30th Annual Guelph Organic Conference

School gardeners perform better in the classroom

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:53:04 +0000

photo by KIPPA MATTHEWS
Briony Coolledge shows the fruit of the students’ labour at Kingsway school in Goole

Youngsters who get dug in are eating more fruit and vegetables, making them healthier and happier

By Mark Jewsbury and Jonathan Owen
Sunday, 27 June 2010

Briony Coolledge is enthusiastic about maths these days. But ask her about her new-found fondness for the subject and she will enthuse about the fun she had planting and measuring the metre-squared raised seed beds in her school garden.

“I love sowing the seeds,” the 10-year-old said. “I love watching them grow. I especially enjoyed planting the vegetables. I love working outside and it’s great fun when you eat things such as raspberries and strawberries.”

Briony is a pupil at Kingsway Primary School in Goole, Yorkshire, where the school garden has flourished as part of The Independent on Sunday’s Let Children Grow campaign. The garden is “embedded into the curriculum”, Liam Jackson, the school’s headteacher said.

“Once we got them outside we found they were engaging more. Teaching English is key, and we have made a lot of use of the garden, especially with creative writing. We have had the children keeping a diary and writing about being lost in the garden,” he said.

Anne-Marie Preston, 10, said: “Being outside is fantastic, much more fun than being in class. I love learning about the outdoors.”

Finley Dance, 10, like most of the school’s year five, agrees it is fun, but the educational value has not escaped him. He said: “I had heard people talk about sowing a seed, but I didn’t know what it was until I did it myself.”

A new study this week backs the IoS campaign, which aims to get all primary schools in the UK to provide some practical gardening for pupils.

Research by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), to be published tomorrow, reveals that school gardens boost children’s development, teaching life skills and making children healthier and happier. The study of 1,300 school teachers and 10 schools taking part in the RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening also highlights the ways school gardening increases the willingness of children to eat a wider range of vegetables and fruit.

“Work in the garden was frequently reported as an instrument to improve children’s self-esteem, particularly for those who lacked confidence and self-belief”, it reported. Simon Thornton-Wood, the RHS’s director of science and learning, said: “[Gardening in schools] has transformed their whole learning environment.

Over the next three years, the RHS intends to train 4,500 teachers in how to integrate gardening into the curriculum. At present, only one in four primary teachers uses gardening to teach.

Television gardener and writer Alan Titchmarsh said: “From the minute my grandfather took me to his allotment, I was hooked. Watching how plants grew and getting my hands dirty brought fun and learning together. Gardening at school brings benefits every child should get the chance to enjoy.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/gardening/school-gardeners-perform-better-in-the-classroom-2011528.html

Organic Farmers, you grow green so why not have a green roof?

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:31:13 +0000

CitiesAlive:

The 8th Annual Green Roof and Wall Conference is now open for registration!

Expert Speakers, Exceptional Tours, New Training and Networking Opportunities

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is now accepting admissions for its 2010 Awards of Excellence.
To register a project click here…

2009 Award Winner:
Gary Comer Youth Center.
Photo Courtesy: John Ronan Architect

2009 Award Winner:
Broadway Tech Centre, Vancouver, BC.
Photo Courtesy: Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc.

2009 Award Winner:
Burnside Gorge Community Centre
Photo Courtesy: Sharp & Diamond Landscape Architecture Inc.

2010 Research Issue of the Living Architecture Magazine now online (click here to see a complimentary copy)

Summertime

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:42:00 +0000

It’s the summer doldrums but work on this Conf. never ends. Our title – Generation Organic – our tagline – ‘celebrating 30 years for the original green movement’ – our excitement – knowing that next January when the snow is flying, many an organic enthusiast will be heading to Guelph, like “[fill in your favourite saying]“……. so stay tuned !

The Manager’s favourite saying or comparison would be “like butterflies to the sweet nectar”…… but please send along your comparison and we’ll publish it.

Question of the Week – July 26, 2010

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:15:54 +0000

Growers: what has been your biggest challenge this summer and how will it affect your crop marketing?

VITALITY MAGAZINE – Annual Guide to Organics – now available.

admin — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:46:47 +0000

Vitality Magazine of Toronto has just published its mid-summer reference guide to finding organic suppliers and products. This guide is printed in the July/August print issue of the magazine, available widely across southern Ontario. Pick up a copy at your local organic food store and keep it open at page 32 when sourcing organic produce. Or, go to the on-line version which is laid out with clear listings and beautiful photos of the farms and markets. The Guelph Conference is listed in the Guide.

See: www.vitalitymagazine.com/july10_go

Thanks to Vitality for this valuable edition and for guiding Ontario consumers to these suppliers. Vitality is an Organic Media Partner of the Guelph Conference.

Question of the Week – July 12, 2010

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:29:15 +0000

Do you think that organic twinkies can be an important part of a person’s diet?

The Edible City: Where is Food on the Election Agenda?

admin — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:55:31 +0000

The Canadian Urban Institute in collaboration with the Cities Centre, University of Toronto present:

The Edible City: Where is Food on the Election Agenda?
Thursday, July 15, 2010
7:45 – 10:00 a.m.
Metro Hall
55 John Street
Toronto, ON

This latest session from the Election Issues Series is presented by The Canadian Urban Institute and the Cities Centre, University of Toronto.

How should we think about food? According to new Metcalf Foundation reports edited by Philippa Campsie, we need to think and act very differently about how we grow, process, distribute and consume our food. Improved access to healthy and abundant locally-produced food is a worthy goal shared by the City of Toronto’s Board of Health, which just adopted “Cultivating Food Connections: Toward a Healthy and Sustainable Food System for Toronto” – 29 initiatives that promise to create a culture of “food systems thinking” within the municipal
bureaucracy, linked to the many players who comprise the urban food supply chain. Dr McKeown championed this process.

So with all this positive thinking, why should food be seen as an issue in the lead-up to Ontario’s municipal elections in October? One part of the answer can be found in a report to be issued by the Martin
Prosperity Institute (MPI). Kevin Stolarick will address the plight of low-income Toronto residents living in areas devoid of quality food stores known as “food deserts.” The MPI report echoes findings raised earlier in this election series by Professor David Hulchanski (Toronto Divided? Polarizing Trends that Could Split the City Apart).

Through its trend-setting Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC), Toronto’s efforts to promote food security have won respect internationally. Over a 20 year period, using the unique convening powers of food, the TFPC has brought together a diverse range of stakeholders from across Toronto, the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Canada
and beyond. The TFPC has supported initiatives to bolster food security in places such as Scadding Court. Alina Chatterjee will explain their strategy of developing community gardens and other innovations.

The TFPC’s recently retired coordinator, Wayne Roberts, has also been vocal about the opportunity to realign the vested interests engaged within the food system. He will discuss moving from the “old” food system to the “new” – blending the best of both in a series of innovative new partnerships. Join us at Metro Hall on the 15th to add
your thoughts on how and why food fits in the election agenda.

Speakers:

Dr. David McKeown, Medical Officer of Health, City of Toronto
Philippa Campsie, Principal, Hammersmith Communications and editor of recent reports on food systems issued by the Metcalf Foundation
Kevin Stolarick, PhD., Director of Research, Martin Prosperity Institute
Alina Chatterjee, Director of Re-Development &Special Projects,
Scadding Court (tbc)
Wayne Roberts, former coordinator of the Toronto Food Policy Council

Registration Rates: Members, $32; Non-Members, $40
To register for this event, please visit our website here.

This email is sent from:
555 Richmond St. W., Suite 402
PO Box 612
Toronto, ON M5V 3B1

Series Sponsor:

Question of the Week – July 5, 2010

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:21:54 +0000

If you sell any organic products, please explain whether your customers completely understand what you are selling them. This applies to ‘fresh’ organic and also ‘processed’ organic.

Question of the Week – June 21, 2010

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:47:04 +0000

If you are an organic grower dealing with less than ideal weather, what is your game plan? For your operation, what is ‘ideal weather?’

Organic Seed Alliance expresses its concerns.

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:04:22 +0000

Leading companies sign on to letter.

OSALetter