any Vancouverites
are becoming
increasingly

interested in the wave of

 

 

sustainable living ideas that are
becoming more mainstream
with each passing day. One of the biggest considerations
has become agriculture. Basically, our food and where it
comes from, who produces it and how.

In February, Vancouver’s Food Policy Council, who
give recommendations to City Councillors, formally
voted to float the matter of allowing urbanites to keep
chickens in Vancouver backyards. Currently Vancouver’s
by-laws prohibit the raising of chickens on land less than
an acre. While many have objected to the keeping of
chickens within city limits owners and cultivators say that
the rumours are simply not true. The noise, the smell, and
a greater attraction for predators are all concerns that have
been voiced. Many who already legally keep backyard
chickens have said the noise a hen makes clucking is
comparably far less than a barking dog. And while dog
droppings are thrown away chicken excrement goes
straight into the compost for reuse. The chickens also
encourage further agriculture within one’s own backyard
as they consume slugs, worms, and other pests that can
be a detriment to any garden plus provide a free, natural
fertilizer.

The cities of Victoria, Buniaby, and Richmond all
clearly agree as their residents legally raise backyard
chickens already, joining other urban centres such as New
York, Portland, Los Angeles, and Miami.

 

Other initiatives include community gardens like

the one that is currently being constructed on an unused
part of the Vancouver City Hall lawn. A variety of fruits
and vegetables can be grown, which are eaten, sold or
donated. Food security is also discussed in context of
urban agriculture though most in the city are not in danger
of starvation, the availability of food, in the middle of

a densely populated urban city could be affected if the
means of transportation were disrupted, raising the issue
of food security in industrialized dwellings. A community
garden guarantees food security, and has the added benefit
of bringing the community closer together as neighbours
work in tandem tending to their plots.

These ideas are only two of the countless ways to
live “green”. Other methods can be found at http://www.
bankrate.com/brm/news/energy-environment-2007/tips_
environmental_main_al.asp

 

‘News Shorts

   

 

YWCA begins aboriginal mentorship pilot program

By Wendy A. Case

Mentorship Program. The pilot program’s first
meeting between mentors and young Aboriginal
girls in grades nine and ten took place this past weekend.

The program is targeted towards aboriginal girls in
Grades 9 and 10. According to the program’s coordinator,
Eve Wilensky, “the regular program wasn’t reaching
the Aboriginal population.” That program is targeted to
students in Grades .11 and 12.

The main problem according to Wilensky is that
“many of the Aboriginal students aren’t making it to
the senior grades to take advantage of the mainstream
program.” The Aboriginal Mentorship Program is a
response to that. It seeks to help Aboriginal students until
they are old enough for the regular program.

The mentors are Aboriginal women, mostly
attending post-secondary. They serve as established
Aboriginal role models who are involved in their
communities and highly value education.

The pairs are matched based on personality and
relevant experience. Young students who are thinking of
going into a certain field are paired with a mentor in that
field if at all possible.

The pairings agree to meet at least twice a month
on a one-on-one basis. The pairs plan their activities
together and do a variety of things from studying to going
to movies and for excursions around Vancouver. The
YWCA also hosts a meeting at the end of each month for

6

[™ YWCA has begun its new Aboriginal

the entire group.

The first meeting featured ice breaking games and
discussions led by the YouthCO AIDS Society’s Theatre
Troupe coordinator, Anna Soole. Mentors and students
that hadn’t been matched were matched as much as
possible at the meeting.

All of the participants expressed their belief that the
pilot project will work out. They also expressed their
hope to learn from each other and the program.

The YWCA is still looking for mentors and
Aboriginal students in Grades 9 and 10. For further
information please contact Eve Wilensky, program
coordinator, at 604.895.5798.

 

 

  

rn re oer
- Barth Run 2009

Anew sriek 1s betaine thls year called
_ “Earth Run.” The event will be taking place
on April 5" beginning at 8:00 a.m. This will
be a five-kilometre fun run taking place
along the seawall in Stanley Park, and will

included unplugged music and eco-friendly

information booths to help people learn
__ more about how to be more sustainable. The
_ David Suzuki Foundation and Evergreen are
the benefiting organizations according to a

press release by the Earth Run Foundation.
_ According to the group, “Earth Run is
leading the way and has eliminated typical
run practices to reduce waste and carbon
footprint. Working with Athletes for a Fit
Planet, Earth Run follows the strict CRS
(Council for Responsible Sport) standards to
ensure minimal impact.”

For more information check out www.
earthrun.com.

Environmentalists applaud BC
Government :
10 environmentalist groups in British

Columbia, including the Sierra Club of

‘Canada in BC, Forest Ethics, BC Nature,

CPAWS, and many others, are commending
the BC Government on the recent legislation
to help protect mountain caribou in BC,
which included designating about 2.2
million hectares of land in BC for their
sanctuary. However, the group also believes
that this is not quite enough. According to

a recent press release, they believe that the
new policies need to be “fully enacted [or]
provided enforcement for the snowmobile

laces guabren secure the herd

‘The group stated that they “need assurance