July Classes

Backyard Chickens


Wondering what it takes to keep chickens in an average backyard? Come learn how to keep chickens safe and healthy with Heather Havens, Animal Scientist, who will instruct newbies on how to feed, house, and ensure good chicken health. Each participant will receive resources to take home including plans for chicken coops, sources of feed, and lists of veterinarians that treat chickens. Participants will also discuss local by-laws and how they relate to keeping backyard chickens

Date: Saturday, July 4th
Time: 9am- 12 pm
Place: Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park, 2631 Westminster Hwy
Cost: $30


Beescaping

Bee conservation is widely recognised now as crucial to a sustainable future. This class is an introduction to beescaping, the sustainable art and science of integrating bees into the living landscape. We’ll look at aspects of forage and nesting needs for both native bees and honeybees with an emphasis on bee health. Creating a variety of nesting material for native bees, the basics of keeping honeybees in an urban setting, bee wrangling and other hands-on activities will be offered. This class is suitable for horticulturalists, landscape designers, farmers and home gardeners alike.


Date: Saturday, July 18th
Time: 9am- 12 pm
Place: Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park, 2631 Westminster Hwy
Cost: $30


What can I plant now?


The gardening season isn't over! There's still plenty to plant and harvest to enable your garden to produce year-round. Learn how to select varieties of vegetables that are winter hardy and time their planting so as to produce through the fall and winter. Simple season extension techniques such as raised beds, row cover, cloches, and cold frames will be discussed and demonstrated. Participants will be able to go home with a couple of winter vegetable seedlings for their own gardens.

Date: Saturday, July 25th
Time: 9am- 12 pm
Place: Barn, Terra Nova Rural Park, 2631 Westminster Hwy
Cost: $30


To register for any of the above classes, or for more information, contact Arzeena Hamir foodsecurity@richmondprc.org or (778) 297-2202

Tractor 101 & Art of Hoeing

1. Tractor 101

Ever wanted to be behind the wheel of a tractor? Miles Smart of Cherry Lane farm will host a class in Tractor 101. Learn the basics of how to operate a 70’s era Ford 4000 from starting, stopping, and throttle, to clutch control and how to safely engage the PTO. Students will be able to practice driving the tractor and will get a demonstration of how to attach machinery (rotovator and subsoiler) . Participants must be over 18 and hold a valid driver’s license.

Cost: $30
Date: Saturday, June 20th
Time: 9am-12pm
Location: Cherry Lane Farm, 2511 No. 4 Rd (off Beckwith Rd, behind Costco)


2. The Art of Hoeing

Join Dr. Kent Mullinix in a hands-on class in the art of weed management & hoeing. Learn to identify weeds and do away with them quickly without breaking your back. Try out different types of hoes including a stir-up hoe and diamond hoe. For those who are interested, participants will also be able to try their hands at managing a rototiller.

Cost: $5 (Proceeds go to the Richmond Fruit Tree Sharing Project)
Date: Saturday, June 20th
Time: 12:30-2pm
Location: Terra Nova Sharing Farm, 2631 Westminster Hwy

Payment for the classes can be made on the day of but we do ask participants to pre-register by calling (778) 297 2202 or e-mailing foodsecurity@richmondprc.org to reserve a spot.

Some Deluxe Chicken Housing

Seen some great news about businesses in Vancouver cropping up to provide housing for all the city chickens.

Not to be outdone, we have an example of some superb housing here in Richmond.

Check out Anne & Jeff's skookum digs:










Still working on Richmond's by-law. Not giving up!

Summer School on Building Community


June 16 - 27, 2009

Langara College, 100 West 49 Avenue, Vancouver

Join us for an evening, a day, or for several days at the 2009 Summer School on Building Community. This is a true festival of learning: workshops, presentations, tours, dialogues, and films provide an array of opportunities to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the critical social and environmental issues of our day and to inspire you to take action. Activists also need to take care of themselves: check out our sessions on self-care and others that increase your effectiveness in your work and life.


Who Should Attend? Anyone who wants to build healthy, sustainable communities: community members, activists and those involved with nonprofits, unions, youth, aboriginal groups, government and busines

Workshops, Presentations, Tours, Dialogues, Films

Cultivating Food, Cultivating Neighbourhoods

Mad City Chickens: Coming to a Backyard Near You! (Film and discussion led by Heather Havens), Thursday, June 18, 7:30 – 9:30 pm By donation (60784)

Neighbourhood Food Networking (Ross Moster), Sunday, June 21, 1 – 3 pm No charge (60779)

Backyard Chickens 101 (Heather Havens), Monday, June 22, 7:30-9:30 pm By Donation (60785)

How to Create a Village in a City (Ross Moster), Thursday, June 25, 7:30 – 9:30 pm By Donation (60780)

Fork in the Road: Cultivating Food and Community in Local Neighbourhoods (Adam Ward), Friday, June 26, 6:30 – 9:30 pm and Saturday, June 27, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm. $50 (60771)

Transition to Sustainability

Green Skins – Green Roofs, Green Facades and Green Streets Research in Vancouver (Daniel Roehr), Wednesday, June 17, 3:30 – 5 pm By Donation (60774)

Training for Transition: from fossil fuel dependence to resilience (Michelle Colussi and Bill Aal), Friday-Saturday, June 19-20, 9 am – 5 pm $195 (60770)

A Virtual Visit of Urban Sustainability in Europe (Emmanuel Prinet), Tuesday, June 23, 7:30 – 9 pm By donation (60782)

Overshoot: Human Enterprise and Natural Law (Rex Wyler) Wednesday, June 24, Noon – 1:30 pm By donation (60791)


The Art of Building Community

Embracing Creativity: How to Rediscover Your Creative DNA (Dolly Hopkins & Lee-Anne Ragan), Thursday, June 18, 10 am – 5 pm. $125 (60757)

Beauty in Destruction: Environmental Art Practice in Stanley Park (Beth Carruthers, Alicia Horner, Stanley Park Ecology Society volunteers) Friday, June 19, 9:30 am – 5 pm Meet at Stanley Park Dining Pavillion, 2nd Floor. Bring your lunch. No charge (60778)

Sacred Circle Dance (led by New England dance teacher, Ashara Stansfield). Friday, June 19, 7:30 – 9:30 pm. Unitarian Centre, 949 West 49 Avenue. By donation (60795)

Facilitating a Creative, Sustainable Community – Art, people and the environment (Carmen Rosen, Sharon Kallis)Tuesday, June 23, 6:30 – 9 pm. Meet at Renfrew Community Centre. No charge (60772)
Social Action

Help Slay the Waste Incinerators! (Presented by Zero Waste Vancouver, Douw Steyn & Monica Kosmak), Wednesday, June 17, 7:30 – 9:30 pm, SPEC House, 2150 Maple Street. No charge (60783)

Effective Social Change through Nonviolent Communication (Raj Gill & Leslie Kemp), Tuesday, June 23, 9 am – 4 pm $100 (60781)

Taking a Stand: A Walking Tour of the Little Mountain Housing Community (Ingrid Steenhuisen), 3 tours (By donation)
Saturday, June 20, 3 – 5 pm (60792)
Sunday, June 21, 3 – 5 pm (60793)
Tuesday, June 23, 3 – 5 pm (60794)

Self-Care

Introduction to Nonviolent Communication (Raj Gill), Tuesday, June 16, 9 am – 4 pm $100 (60775)

Beyond the Bubble Bath: Self Care Beginning with “No” (Shayna Hornstein), Wednesday, June 17, 9 am – 1 pm $75 (60776)

Too Much to Do & Not Enough of You: Strengthening our Boundaries (Shayna Hornstein), Thursday, June 25, 9 am – 1 pm $75 (60777)

Register by phone: 604-323-5322
For further information contact: Leslie Kemp at 604-323-5981

lkemp@langara.bc.ca

www.langara.bc.ca

Co-sponsored by

Langara College Continuing Studies in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, Community Arts Council of Vancouver, Village Vancouver and Zero Waste Vancouver

Growing Food 101

Yearning to grow your own veggies? Would you like to try a Zero Mile Diet but don't know where to start? Learn all the basics with Glen Valley Organic Farm's John Switzer and a variety of organic growing experts.

Food Growing 101 is a 12-week intensive course that covers all the bases - soils, plants, weeds, pests, chickens, bees, and season extension. Classes are held on Saturdays at the award-winning Terra Nova Sharing Farm. More than 50% of the class will be held outdoors where students will get hands-on practical experience.

Please contact foodsecurity@richmondprc.org for more details.

Or click here to have a look at the brochure

A New Community Garden for Garratt Wellness Center

With the help of the City of Richmond, Garratt Wellness Center, and a band of dedicated volunteers, a new community garden has been installed in Richmond.

The Garratt Garden is a 20-bed community garden located at 7504 Chelsea Place (near No. 2 Rd and Blundell)

Gardeners first heard about the different systems of community gardens that are in place in Vancouver and at Colony Farm Community Garden.



After a wonderful lunch, the gardeners got going and helped move the bark mulch and soil to finish off the garden.



Many thanks to everyone who helped make this a reality!

Bees Bath & Beyond

Make your garden bee-friendly – Bee master Brian Campbell is in Lindsay’s kitchen to show you how to make bees – our most important pollinators – feel welcome. Go here for step-by-step instructions on how to craft three easy bee houses and a bee bath.