March 27, 2009

More events: Save the CBC, Earth Hour, local food, tar sands talk, and more

I’ve managed to stuff my weekend to the brim with various events, from Juno festivities to enviro-political discussions, and a possible, long-overdue trip to the market.

Here’s what’s going on!

Save the CBC!

In 10 hours, Avaaz’s new petition asking the federal government to support the CBC has garnered over 25,000 signatures. Please sign the petition and pass it on to your friends!

Farmer’s market: Saturday (tomorrow)

The Winter Farmer’s Market is on again at the WISE Hall (1882 Adanac St. in East Van) from 10 am – 2pm. Well, technically it’s spring now, so there are some fresh surprises:

Good-bye winter blues (and flus!) — spring has sprung at the Vancouver Farmers Market and what better way to celebrate than with the arrival of spring crops. Brian Patterson of Shalefield Gardens will have several varieties of sprouts including Broccoli, Mustard and Red Radish, as well he will have Micro Greens, Jerusalem Artichokes, Strawberry plants, and Nettle, oh my!

Still fighting off that winter cold? Don’t forget to pick up some garlic, which Brian says his customers are most excited about. His favourite recipe? Garlic broth soup, with celery, carrot, and nettle. Don’t forget to also visit Langley Organic Growers, for their selection of spring greens, including Baby Kale, Arugula, and Mustard Greens. Join us at the Market for this delicious start to spring, but get there early if you want the greens! — Facebook event page

Stopping the Gateways to the Tar Sands: tomorrow

SFU Surrey Campus (at Surrey Central Skytrain), Rm 5140, 13450 – 102 Avenue, Surrey.

1 – 4pm. Free, pre-registration is not required.

The Tar Sands megaproject in Alberta has been described as the most environmentally destructive project ever built. But many people don’t know about the pivotal role proposed BC projects could have in facilitating tar sands expansion and fueling demand for tar sands oil.

Join us for a short video, presentation and discussion on the ways tar sands plans depend on proposed projects in BC. The presentations will focus on the Tar Sands, the Proposed Enbridge Gateway Pipeline, and the Gateway freeway and port expansion schemes.

Presenters:

Harjap Grewal — Council of Canadians: The Gateway and other proposed tar sands pipelines.

Eric Doherty — Livable Region Coalition: The Gateway freeway and port expansion proposals.

Jessie Schwarz — Greenpeace: The environmental and social impacts of the tar sands.

Earth Hour! Tomorrow night

A reminder that it’s Earth Hour from 8:30 – 9:30 pm (local time). Granville Magazine lists 21 ways to spend Earth Hour sans power. I will be observing it at a large party with candles for each person, which should be lovely! I think I missed it last year so this may be my first one. I enjoyed the Globe and Mail’s article about getting creative for Earth Hour.

Food Security and the UBC Farm

The Vancouver Public Library presents Food Security and the UBC Farm, a free program for all ages happening on Wednesday, April 1 at 7pm, at the VPL Kitsilano Branch, 2425 Macdonald Street (near Broadway). “Do you know that the UBC farm supplies food to our local restaurants? Ben West, a Healthy communities campaigner, will be on hand to speak about regional food security issues and the current state of the campaign to save the UBC farm.”

Save the UBC Farm: the Great Farm Trek

Speaking of which, The Great Farm Trek 2009 is on Tuesday, April 7 at 3:30 pm. It’s a big, fun-filled festival and a walk that follows this route to the farm. More info including entertainment details. I have never been to the UBC farm so I’m really looking forward to this!

Philosopher’s Cafe nights and more SFU lectures are coming up in the second half of April.