Liz & Matt, the hands & heart of Joyfully Organic Farm in Markham are a perfect example of the very successful new generation of small scale organic vegetable growers who are working in harmony with nature to provide healthy produce for dozens of local families in the GTA. They have built a team of like-minded young farmers with a commitment to effect positive change in agriculture. Their regenerative practices contribute to ecosystem health through a soil stewardship first principal. Using bio-intensive methods they maximize yields on a minimum of land resulting in a wonderful cornucopia of tasty, nutritious seasonal offerings. Visit their website to learn more. Sign up for their organic farm share coming soon.
As Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer, educator of the Market Gardener Institute & advocate for human-scale, economically viable agriculture has said - more people farming successfully can replace mass production with ecological farms to provide local, nourishing food through vibrant agrarian communities. Even restaurants are starting to sustainably source food and George Brown College launched a new Food Studiesdegree with sustainability, equity, health, nutrition and food policy as foundational themes of the farm-to-table enterprise. It is now up to us to also choose the greener path by choosing organic.
YREA is on the lookout for a benevolent landowner willing to donate a property to Ontario Farmland Trust for organic agriculture. A tax receipt would be issued for the value of the land & it would be protected from development in perpetuity. Contact us with any leads.
Let's measure well-being instead of GDP
As YREA pointed out in our submission in support of the right to repair, the world’s consumption of materials has quadrupled since 1970 to 100bn tonnes while our population has only doubled. We need to curb this shocking development of basing prosperity on GDP & recognizing the social & ecological harm that infinite growth is causing. We need to instead use social justice, ecological sustainability & environmental health as our measurement. Some of the proposals of the Degrowth movement for political actions include transitions to non-profit & small scale companies, guaranteed basic income, limiting the exploitation of natural resources, preservation of biodiversity & reducing waste. It can start with simplifying our lives.
Recycling is not working very well
Seeing all the polystyrene food trays, plastic bags & black plastic containers blown out of blue boxes on a windy day tells us the message is not getting out as to what can be recycled & what cannot. Toronto allows polystyrene & stretchy plastic bags in their recycling program but Durham & York Region DO NOT. When they are picked up regardless, these items contaminate the recycling stream. Black plastic goes in the garbage in all municipalities. Green bins MUST have compostable bags for food waste, not plastic. Blue box & green bin programs will continue to have high contamination rates unless we do our part to check out what is & isn’t accepted. What happened to the producer responsibility obligation to eliminate these items? Learn more.
Mark your calendar & join YREA's virtual AGM. A very short business part will be followed by our updated SHOP LIKE THE PLANET'S WATCHING presentation. All YREA donors & members are welcome to attend. Renew your membership of $25 or more then RSVP to get on our AGM contact list. We look forward to seeing you.
Consider winter camping, embrace the outdoors
Check out this beginner's guide to winter camping in the Great Lakes. You will get a new appreciation of the invigorating outdoors during this stressful time.
If you'd rather hunker down, there are virtual & local open air events hosted by TRCA.
