Green Files

City Slickers Go to the Farm – Propelled by the New Apprentice Farmer Program
by Sarah Dobec

There is a wonderful trend developing on the planet that is stirring us to know the origins of our vegetables and the people who grow them. Simply note the number of new farmer’s markets in Toronto alone and there is clearly a growing interest in local food. Consumers get a certain satisfaction from the weekly journey to the market, hand picking seasonal vegetables and fruit and then developing a healthy meal around what is available that week.

Maybe you have been drawn to consider the life of the farmer on the opposite side of the beets, carrots and arugula. They are friendly, knowledgeable of tomato varieties, healthy, tanned and easy going. Seems intriguing to grow food but what is the life of a farmer like? If you have ever wanted to learn more about farming there is a program developed specifically for this experience.

CRAFT – Collaborative Regional Apprentice Farmer Training is a wordy title for a program that allows those who might not have the opportunity to farm to give it a try. Fourteen farms across Southwestern Ontario open their barn doors to over 40 apprentices who want to experience farm life and potentially become new farmers of the future. While each farm is very different in size and focus the similarities lie in their willingness to teach, house and feed their apprentices for the entire growing season. In return you sign on to work hard, get dirty and learn.

These farms are in full swing now, the apprentices accustomed to the early mornings, dirty fingernails and sore muscles. The purpose of CRAFT is to educate participants about organic farming practices with a hands on approach. Each farm has a slightly different agenda, yet each is committed to teaching growing techniques, farm management and the importance of building the organic farming community.

Each month the farmers congregate on one property, the host farm, to learn what is unique about that land and its production – perhaps the farm is biodynamic or works solely by horsepower. The 40+ participants then partake in a group project as a thank you to the host farm and help perform a task that could be anything from weeding a large garden bed to raising a barn. Several farms have additional educational trips to places such as the Ontario Food Terminal, seed companies, and larger organic operations. Education is an integral part of the CRAFT experience.

Another unique aspect of the CRAFT program is the commitment to the entire growing season. You are able to learn everything from seeding in the greenhouse while the ground is still frosty, transplanting, tending, harvesting and cover cropping at the end of the season. Some farms have livestock and incorporate animal chores into the apprentice position. Many of the farms participate in a local farmer’s market that involves a regular trip to town with that week’s harvest. The organic market stalls open customer’s eyes to the options and difference between conventionally farmed foods and organic ones. This involvement in the community gives people the opportunity to talk to the farmers and ask questions about organics.

Most of the farms operate CSA gardens. A CSA – Community Supported Agriculture – is an arrangement where members of the garden buy shares in advance of the season providing the farmer with financial means to buy seeds and supplies. The members then receive weekly deliveries of fresh, seasonal produce throughout the growing season. This unique arrangement encourages members to get to know their farmer and know who is growing their food. Many farms expect the members to volunteer a few hours a month. Getting hands-on experience (and a little dirty) helps the member to truly appreciate the hard work involved in organic farming and creates a community around that farm. CSA farms commonly distribute a weekly newsletter with a list of the basket contents for that week as well as recipes often submitted by the members. This unique approach to purchasing produce introduces the members to products they may never have tried before, adds variety to their diets, and teaches them about seasonal cooking.

Committing to five or more months may seem difficult for most people, however CRAFT can be compared to the traditional three to six month trip to Europe experienced by many people who need to break out of their usual routines and are searching for something they cannot find at home – a new experience and perhaps even a new life’s purpose. A summer spent farming can be life altering for many. Several CRAFT apprentices have gone onto starting their own farms, CSAs, and similar businesses. These start ups have sparked the need for further programs such as Farm Start that helps support new farm enterprises and Farmers Growing Farmers (a mentorship program for new farmers).

A program like CRAFT ensures that small, organic farming practices are not lost to the “superstore” attitude of food.  It allows even the urbanite a short-term chance to be a farmer, and as issues such as food security and world food shortages become the forefront of global news, the knowledge of growing food will become more of a necessity rather than a hobby. We might even find ourselves consulting with our grandparents and aged population for their gardening wisdom.

For more information link to CRAFT, Farm Start, or Farmers Growing Farmers.

Gliding Through the Gridlock: The New Wave of Urban Bicycle Commuters

You may not think you’ve met one, but you’ve surely seen one.  Maybe you’re about to surprise yourself and become one. We’re talking about a city creature known as the Urban Bicycle Commuter. The “UBC”. This is not the cyclist you see in the spandex on what looks like a paper bike. (That’s probably a bike courier.) Nor is it the hippie chick on the massive mountain bike. 

No, the UBC is the one who wears a suit (or couture dress) to work every day, who stores their bike outside year round, who demands a more theft-resistant vehicle while prizing beautiful design. They have a transportation carbon footprint of zero and they never pay for parking. The UBC wants a bike that’s more rust-resistant, that gives them a safe and stable ride – and, since they know that their bike is going to last for decades, a bike with classic, timeless looks.

UBCs – both current and potential – are the reason Curbside Cycle exists. What began 15 years ago as an enterprise in a tent at the side of the curb is now a full-fledged store in Toronto’s Annex neighborhood, but it retains its commitment to providing the kind of sturdy yet elegant bikes that could very well make urban bicycle commuters out of all city dwellers. 

It started when the employees began modifying existing bikes – and in the process, became very early creators of what is now known as a hybrid bicycle. Inspired by the flourishing bike cultures of European cities like London and Amsterdam, they turned their focus to urban-specific bikes. Soon Toronto’s Curbside Cycle was the exclusive North American provider of the ultimate Dutch city bike, the Batavus. Next came the desire to make great, functional and gorgeous bikes accessible to everyone across Canada. And so they looked at the inventory on the fourth floor of their shop and a new distribution enterprise was born  – and Fourth Floor Distribution pretty much named itself.

While anyone in North America can purchase bikes from the Curbside Cycle website, the creation of Fourth Floor Distribution means that quadriceps-propelled commuters across the country can now have a hands-on bike-buying experience. Dealers already carrying Fourth Floor Distribution exclusive stock (including Batavus, Biomega, Pashley and Koga-Miyata) dot the map from Vancouver to Quebec City – with several other savvy stores in between.

Like Curbside Cycle, Fourth Floor Distribution will always be dedicated to the Urban Bicycle Commuter – and to that strip of the road beside the curb that is their path.

Curbside Cycle and Fourth Floor Distribution are located at 412 Bloor Street West, Toronto. (416) 920.4933 or toll free: 1-866-920-4933.

Power in the Wind

Wind power has huge potential as a clean energy source in Ontario. Carefully planned wind development, combined with other renewable sources like hydro, solar and biomass, can help Ontario go a long way toward replacing dirty coal power. A coalition of wind power developers in Ontario has developed a new website, isupportwindpower.com, to demonstrate that people across Ontario are keen to tap into the power blowing in the wind. If you think wind power should be a significant part of Ontario’s energy mix, we encourage you to visit the site and register your support.

The Ontario Clean Air Alliance is a diverse, multi-stakeholder coalition of approximately 90 organizations including cities, health associations, environmental and public interest groups, corporations, public utilities, unions, faith communities and individuals. The OCAA’s short-term goal is to achieve the complete phase out of Ontario’s four coal-fired power plants by 2010. Our long term goal is to ensure that all of our electricity needs are met by ecologically sustainable renewable sources. Our partner organizations represent more than six million Ontarians.

Contact Jessica Fracassi, Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Phone: 416-926-1907 ext. 245

Prevent Cancer Now
Organization Urges Canadian Government to Ban Asbestos Mining and Protect Canadians from Toxic Cosmetics

Prevent Cancer Now is appealing to all Canadians to send a wake-up call to our governments and regulatory agencies to take steps to control our exposure to carcinogens.

“Most cancers are preventable. We already know the links between smoking and lung cancer, or over-exposure to the sun and skin cancer, but there are scores of other cancer hazards that are beyond our personal control, but preventable,” notes Liz Armstrong, co-founder of Prevent Cancer Now and co-author of Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society, 2007).

In April, the Canadian Cancer Society released 2008 cancer statistics and they reveal that while cancer incidence and death rates in Canada may have stabilized for most cancers over the past decade, incidence rates from the 1970s tell another story. Rates can fluctuate from year to year, but the average age-adjusted incidence for men during the 1970s was 367 per 100,000, compared to the 2008 estimate of 462 cases per 100,000. Among women, the average incidence rate was 294 per 100,000 during the 1970s, and is estimated to be 361 per 100,000 in 2008.

The new data also reveals that 30% of new cancer cases and 18% of cancer deaths will occur in young and middle-aged adults, aged 20-59, and that cancer incidence is rising in young women ages 20-39. An estimated 39% of women and 45% of men will develop cancer in their lifetime, and 1 of every 4 Canadians will die from cancer.

Time to ban mining and export of asbestos – Asbestos is a known carcinogen, listed as such by the World Health Organization, and banned for use by most industrial countries, including Canada. Nevertheless Canada continues to mine and export asbestos to developing countries, putting Canadians who work with asbestos and their families at potential risk for cancer, along with millions who are exposed to the material in other countries.   

“Prevent Cancer Now was pleased that the Canadian Cancer Society last July joined many other organizations including PCN to call on the government of Canada to ban the mining and export of asbestos,” notes Armstrong. “And earlier this month, labour organizations in India (the recipient country of the majority of Canada’s asbestos products) issued a public plea to Canadians to stop this dangerous and life-threatening practice.”

More regulation of cosmetic products required – Prevent Cancer Now is also working in partnership with Breast Cancer Action Montréal to regulate the safety of ingredients in cosmetic products sold in Canada. 

“Currently cosmetics can contain known or suspected carcinogens and reproductive toxins because of the way Health Canada regulates cosmetics,” says Daghofer. “More regulation and testing of cosmetic ingredients is required. This is something Health Canada could put in place to help safeguard Canadians from carcinogens,” says Daghofer.

Restrict use of cosmetic pesticides – On the cosmetic pesticide front, many local governments have banned or restricted the use of cosmetic pesticides over the years, but broader regulation is needed.

“Even dogs experience more bladder cancer when their owners use certain herbicides on their lawns,” said Guy Dauncey, Co-Chair of Prevent Cancer Now. “Why would we think they were safe for humans, especially children?”

“Prevent Cancer Now agrees with many other pesticide campaigners that we need more than local by-laws: we need provincial and federal action to ban the cosmetic use of pesticides right across Canada”, he adds.