Vancouver Evolver Spore Event for October 2009: Thoughts for Food

In the last fifty years, the meteoric rise of agribusiness has wreaked havoc upon our global food supply. Corporate entities like Monsanto and Cargill are wiping out agricultural diversity with monoculture crops, bankrupting small farmers with unsustainable practices, toxifying our waterways with pesticides and fertilizers, treating animals cruelly, and endangering the web of life with genetically modified foods.

But a growing movement is striking back and taking action to maintain our food security in the 21st Century. These “greenhorns” are creating CSAs, tending rooftop gardens, building aquaponic systems, learning permaculture principles, starting Transition Towns and eco-villages, urban homesteading, saving seed varieties, and practicing slow food ethics to ensure agricultural sustainability. In this Spore, we will, explore and discuss the alternative food networks cropping up in our local communities, as well the importance of nutrition in our lives. Spores may want to look at current FDA dietary recommendations and contrast them with the rising interest in organic/live foods, ayurvedic diets, superfoods, healing herbs, and more.

Vancouver Evolver will be holding its event at Main Artery, 6423 Main (north of 49th Avenue)
from 7pm-10pm
by donation for space, video projector,printing and food demonstration supplies.

7pm Potluck- Invitation to bring examples of 'clean" food, consciously chosen food, locally grown, and share recipes

Featured films for the evening to generate discussion include:

Gardens of Destiny

http://www.gardensofdestiny.com/

Dan Jason and 7 specialists explain why North American industrial agriculture has taken too many risks. The concepts of sustainable agriculture are explained in depth.

Guest resource people: (need to reconfirm everyone except Julie and Jocelyn)

Ari Feder, a local wildcrafted food supplier in the Lower Mainland

Jill Whitelaw, Permaculture Designer and member of Permaculture Meet-Up Group

Aaron, of Guerilla Foods

Julie Beyer, For the Love of Food, Healthy Eating Made Easy, Organic Vegan Catering

Joceyln Demers, Director of Gardens of Destiny

Cease Weiss, Urban Aboriginal Farm consultant