kitchener. We are dedicated to promoting urban agriculture, basic homesteading skills, and hands-on sustainable living in the city. All workshops listed will be held at Little City Farm, 508 Duke St. W, Kitchener.

Filed under: Agriculture, Composting, Fermentation, Food, Health and Wellness, Homesteading, Skill Development, Training, Urban Agriculture, Workshops   |  1 Comment
Tags: composter, dolls, Fermentation, Food, fruits, homeopath, knit, learning, life, organic, preservation, saving, seedling, Skill Development, skills, soap, toys, Training, twig, willow, workshop

Digital Project Teaches Eco-Friendly Farming

11Jan09

“Digital Green” is a project of Microsoft Research India working to speed sustainable farming techniques to large numbers of small and marginal farmers in India via modern information technology.

Filed under: Agriculture, Composting, Environment, Organic Agriculture, technology, Training   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Composting, database, developing nations, ecologically friendly, education, environmentally friendly, India, information technology, IT, knowledge sharing, learning, skill building, Soil Management, sustainable, sustainable agriculture, third world, Training