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The Cover of
Edible Toronto
magazine: |
This is the cover of the summer edition of Edible Toronto magazine.
Tell us what do you think. Is this picture too squirmy for a food
mag? Perhaps it is time for people to think about where food comes
from and how worms help maintain soil where food is grown.
Give us your opinion. Post a message on our facebook page. |
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Green
Connections
is going mobile.
Each meeting will now be hosted at a different location.
Next meetings:
August 9, 2010
Georgina Trades Training Inc.
5207 Baseline Road, Sutton
(Pot-luck to follow meeting)
September 13, 2010
Township of King
Visit our website,
for information on upcoming
Green Connections Exhibition
(October 18, 8:00 - 4:30)
to be hosted at Earth Rangers.
Guests are always welcome.
For full details visit:
green-connections.com
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Richters: Your best source for everything herbal
Thank you for your talk of "Vermicomposting".
We appreciate you coming to Richters to share your Passion!
Once again thank
you, It was amazing.
Bonnie M.
Richters |
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| Featured Video
of the month: |
The Story of Cosmetics |
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Click here to see video
The Story of Cosmetics, released on July 21st, 2010, examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products, from lipstick to baby shampoo. |
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The Apple and the Worm
I bit an apple
That had a worm.
I swallowed the apple,
I swallowed the worm.
I felt it squiggle,
I felt it squirm.
I felt it wiggle,
I felt it turn.
It felt so slippery,
Slimy, scummy,
I felt it land - PLOP -
In my tummy!
I guess that worm is there to stay
Unless . . .
I swallow a bird some day!
From The Thinking Fountain -
The Science Museum of Minnesota |
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Now available, free of charge courtesy Duca Credit Union, blank greeting
cards. Contact Cathy to get your hands on some.
These beautiful cards featuring illustrations by the famed Dutch born
artist Sabelis were commissioned to celebrate 55 years of service
in Southern Ontario by Duca Credit Union.
Cathy & Rick both have had personal and business accounts with Duca
for over 25 years and we can honestly say that we have not found
any financial institution that even comes close to Duca in customer
service. Duca offers the same services as the chartered banks with a fraction of the service charges!
And, Duca actually pays shares out to it's members. It really is
just like a bank, but better.
Duca is currently having a member drive, so if you are interested in a positive banking experience head into one of their branches and tell them Cathy's Crawly Composters sent you. You won't be disapointed. |
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Summer Wrap-up
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getinline is Surrey Place Centres signature fundraising
event where annually hundreds of Torontonians walk, inline
skate and fundraise to show their support for people with developmental
disabilities. getinline 2010 is taking place on Sunday, August 15th
at Woodbine Park.
Facts about getinline:
- getinline was founded in 2004 by a group of friends wanting to make a difference in the lives of people with developmental disabilities.
- As we mark our 7th year, many of these friends are still very much involved.
- Over the last 6 years, getinline has grown from raising $40,000 in the first year to $100,000 annually.
- The success of getinline is due to our amazing volunteers, dedicated participants and sponsors.
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Support Cathy's Journey
Surrey Place Centre helps people with developmental disabilities live to their potential - all of their lives, and on Sunday, August 15th, I will be joining hundreds of Torontonians as they walk, inline skate and fundraise for people with developmental disabilities.
Over half a million dollars has been raised since however, our help is still needed to ensure that much-needed programs for children, adults and their families continue to be available - today and in the future.
Join me! You can either sponsor me or register as a participant and collect pledges yourself. I promise it will be a fun day and you will be making a immediate difference to the lives of many.
Follow this link to support my journey and to follow my progress so far. |
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Announcing:
The Toronto Star's
Great Garbage Challenge Winners |
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From article by: Ellen Moorhouse
(Special to the Star)
Inaugural contest winners are taking garbage
very seriously.
The decision was difficult and the jury was at first divided.
 But
the winners of Trash Talks inaugural garbage contest have been
chosen.
In
first place are four Grade 12 World Issues students from Thornlea
Secondary School in Thornhill. Amber Li, Christine Lee, Grace Lim
and Ying Li put together a thoughtful proposal for introducing the
green bin to their school.
In second spot are Grade 5 students from Mazo de la Roche French
immersion school in Newmarket. Mazo de la Roche students won second prize for their
stomp program which gets students dancing to flatten 70 boxes that
accumulate on school pizza days.
 In third place, are the children from Jackie Ahmads senior kindergarten
class at Springfield Preparatory, a private school in Mississauga. They
had been thinking about what they could do for the earth, Ahmad said,
and came up with the idea of collecting little bits of paper from around
the school for composting.
Also intriguing, but not exactly fitting contest criteria, were the
Trash Talk rap poems submitted by Benita Hayes class at Weston Memorial
Junior Public School: We aint gonna leave this place like a dump.
If we dont help now the world is gonna go THUMP!" (We hope the students
will perform and post them on YouTube.)
Some students submitted off-the-wall recycling ideas (cigarette butts
turned into eyeglass frames, for example) and impressive renderings
of robotic creations for sorting trash. Though fanciful, these suggestions
contain nuggets of ideas that experts are actually pursuing. (A Chilean
designer, for example, blends washed cigarette butt fibre and wool to
produce yarn and clothing.)
So, kids, keep on imagining. And thanks for the more than 20 worthwhile
entries to Trash Talks garbage challenge.
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| Upcoming Events
|
Date: August
28, 2010
Event: Live Green Toronto Festival
Location: Dundas Square,
Toronto |
Date: Sept.
18, 2010 (9:00 am - 9:00 pm)
Event: Passport to Wellness
Location: Aurora Cultural Centre - Church
St. Aurora, ON
(*note: This event will sell out. Register
early to avoid disapointment.) |
Date: Sept.
22 - 24, 2010*
Event: The Compost Council of Canada - 20th Anniversary Conference
Location: Ottawa, ON
(*note: Cathy will be speaking on the 23rd.) |
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For a full listing
of all events please visit
our website. |
Vermicomposting Research
Looking for participants!
 We
were recently in contact with Heather Cruickshank, a Social Anthropology
student at York University. Heather is conducting a fascinating
and important study on a topic that is near and dear to our hearts
(all five of them), Vermicomposting. If you, or some one you know
would like to be involved in Heather's study please read the following
letter and contact her at the address below.
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Hello,
Do you live in
Southern Ontario? Do you have past or current experience with
vermicomposting in your home, backyard, or wider community?
If so, I would love to hear from you!
 I'm a graduate student at York University, and I'm currently researching
small-scale vermicomposting. I'm looking for people who can tell me about their
experiences.
If you decide to participate, I will ask you to complete a short demographic
survey, which will take about 5 minutes. I will also ask you
to share about 2 hours of your time to talk about your vermicomposting
experiences.
I would like to learn:
- How and why did you get involved in vermicomposting?
- What are some of the experiences, good and bad, that you've had with vermicomposting?
- How has vermicomposting influenced your daily life and your relationships with the environment and other organisms?
 I will respect the privacy of all
participants. Only my research supervisor and myself will have access to your
personal information. Any quotes or other information that I include in future
reports will be kept anonymous (unless you prefer to be named).
If you are interested
in participating - or would like more information - please contact me at hcruicks@yorku.ca.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Heather Cruickshank
M.A. Student, Social Anthropology
York University
hcruicks@yorku.ca |
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In the
News
Print
- Crawly Composters Feed Gardens ... and Nourish Kids Imaginations
It sounded so mature: Wait for me, Dad! Im really interested in those worms, five-year-old Emma admonished as I carted the pound of worms to the basement without her. She zipped past me on the stairs and scurried to our new worm composter, a three-tiered apartment-like affair also known as a vermicomposter. Quinn tagged along too, though I didnt know what reaction to expect from him: at two years old, hes quick to protest when his hands are dirty.
Read
more ...
- Learning to love great brown fields of creepy, crawly, composters
Listen up parents, teachers, kids and all seekers of knowledge! On June 1 in the auditorium of the Albion Bolton Community Centre, a dynamite presentation is happening: LIFE LESSONS AND LEARNING TO LOVE WORMS.
Sound a little quirky? This is the last Green TEA speakers night until fall and my bet is that it may just be one of the best.
Read
more ...
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| For all the wormy
news please visit
our website. |
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Did you Know?
- There are more than just worms breaking down organics in your
worm bin. In fact, a healthy composter will contain over a billion
different microbes that help break down organic matter into nutrient
rich humas. This group of microbes is known as a microherd.
Is it any wonder worm cast is fondly referred to as "Living Soil"?
Composting expert David Hall of San Antonio(DcHall_San_Antonio), recently published a list of benefits provided by microscopic denizens in our worm composters:
- Decompose plant residues and manure to humus.
- Retain nutrients in the form of stable humus.
- Combine nitrogen and carbon to prevent nutrient loss.
- Suppress fungus and bacterial diseases.
- Produce plant growth regulators.
- Develop soil structure, tilth, and water penetration/retention.
- Clean up chemical residues.
- Shift soil pH to neutral and keep it there.
- Search out and retrieve nutrients in distant parts of the soil.
- Decompose thatch and keep it from returning.
- Control nitrogen supply to the plants according to need.
- Pull minerals out of inorganic soil components for plants.
"Soil microbes need sugar and protein to thrive. When you apply
synthetic ferts, none of the things on this list gets done. The
microbes normally get sugar from plant roots. Protein in nature
comes from dead insects,
plants, and animals. The organic gardener applies protein artificially
in the form or organic fertilizers. It is usually in the form
of a ground up
meal made from plants and animals to try to replicate the natural
process". - David Hall
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Featured - Business
Raindance Cosmetics - Chemical Free & Organic
Make-up |
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Inspired by The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Raindance
Cosmetics wants to share information that affects the Canadian
public. We are concerned about the health of our families
and friends, therefore we wish to provide access to safe
personal care products which are also beautiful and delicious
to use. At Raindance Cosmetics, we have you covered! Mercury
free mascara, Lead free lipstick, triethanolamine/paraben/talc
free eye shadows, chemical free baby lotions and sunscreens!
We are a family business, interested in selling only products
that we have personally tested and use in our own home -
we have done the research for you!
After our daughter experienced a painful reaction to the
hand soap in her elementary school, we were driven to learn
what is used in commonly available  personal care products.
We were shocked to find harsh chemicals and commonly-known
carcinogens throughout the lists of ingredients.
Even brands we purchased from our local health food stores
contained these chemicals and unlisted by-products of ingredient
combinations that have been banned in other countries for
years!
You should still do a small skin test prior to using any
skin or cosmetic product, certified organic or not, but we
have been working hard to figure it all out and offer it
to you in a simple, accessible way. Did you know? There are
over 1100 chemicals that have been banned in the European
Union for use in cosmetics and personal care products for
being carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive toxins.
For more information on harmful chemicals in personal care
products and why we found it necessary to offer alternatives,
please check out our Research page.
NEW! Raindance Cosmetics has created a custom line of Raindance
brand skin care products manufactured in Ontario, Canada.
Raindance skin care products are wholesome, vegan, and never
tested on animals. We package our lotions in beautiful glass
bottles instead of plastic because it's better for us and
our environment. We ship our products packaged in starch
pellets which are compostable and biodegradable. We send
our lipstick samples wrapped in vegetable cellulose which
also composts, won't leach or off gas and biodegrades in
30-90 days.
Our products contain only natural ingredients and every
product is proudly shown with it's complete ingredient list.
For further information please visit our website: www.raindancecosmetics.ca
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"I have been using the Raindance Daily Moisturizer for a
month now and my skin feels incredibly soft and a number of
people have remarked that my skin looks radiant!"
Cathy |
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