CIP Writers' Bureau

Self-Guided Learning / EcoVersity

Field Campus Engages Community Members in Environmental Education
PUGET SOUND, WA, Feb. 21, 2004 (CIP, by Jennifer Hunting) - Healthy communities are created by visions and actions of involved citizens. One of the most valuable assets of a healthy community is an organization that promotes sustainable practices and creates environmental stewards. Field campuses have become increasingly popular in their ability to provide hands-on learning and exemplify the connection between community development and the natural world. The Catamount Institute, located in Woodland Park, CO., is an organization that has succeeded in promoting environmental awareness and stewardship among students, teachers, and corporate organizations.

Located in the forests of the Pikes Peak region, Catamount’s facilities are open to students, businesses, teachers, and any group interested in sustainable practices. Catamount organizes and delivers an interactive curriculum that provides an “integrated learning community where diverse groups engage in research and innovated education and leadership development programs that allow them to contribute to the sustainability of the greater Pikes Peak ecosystem” (Catamount Institute, online).

Catamount offers three program topics: education, leadership and research. The education program asks both students and teachers to workshop difficult environmental, social and economic issues. The institute’s natural location promotes an exciting atmosphere for hands-on learning. Catamount is in cooperation with the Young Environmental Steward’s Program (YES) and the Urban League for the Pikes Peak Region to inspire minority youth and diverse educational institutions to become “environmental stewards and leaders for the future” (Catamount Institute, online).

Corporate executives, government employees, and academic leaders come to Catamount to participate in the leadership program. Workshops focusing on the “interconnectedness of human and natural systems” inspire camp participants to develop holistic community perspectives. Catamount hopes that the leadership program can promote various community perspectives that “shape how their values, ethics, choices, and behavior affect their business and the people with whom they interact, and their own personal lifestyles” (Catamount Institute, online). Colorado institutions including the Colorado Sustainable Business Network and Natural Intelligence use Catamount’s facilities and curriculum for leadership education.

The Catamount Biological Field Station offers a learning environment for researchers. The research station was developed to help communities “understand and protect the diverse ecosystems of Western North America” (Catamount Institute, online). Researchers perform a range of forest management practices at the field station. Current projects include the special organization of overstory and understory trees, the relative importance of aspen to cavity nesting birds, and fire history and forest structure in the upper montane forests.

Catamount’s three areas of educational focus promote the organization’s mission to “enhance our understanding of natural systems and inspire ecological stewardship.” The institute welcomes any organization or individual interested becoming a respectful steward of the earth’s natural systems. To get involved or to find out more information about Catamount’s various programs and events, visit their website at http://www.catamountinstitute.org.

Social Responsibility / Fair Trade

SPUD.ca Brings First Fair Trade Bananas to Canada
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 5, 2004 (SPUD.ca) - Small Potatoes Urban Delivery, a Vancouver-based organic home delivery company, announced today that it is the first retailer in Canada to sell Fair Trade bananas. The bananas, also certified organic, are certified by TransFair, an internationally recognised independent certification organization for fair trade products.

“I will feel even better eating bananas this year - and so will our customers,” says David Van Seters, CEO of SPUD.ca. “By eating Canada’s first Fair Trade bananas, we’ll be contributing directly to fair working wages, sustainable farming practices, education and affordable housing in Ecuadorian communities. Rarely can you make such a simple healthy choice, and such a difference, at the same time.”

The Fair Trade movement has worked for 15 years to help thousands of small-scale producers in developing countries improve their quality of life. By avoiding the middleman, Fair Trade practices help establish a fair price
for products and long-term guaranteed markets.

The Fair Trade banana commitment goes a step further by also establishing social and environmental criteria for workers. This addresses the poor working conditions and environmental degradation caused by excessive fungicide and pesticide use in conventional banana cultivation. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide Program, in Central America conventional banana plantations apply as much as 30 kilograms of pesticides per hectare per year. This is more than 10 times the average for intensive agriculture in industrialized countries.

Organic bananas are SPUD’s most popular produce item, with sales of over 5,000 pounds per week. In 2004, SPUD expects to sell over 100 tons of Fair Trade organic bananas, all of which will be imported from the 250-member Prieto Agricultural Group in Ecuador. “We’re proud of being in Fairtrade. We can help each other and we can help our workers.” says Renson, a 29-year-old farmer from El Guabo, Ecuador.

Oxfam Canada has worked for many years to bring certified Fair Trade bananas to Canada. " We congratulate SPUD on this progressive move and encourage all food retailers to increase their range of Fair Trade products", says Rieky Stuart, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada. "Switching to organic Fair Trade bananas is an easy, healthy way for Canadian consumers to directly support a fair return to farmers in the developing world."

About the Prieto Agriculture Group
Prieto Agriculture Group is a group of 250 people who call themselves “lovers of their land”. The group of 6 plantations in Ecuador, produces 430,000 pounds of bananas per week. Over the past 10 years the group has pioneered sustainable farming methods. Sixty per cent of the organic fertilizers used at the plantation is created from harvest waste.

“We are committed to the study and practice of offering healthy bananas in favor of the health of our children and to give the same productivity as we had a decade ago,” says Aurelio Prieto Calderón, President of Prieto Agriculture Group. “Today we are proud to contribute in the conservation of our environment and men's health, men that work for our land.”

About TransFair
Prieto Agriculture Group’s bananas are certified by TransFair USA, one of two Fair Trade certifiers in North America. TransFair USA is a nonprofit organization, and the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade practices in the United States. Through regular visits to Fair Trade farmer cooperatives conducted by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO), and partnerships with US companies, TransFair verifies that the farmers who produced Fair Trade Certified™ products were paid a fair price.

About SPUD.ca (Small Potatoes Urban Delivery)
SPUD.ca (Small Potatoes Urban Delivery) is Canada’s leading natural foods delivery service. SPUD.ca delivers certified organic produce plus a full range of local wholesome groceries, Fair Trade products and environmentally friendly household products. The company delivers to over 5000 homes and offices throughout the BC lower mainland, the Sea-to-Sky corridor and southern Vancouver Island. Most customers order on-line at www.spud.ca.

For more information, please contact:

David Van Seters, President and CEO
Small Potatoes Urban Delivery
604-841-6730

Citizen Participation / Empowerment / Social Responsibility

Over 2,000 Participate in Summit on Education, Democracy & Social Justice!
ARCATA, CA, Feb. 10, 2004 (Eric Rofes, Humbolt State University) - Over 2,000 people--including some from as far away as Massachusetts, Alabama, and Puerto Rico--were drawn to the town of Arcata and the campus of Humboldt State University (HSU) during the weekend of February 6-8, 2004 for the third North Coast Education Summit.

"We were overwhelmed by the number of people who participated in over 200 events that were a part of the summit, especially all the people who came to Arcata from out of the area" said a happy but exhausted Eric Rofes, the summit coordinator, the day after the event. "This year we were extremely heartened by the strong turn out from the community and the campus for our keynote addresses by Betsy Rogers, National Teacher of the Year; Marge Piercy, the poet and novelist; and Starhawk, a visionary activist who drew hundreds of participants to her keynote address, workshop, and Saturday evening ritual.

"We were also pleased to see a rising number of high school students participating in the event," he continued. "Several of the small rural high schools sent their entire student body to the summit, and we had over a dozen workshops that were led by North Coast high-school and middle-school students. And over a dozen universities from throughout the state--including several in San Diego--sent professors and students to our
event"

Other highlights of the weekend's intense mix of workshops, field trips, film premieres, performances, poster sessions, and keynote speakers included:

o The Friday evening film premiere of "The Fourth World War: A Global Film about War and Empire" which was hosted by Accion Zapatista Humboldt and the HSU MECha club and drew over 500 people to the Kate Buchanan Room. The filmmakers inspired an evening of intense discussion and debate about future directions for community activism. A Saturday evening event by master storyteller Baba Jamal Koram focused on "African Stories in the Americas" and attracted over 250 participants, including many children. Marge Piercy's Saturday morning poetry reading drew nearly 150 participants and over 300 people attended her keynote address which focused on feminist activism and the role of creativity and the imagination in social justice efforts. An evening ritual by Starhawk brought out over 250 enthusiastic participants.

o Workshops that were especially well attended included HSU professor Tasha Howe's Friday morning session on "Recognizing Children Who Have Been Abused or Neglected," "Spirituality in the Education of the Whole Child," presented by Eileen Griffin, director of the Griffin Center for Human Development, and "Telling Our Stories: Latino College Students Share Their Experiences." Other popular sessions included HSU faculty member Laura Rose's "Helping Students with ADHD Succeed in Your Classroom," "Indigenous Worldview" by Four Arrows, a professor at Northern Arizona University, and a special workshop focused on "Using Juggling as a Tool to Teach Students How to Focus," led by Danielle Davis and Catherine Arnold of the Peninsula School.

o One track of workshops focused on eradicating bullying in schools drew over 150 participants to seven different sessions and, on Thursday evening, over 150 people gathered at the Mill Creek Cinema in McKinleyville to view "Let's Get Real," the new film focused on children's perspectives on bullying and name-calling in middle schools, and hear a panel of local educators discuss anti-bullying efforts in local schools.

"I was especially heartened by the keynote address by Betsy Rogers, the National Teacher of the Year," said Cathleen Rafferty, the summit's co-coordinator. "Her visionary commitment to placing the strongest teachers in the poorest schools in our nation with the children with greatest needs, was inspiring to hear. I was also excited to hear about the discussions that took place in workshops on the Patriot Act, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the upcoming presidential election"

This year's summit was dedicated to the memory of Ronda Marshall, an outstanding local teacher, activist, and tribal leader who was a keynote presenter at the 2003 summit and was killed in an automobile accident on Highway 299 this summer. The summit announced the establishment of the Ronda Marshall Scholarship Fund, which will support Native American students in the field of education.

Under the leadership of HSU graduate student Christine Miller, this year's summit was a zero-waste event and featured a range of creative incentives to encourage participants to reuse and recycle summit materials. The summit was hosted by HSU's Department of Education and the Center for Educational Excellence, Collaboration, and Inquiry and the lead sponsor was the California Endowment. The summit was also sponsored by the Ford Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the California Teachers Association, Humboldt State University, College of the Redwoods, KIEM-TV and KHSU-Radio. Thanks to support from the Ford Foundation, transcripts from several of the key speeches and workshops will be posted on the summit website after March 1st. Visit www.humboldt.edu to view these remarkable talks!

[Photos from the summit will be available for media online downloads as of Tuesday evening, February 10 at www.humboldt.edu/~edsummit]

Eric Rofes

Assistant Professor of Education
Program Leader, Elementary Education Program
Humboldt State University
Arcata, CA 95521-8299
(707) 826-3735
fax: (707) 826-5868
er7@axe.humboldt.edu .

Education for Social Responsibility / Students Involved in Sustainability

Students Can and DO Make a Difference!
STOCTON, CA, Feb. 17, 2004 (CIP, by Carol Brodie) - If anyone has ever doubted that students can make a difference in this world, they haven’t heard of Student Pugwash USA! To be honest, I hadn’t heard of it until about a month ago, and what I’ve learned in the meantime has been an eye-opener!

Student Pugwash, USA…or SPUSA for short…. is an educational, nonprofit organization, and is the U.S. student affiliate of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. In 1957, the first Pugwash Conference was held in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, bringing together some of the best scientific minds to address the issues of nuclear weapons and the social responsibility of scientists. This was just two years after Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, and other eminent scientists issued a manifesto urging scientists to "think in a new way" about their moral responsibilities in the nuclear age. That document is believed to be the last one that Einstein signed before his death.

The mission of SPUSA is to “promote social responsibility in science and technology.” Respecting varied opinions, the organization does not advocate positions on issues. In order to create effective change, students need to fully understand all perspectives, become educated in social activism, and consider their “ethical and moral responsibility to themselves, and to society as a whole."

While a student in San Diego in 1979, Jeffrey Leifer founded SPUSA after attending one of their conferences. He believed that students needed to critically think about the socially responsible applications of science and technology. SPUSA takes the students out of their laboratories, away from the theories, data and narrow disciplines. The experience students gain through SPUSA introduces them to many issues and careers. From serving on the board of the organization, to working with university administration to implement changes, and putting together conferences, the activities the students get involved in allow them explore the rationale behind scientific innovation and the repercussions of technology on our everyday lives.

I recently interviewed Ms. Sue Veres, Executive Director. She has been with SPUSA since 2000 and in her current position since 2001. Her major in college was environmental policy and international studies – a perfect fit for many of the issues that SPUSA gets involved in. Working with only two other staff members in their Washington DC office, she finds her job rewarding, and she has learned a great deal about topics such as genetics and national security.

While primarily located on the east coast, there is presently a chapter in Seattle and several in California. At one time there was a chapter at Stanford University, and Veres hopes it may be reactivated in the near future. Currently SPUSA has 34 chapters – that figure represents a 113% increase in 2003! Veres credits that rise to increasing student concern about the issues, in particular the war in Iraq, global climate change, and the roles that scientists play.

Ms. Veres shared with me some of the great activities that SPUSA is currently involved in. One of the projects is particularly noteworthy. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York the students worked with the administration to have installed on campus a 10-kilowatt, three-blade wind turbine. The turbine not only produces renewable energy for the campus, it has also provided a valuable education for the students!

Rensselaer SPUSA is also very active in earth week events, recycling initiatives, promotion of the campus ride share board, and educating students about the impact of reducing their meat intake by even a small amount.

The MIT Student Pugwash Chapter in Cambridge, Massachusetts has been a very active one. Their projects have included planning awareness-raising lectures and a movie series, and the creation of an online manual of all campus courses that deal with ethics and social responsibility. Along with other student groups on campus, they organized a sustainability development conference.

The chapter at Rockefeller University in New York City has put together an innovative “journal series” where students get together to discuss articles currently in the news and scientific journals.

The SPUSA Intern program is another opportunity that students around the country may want to look into. The duties of the interns are to research current issues and compile briefs that are posted online. Recently, briefs have been written on global climate change and U.S. energy policy – topics that will hopefully be important in the upcoming elections. Classroom teachers are using the briefs in their lessons, taking the balanced perspectives to a younger audience.

At their October 2003 national conference, a peer to peer leadership program was introduced, and the panel discussion included such topics as Academia's Biological Studies in Wartime and Media's Role in the Public Perception of National Security. A national symposium is being planned for July of this year in Washington to discuss topics related to biology and security: preventing bio terrorism, the need for research vs. the availability of information to terrorists, the preparedness of the public health system, and threats in a bio-driven society.

If you’d like to know more about SPUSA, or would be interested in starting a student chapter at your university, go to their website, http://www.spusa.org/index.html. They are a great way to get involved, and make a difference!

Carol Ann Brodie
Galt, CA
orcalady2003@yahoo.com

Students Involved in Sustainability / Be the Change

Student Environmental Action Counts
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 18, 2004 (CIP) - Simon Fraser University's Environmental Action Group has been extremely progressive throughout the last two semesters. They meet every week to discuss action plans and the progress to date of ongoing projects.

Last semester, they accomplished the integration and acceptance of many more sustainable practices on campus. First, they designed and bought recycled and reusable mugs that are currently being sold at the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) office and will soon be sold at Higher Grounds, one of the campus' coffee shop, for $3. The mugs were purchased with the group's semesterly budget.

Second, the group purchased a binding machine in order to be able to make reused books. Two of the group's members, Monique and Roseanna, are concentrating on making the recycled books. The machine is currently located at the SFPIRG office.

As for the current Spring semester, the group is now trying to create more sustainable practices at the campus' cafeterias and kitchens. There is new discussion with cafeteria operators to implement the use of reusable plates and cutlery. As for the kitchens, they have purchased eighty dish towels to distribute in the smaller residence kitchens because they found that many people were using paper towels to do things such as dry their dishes, which creates an excessive amount of garbage.

An ongoing focus this semester is going to be composting on campus. One of the group members, Gillian, has had experience with worm composting and plans to run a workshop for the Environmental Action Group at the meeting on February 19th. The purpose of the informational session is to give the group the knowledge to teach other people who would like to start their own composting activities. From there, they could start a workshop series, functioning at SFPIRG that can be expanded in outreach to other places.

This group has always been consistent and followed through with its plans. As a result of these actions, this small number of people has truly made a commendable dfference on campus and for our dear Mother Earth.

by Melissa Chungfat
Student,
Simon Fraser University,
British Columbia, Canada

Sustaniable Industry / Global Village Overview

Global MindChange Conference, March 12 - 14
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 19, 2004 (CIP, by Melissa Chungfat) - David Suzuki is correct in predicting that Western societies will be moving towards an anti-economic era. By continuing to operate our businesses using unsustainable methods for our Earth's finite resources, we consciously put the planet and our very lives in jeopardy and so we look for ways to change. Corporations have the power to inspire this new course, not only for the sake of social and environmental well being, but for the sake of the preservation of future generations on a sustainable planet.

The Global MindChange Forum coming up in Santa Barbara, CA, March 12 - 14, discusses, empowers and pioneers crucial and necessary changes to build business practices for a more sustainable global future. Some of the main topics of discussion will cover business interaction with social and environmental goals in society and re-evaluate corporate responsibilities as a contributing factor outside and beyong the individual business sphere.

The conference will consist of four program tracks: Corporate
Governance and Compassionate Leadership; Spirit at Work; Sustainable Enterprises and the Global Environment; and Transforming the Workplace for People and Performance. Each track has a captain, a variety of speakers and six modules, or procedures. The modules are small and interactive gatherings that will have one speaker in each group. If there is enough room, those who are attending the conference will not have to be limited to any one track.

The Corporate Governance and Compassionate Leadership track aims to encourage leaders and owners to create a social and respectful environment for workers. Leaders have the power to create a compassionate atmosphere and organization.

Spirit at Work focuses on workplaces that encourage people's passions and provide opportunity for distinct attributes to arise rather than to be suppressed in preference of uniformity. The individual freedom of expression and passion that results from this type of productive atmosphere then drives people to make a difference in the workplace, creating a mutual benefit for company and worker, alike.

Sustainable Enterprises and the Global Environment will discuss broader topics concerning the impact business practices have on the environment, developing countries and conditions for sustainability, as well as aspects of capitalism that effect the consciousness of business. The speakers in this module include authors, biologists, business consultants and a professional futurist.

Transforming the Workplace for People and Performance channels in on the mutual relationship between people and their environment. Human behaviour is never exclusive of its environment. Given that, the program will discuss how the design of organizations can have a significant impact on worker diligence, commitment and creativity.

The environmental motto is think globally, act locally. Here is an chance to think globally and act globally, too. If you have an opportunity, don't waste it. Embrace the change you wish to see in the world.

For anyone wishing to attend this highly enlightening and significant conference, you may register online at http://www.worldbusiness.org/conference/2004/registration.cfm.

Or you can call the World Business Academy office at (805) 640-3713 or toll free at (888) 293-7770.

Food Freedom Day / Farming and Job Creation

Thank a farmer for cheap, quality food
WATERLOO Region, Ontario, Feb. 07, 2004 (The Record, by Kevin Swayze) - Today is the day Canadians should thank a farmer for one of the best deals for high-quality food in the world, says the past president of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture.

Food Freedom Day marks the date the average Canadian has earned enough money to pay for his or her grocery bill for the year, said Jeff Stager of North Dumfries Township.

In 2002, the average Canadian earning $28,558 spent $3,001 on food and non-alcoholic beverages. That's 10.5 per cent of their annual earnings.

That's one of the lowest percentages in the world. In some European countries, people pay upwards of 25 per cent of their annual income for food, Stager said. In Mexico, it's 23.9 per cent. In Japan it's 14.7.

"Imagine if you had to pay 25 per cent of your income on food. Where would you find the money?" Stager asked.

While Canadians are getting a great deal on their food, farmers are under pressure. Costs are going up, but their income isn't increasing nearly fast enough to cover the gap, he said.

Farmers are growing older, fewer people are taking up the business and the number of family farms is shrinking.

The public only seems to think about farming, food safety and food cost when there's a problem, such as the mad cow scare, Stager said.

"I think they're interested (in food). I think they want to ask about food safety, but they don't know how to ask," Stager said.

Nor do local residents seem to realize how big a part agriculture plays in modern Waterloo Region, he said.

A recent economic impact study found farming and related industries created 23,000 jobs in the region, and produced 11 per cent of the region's economic output.

Stager is taking the farming impact report to each municipal council in the region.

"People are surprised. They don't know there's that much agricultural activity going on," Stager said.

kswayze@therecord.com

(Our appologies to The Record. We tried and tried to link this article to your site, instead of posting it here, but it just wouldn't come up on our screen. This is an important article. We'll be happy to link it directly to you if you send us a link that works. Thank you, CIP Research News, Community Involvment Project.

Empowerment for Sustainability / Student Involvement

Synergy, The 3rd Annual Sustainable Living Conference, February 18-21, 2004!
OLYMPIA, WA, Feb. 08, 2004 (Synergy) - The Sustainable Living Conference is coming to The Evergreem State College, and this year the event is taking a big step forward. Eleven student groups are involved in the planning process, and have selected the name “Synergy” to emphasize the necessity of a collective effort to create a more sustainable world. To do this, planners have chosen the themes of ecology, culture, social justice, agriculture and design.

“Synergy” is a FREE four-day event (excepting $1.25 for parking), and although it is paid for by student activities fees planners aim to attract students and community members alike. This will be easy to do, as the conference boasts seven keynotes, and over 30 presentations, workshops, tours, films and panel discussions. The student coalition hopes to facilitate a dialogue on how our diverse community can work beyond our individual interests to create a vision, and ultimately a model of sustainability.

Community organizations are also helping to bring this event to TESC. These include Climate Solutions, Fertile Ground, Last Word Books, Media Island International (Olympia Community Free Skool), The Middle East Forum, and The Northwest Eco-Building Guild. The conference will create a physical presence on campus as well. Two geodesic domes from Pacific Domes will grace Red Square and an interactive art project will result in a large nest and gathering space made from branches that otherwise would end up in the campus burn pile.

General conference events are free to all, but Friday evening will feature A Political Revival: Under the Evergreen Bigtop with Jim Hightower. This is a special event, co-sponsored by Dancing Dragons Festivals, and will take place at the Campus Recreation Center (CRC). Tickets will go on sale 02/01/2004 at the cost of $8 for students with ID and $12 for general admission. They can be purchased at the door, or in advance at The TESC Bookstore, Rainy Day Records, Traditions Café, or online at http://www.buyoly.com.

Conference keynotes are Kevin Danaher, Diane Leafe Christian, Dacajeweiah, Paul Stamets, Joe Kennedy, Dan Imhoff, and Rosalinda Guillen. Presenters include Derrick Jensen, Elisa Murray, David Guizar, Toby Hemenway, Elke Cole, Dan Chodorkoff, Wilson Wewa, Mark Lakeman and many more! Events include a panel on What’s Green at Evergreen, and a tour of the LEED-Rated Seminar II building in addition to discussions on everything from straw-bale building to military weapons technology.

Information and a schedule of events can be obtained on the conference website at http://academic.evergreen.edu/groups/tescseed or by e-mailing tescseed@evergreen.edu.
CONTACT: Chariti Montez Office: (360) 867-6493
Home: (360) 786-0664
e-mail: tescseed@yahoo.com

SEED, CAB 320
The Evergreen State College
2700 Evergreen Parkway NW
Olympia, WA 98505
Tel: (360) 867-6493

Municipalities / Organic Landscaping

Bringing Organic Practices to the Grass Roots
VICTORIA, BC, Feb. 02, 2004 (SOUL) - As more and more Canadian municipalities are considering the ban of pesticides for cosmetic purposes, the ornamental landscape industry is scrambling to cope with the rapidly growing need for organic services and products. We know that change is inevitable, but what will it be? Will the landscape industry take the high road, or will they highjack the term “organic” for their own purposes?

Our organic food growers have worked for decades to develop standards and certification for the production of organic food, and the term “certified organic” is known and respected throughout the world. The organic food community is well structured, providing support and education to their producers and consumers alike. The organic landscape industry is still in its infancy, lacking the infrastructure that makes the organic agriculture movement so strong. Enter SOUL, the Society of Organic Urban Land Care Professionals, which was formed for exactly this purpose, and to promote and encourage harmony and co-operation between our organic associations. Our task has been challenging to say the least, with the following 3 items foremost on our agenda: Standards, Certification and Education.

Standards

The landscape industry is product oriented, and there will be a strong move to sell “organic” poisons to replace the outlawed chemical pesticides without necessitating a change in practices. What effect will that have on the public’s perception of organic food? Most consumers of organic produce live in urban environments, and, rightly or wrongly, will equate the “organic” practices employed in their neighbourhood with those in organic food production. It was imperative, therefore, that standards be developed for the true organic care of ornamental landscapes, and that these standards be communicated not only to landscape professionals across the country, but to the general public as well.

In 2003 the SOUL standards committee spent several hundred hours to develop the SOUL Organic Land Care Standard, which are posted at the SOUL web-site: http://www.organiclandcare.org/standards.htm. This standard will be a guide to landscapers and the public alike in their quest for ecologically sound ornamental land care practices. Banning chemical pesticides in itself will not automatically result in the creation of healthy, vibrant urban ecosystems: that requires a change in thinking.

Certification

Customers used to the quality of “certified organic” foods are already asking for “certified organic” landscape services. In the organic food sector certification is land-based and tied to annual inspections, but this is not possible in the ornamental horticulture sector where the “land” consists largely of private urban backyards. Nor are inspections imperative in situations where no consumable products are produced for sale. While there may be a role for the land-based inspection and certification of large public spaces such as parks, golf courses, etc., certification in the ornamental horticulture sector must take a different path.

The landscape sector has traditionally regulated itself through industry certification of individuals. For example, a Canadian Certified Horticultural Technician is “certified” by the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association to possess a certain standard of knowledge and skill in the field of horticulture; the International Society of Arboriculture similarly certifies tree specialists, etc.; and so our customers are expecting to find “certified” organic landscapers.

In 2004 SOUL completed the development of a unique organic certification program for organic land care professionals. Not only will this protect the public from misleading practices, it will provide the opportunity for organic landscapers to distinguish themselves, and to offer organic landscape services with the highest level of integrity. Information about our certification program can be found at our web site: http://www.organiclandcare.org/member_certification.htm. However, since this certification must be based on a demonstration of knowledge, this brings us to our next great challenge: education.

Education

If landscapers are to provide environmentally sound services they need access to education in organic practices. Currently only a few avenues exist for education in organic agriculture: seminars, short courses and apprenticeships, and, of late, the ability to receive a degree in organic agriculture from the Organic Agriculture Center of Canada.

Once again, the educational infrastructure for the organic landscape sector still needs to be developed. The first formal educational program in organic horticulture, “Organic Land Care - Working WITH Nature”, was developed by Gaia College in co-operation with SOUL. It was designed to provide comprehensive education in organic landscape practices, and to prepare landscapers to write the SOUL certification exam. To reach the largest possible audience the course is offered over the internet, and is open to anyone with the desire to practice organic land care. A second program in “Organic Turf Management” and an “Irrigation Scheduling Tutorial” have since been added, together with a free on-line irrigation calculator. Information about the programs can be found on the Gaia College web site: http://www.organic-land-care.com/

Who are we?

SOUL is the creation of professional organic landscapers, dedicated to making our urban environments safer places to live. Our expertise ranges from landscape design to installation, irrigation, maintenance, plant production and education. Like many of you, we are volunteering our time and knowledge to support a cause we share with hundreds of community groups across the country.

Please help us reach the people in your communities that need to know about us! Municipalities are more likely to enact bylaws to reduce pesticide use if alternatives are readily available. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get to that point.

We know that we cannot do this by ourselves, nor do we wish to compete for sparse public funding to duplicate the work of other hard working groups. In true organic fashion we see our efforts as complimentary and co-operative, and we will do everything within our power to contribute to the grassroots movement towards healthier urban environments. Oh yes, pun intended.

by Heide Hermary,
Past President of SOUL –The Society of Organic Urban Land Care Professionals

Here is how you can contact us:
SOUL web site: www.organiclandcare.org;
SOUL e-mail: info@organiclandcare.org.
OR contact me directly:
Heide Hermary, phone: (250) 853-6802;
e-mail: heidehermary@pacificcoast.net

Global Village Overview / Water

Traditional Indigenous Perspectives on Water
DUNCAN, BC, Feb. 10 (Simon Charlie Society) - How can Elders’ teachings be applied today for future generations? - There is a wealth of academic studies about water: ocean studies, hydrology, marine biology, name only a few of the disciplines that study water in various ways. Traditional knowledge about water has existed for millennia. There is growing awareness of the importance of water and laws that determine our relationship with water, and the urgency to deal with the crisis of water pollution.

This course will explore the beginning steps to building community capacity to develop water policy that is in harmony with, and honors local indigenous laws about water, in the realms of health, education, law and environmental legislation. At the end of the program, students will understand the meaning of water to their own cultural, social and spiritual context, do an analysis of the current situation with water and identify how water policies can be improved.

Our facilitator for the series, Darlene Sanderson, B.SC, M.A, is currently working on her Doctoral thesis at Simon Fraser University. Darlene has been invited to attend and present at various International Conferences throughout the world including: The World Indigenous Conference on Education, August 2002; The Third World Water Forum, March 2003; The Peoples World Forum, January 2004; and The World Social Forum, January 2004, to name but a few.

This is a series of five workshops being offered on Saturday & Sunday, February 28 &29, March 6 &7 and March 13, 2004. Class times are 9am to 3pm.

Students can take the whole series or choose to take those classes that are of interest or relevance to them.

Facilitators - Darlene Sanderson, Jane Marston and local Elders.

Registration Fee: $55 per person per class or $220 for the series.

For more information or to register contact: the Simon Charlie Society at 250-701-9088 or drop by the office at 5119 Tyup Rd., Duncan or email us scsoffice@shaw.ca.