The North Shore’s Garden Advocate
October 1, 2009
Heather Johnstone runs the Edible Garden Project on Vancouver’s North Shore.
Just wrapping up its 4th year, the the project encourages residents to share their bounty with people in need, as well as putting together a variety of urban agriculture and community garden projects.
This week, Heather and team opened the Queen Mary Community Garden, located in the City of North Vancouver. Those of you who aren’t from the North Shore may not be aware that there is both City of North Vancouver, and a District of North Vancouver. Heather’s project involves both municipalities.
Earlier this summer, I spoke to Heather about the project and where things are going with urban agriculture on the North Shore. We met up at the Lower Lonsdale Community Garden…
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Runs: 11:01
Podcast ISBN: 978-1-926758-03-9
photos and podcast © Robert Ouimet & Bigsnit Media 2009
Will That Be Cash or Trust ?
August 4, 2009
Spring Gillard and David Tracey have released the latest in their series of podcasts, Can Urban Agriculture Save the World?
A bit of serendipity was involved with this one.
While on their way to interview Cam MacDonald in Mt. Pleasant, they passed a small corner store. Taking a peak inside they discovered a very unusual city corner store – packed with local products and oozing country charm.
It’s called the Home Grow-in Grocer, and it’s a place where trust trumps the credit card…
Runs 10:28
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Podcast ISBN: 978-1-926758-01-5
photos and podcast © Robert Ouimet & Bigsnit Media 2009
The Home Grow-In Grocer is at 196 West 18th in Vancouver.
The owner Colleen refers to in the interview is Deb Reynolds.
Meet Cam MacDonald, Urban Farmer
July 8, 2009
Cam MacDonald is a new breed of farmer.
He has no land, and his farm is scattered around the city of Vancouver.
Cam is practising urban agriculture, using yards donated by people he and his partners have met, people who are interested in converting lawns into food producing gardens. No tractor or gas-spewing farm machinery here; Cam zips between his plots on an electric scooter.
He’s the subject of the latest podcast in a series I’m producing with writers Spring Gillard and David Tracey called Can Urban Agriculture Save the World ?
runs 14:42
click to play
Podcast ISBN: 978-1-926758-00-8
photos and podcast © Robert Ouimet & Bigsnit Media 2009
Cam MacDonald is also a professional artist – his latest work and exhibits have a food and food-supply related theme. You can see examples of his work on his website, CamMacDonald.ca
Clean and Green – Podcast
November 11, 2008
Finding environmentally friendly cleaning products is a big challenge around our house.
Vancouver entrepreneur Munu Hicken-Gaberria is hoping to solve this challenge with his new eco-friendly line of products called Live For Tomorrow.
They include laundry detergent and fabric softer for home and commercial use.
His approach goes even further than finding eco-friendly chemical mixtures – the household use products are sold in re-usable glass containers.
Munu’s also grounding his products on local production model – so while he does have to source some of his base ingredients outside of BC, the final product is created here, to reduce shipping.
LFT products are now carried in a variety of stores in Vancouver and Fort Langley.
I spoke with Munu in June, just as he was taking his idea to local retailers…
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Resources:
Live for Tomorrow web site
Munu Hicken-Gaberria’s bio (pdf)
Quick facts about LFT products:
- are manufactured and distributed locally
- incorporate ‘recycleability’ in as many components of the product design
- factor in ‘re-usability’ into the maximum number of product components
- bio-degradable
- follow sustainable best practice in the sourcing and manufacturing of products
- are available in unscented formulations, and are sensitive and safe for use by individuals with sensitive skin conditions
- are free of animal testing
Podcast details:
Runs: 10:09
Munu Hicken-Gaberria, president and CEO of LFT Group Brands Ltd.
Interviewed by Robert Ouimet, June 2008, Pt. Moody BC
ISBN: 978-0-9809054-8-9
Copyright 2008, Bigsnit Media Consulting Inc.
Rebroadcast with permission only. Contact info@bigsnit.com
Imoeba Eco-Friendly Ipod Case – Podcast
June 18, 2008
Eco-Friendly ipod cases from a local Vancouver company are starting to find their way into retail stores across North America.
This podcast features the two young entrepreneurs who’ve combined their passion for electronics with a passion for ‘doing the right thing’. They’ve created an ipod case that’s made primarily from scraps of leather that would otherwise end up in the landfill.
Their product is called Imoeba.
Gary Mang is Vice President of Sales, and Lawrence Leung is the CEO.
Their previous experience importing and selling electronics gave them all important access to retail outlets, but this is their first foray into ‘green’.
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Podcast with author James Glave
May 11, 2008
A veteran writer turns his obsession with detail into a building project.
In his forthcoming book now released book, Almost Green, James Glave tells the story of building a green studio in the front yard – and changing his life forever.
Recording at James Glave’s eco-shed on Bowen Island.
The book will be published in the fall of 2008 by Skyhorse Publishing in the US, and by Greystone Books in Canada.
Read more about James Glave on his web site, www.glave.com
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Robert’s notes…
I’ve known James since the mid-90’s. We both fumbled our way onto the then new world wide web – he was with Vancouver Magazine and I was with CBC Vancouver.
I always looked forward to seeing a new magazine article by James – they were smart, witty and superbly crafted. He brought the same high quality to his online work; it stood out then, and it stands out now.
When he left Vancouver for San Francisco and Wired News in 1997, many of us were envious of his determination to carve out a living ‘on the internet’. He became a regular guest speaker at the Simon Fraser University summer web publishing courses, and he regaled us with news from the front lines of life in Silicon Valley.
I’m glad James is back in Vancouver – and thrilled to see him bringing outstanding journalism and his determined voice to stories about the environment and sustainability.
While we wait for his book to come out – do check out his mini-book Buck The System on his web site – add your contribution to his PayPal fund – and enjoy the articles he’s distributing online.
Projecting Change – Podcast
April 27, 2008
Find out more about this new and unique film festival in Vancouver.
Projecting Change programming director Lindsay Nahmiache and marketing director Brady Dahmer speaking with VGG’s Robert Ouimet
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The Projecting Change Film Festival takes place May 8-11th at the Ridge Theatre. More in this posting, or see their web site, www.projectingchange.ca
Lindsay Nahmiache, Programming Director
Brady Dahmer, Marketing Director
Projecting Change Film Festival
runs: 6:50
ISBN: 978-0-9809054-7-2
© Bigsnit Media Consulting Inc 2008. Podcasts are available for re-broadcast by contacting info@bigsnit.com
Podcast – JER Envirotech
April 8, 2008
Unless you work in the industry, it isn’t likely that you think much about thermoplastics.
But thermoplastics are used in hundreds of items in your home, your car, and your workplace. Anything around you that is made from extruded or moulded plastic is a product of the thermoplastics industry.
JER Envirotech is a British Columbia company at the forefront of new technology that’s changing the thermoplastics industry and helping the environment at the same time.
When JER Envirotech was first founded ten years ago, the goal was to find a way to use organic materials in thermoplastics.
The idea was simple – instead of sending waste wood to the landfill or burning rice hulls – why not make use of these products by combining them with polymers to create a new kind of thermoplastic.
While the idea may have been simple, the science is not. With help from the National Research Council of Canada, JER Envirotech has been able to find a way to do it.
Edward Trueman, JER’s President and CEO, believes his industry is on the verge of a paradigm shift because of this new technology.
VanGoGreen’s Robert Ouimet spoke with him at the company’s head office in Delta, BC.
click to play
Edward Trueman
President and CEO
JER Envirotech
runs: 13:40
ISBN: 978-0-9809054-6-5
© Bigsnit Media Consulting Inc. 2008. Podcasts are available for re-broadcast by contacting info@bigsnit.com
Podcast with Vancouver Film Studios
February 25, 2008
Vancouver Film Studios has become the first film and TV production studio in Canada to go carbon neutral.
The company spent a year preparing to meet the carbon neutral challenge, and has implemented a number of new process to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as purchasing carbon offsets.
This podcast features Pete Mitchell, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Vancouver Film studios, and was produced by At Large Media’s Robert Ouimet.
It’s unusual when you get a movement that’s coming from both the bottom and the top….frankly the cost is not as high as everybody thinks, it’s more the uncertainty.
- Pete Mitchell, Vancouver Film Studios
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Robert’s notes…
Pete Mitchell makes his accomplishment at Vancouver Film Studio sound simple.
But what he’s done is impressive, requiring determination and passion. As you’ll hear, it also required a certain amount of serendipity.
While it’s good for the environment, Pete Mitchell argues it’s also good for business.
And I think he’s right.
We live in a competitive world, and Vancouver Film Studios is going a long way to differentiate itself from its competitors. They’ve also started an irreversable path within their company, one that will lead them to new technologies and processes that will help the environment even more.
That’s good for business, our community, and our planet.
- Read more about Vancouver Film Studios green initiatives on their web site.
- Read more about recent projects shot at the studios.
- Go Neutral Now – carbon neutral consultants
—–
Pete Mitchell
Executive Vice-President and COO, Vancouver Film Studios
Runs 9:44
ISBN: 978-0-9809054-4-1
© Bigsnit Media Consulting Inc. Podcasts are available for re-broadcast. Contact info@vangogreen.com
New Yorker Podcast on Carbon Confusion
February 8, 2008
New Yorker Magazine has an interesting podcast on the confusion around carbon pollution. Can economics help change behaviour and cut emissions ?
This week in the magazine and online, Michael Specter writes about the confusion between morality and science in dealing with carbon pollution. Here Specter talks about the possibility of using economics to change behavior and cut emissions.
The New Yorker page is here.
