GC 2020
42 results found
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Redistribute food that is still edible
A large amount of fine produce is thrown out or composted, especially from "gourmet" grocers who only sell produce of highest quality.
Restaurants often throw out food, because they are unable to sell it the following day.
There are many people in this city who cannot afford, or who do not have the skills to prepare good food.
Divert this waste from the food industry towards feeding people who could use the food.
32 votesThe City supports various community food recovery initiatives currently being planed or already in place. Food recovery is included within the draft Greenest City Action Plan
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mobile community gardens in empty lots
Community gardens could be setup in the gated empty lots around the city. The lot owner could put up a sponsorship sign so they get the free advertising of supporting something helpful to the community. The garden could be setup in a way that it could be moved to another lot when the original lot was eventually put to another use.
32 votesDraft Greenest City Action Plan includes a strategy to increase community garden plots of a variety of scope and scale.
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24 votes
The draft Greenest City Action Plan includes an action to create a local food procurement strategy for City facilities.
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Create local food distribution system
We have a back/front yard garden that grows primarily produce. Some years, like this one, the yield is pretty meager. But other years, like last summer, we have WAY more produce than we can possibly use, even with constant canning.
I typically start giving away the extra to unsuspecting friends and neighbours, but I would love to have a way to sell it.
Most back-yard gardeners don't produce enough produce to go to the trouble of selling it, but if there was an easy way to sell the excess into a system that could then combine it with the produce…
24 votesSome elements of a local distribution network are in place with the Farmer’s Markets. The New City Market will increase the scale of this. This idea is included in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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21 votes
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Develop incentives to restore the bee populations
[Submitted via email by Patrice Allen]
Develop incentives to restore the bee populations, not only for their products but for cross-pollination in ALL green spaces.
18 votesHobby bee keeping guidelines under review and there are beehives on top of City Hall. For details on the City of Vancouver bee keeping initiatives, please visit: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/projects/beekeeping.htm
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More street food more places
The City's recent allocation of 17 new street-food licenses is a good start. Let's take it to the next level with street food hubs on city-owned parking lots or under-utilized alleyways. These centres could be modelled after those in Portland and feature a wide variety of local, healthy options. A bonus idea: a plate refund system like at the Folk Fest -- so that packaging and wrap can be minimized or done away with!
16 votesThe City has increased the number of street food vendors and types in 2010 and are looking to expand the program in 2011. For details, please visit: http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/projects/streetfood.htm
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label local food
Encourage food retailers to label local food. This would make it easier for people to choose local and support a sustainable, secure food system in the Lower Mainland.
14 votesThis idea is in the draft Greenest City Action Plan
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Incubator kitchens
Have certified kitchens available for rent for individuals that would like to create a food business- provide business and marketing support.
13 votesThis idea is in the draft Greenest City Action Plan
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Local Food
Encourage developers to provide commercial space, throughout residential neighborhods, for outlets for locally grown food. Residential development are often required to provide community oriented commercial uses, such as day care.
Local food markets, distributred throughout the residential neighborhoods, would help support local food growth, and reduce impact on infrastructure by reducing the need to get in the car.
11 votesUrban agriculture components are now part of the public benefit negotiations for major developments, however the use of these benefits for a neighbourhood hub like this has not yet been contemplated. Options for neighbourhood based distribution of local food are being considered in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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farmBay
It is difficult for local farmers to actively and regularly connect with consumers (i.e., eaters) around specific food items.
Let's say a local farmer has a few dozen extra eggs or a few pounds of extra tomatoes. What does the farmer do? He usual composts the extra.
Across town a restaurant or person at home would like to get some fresh eggs or tomatoes for tonight. But, the farmers market isn't for several days.
How do they connect up? farmBay - eBay for farmers and eaters. Farmers post food for sale and eaters buy it in an eBay like format.
11 votesThis idea has been started through a community-led initiative. Please visit: http://www.sharedharvest.ca/metrovancouver
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Include rentable, inspected kitchens in the mandate of Parks Board's community/rec centres
Growing food is just part of the local food solution. We also need affordable, inspected kitchen spaces for canning workshops, hands-on cooking classes, community kitchens and small scale food processing.
As part of the move towards food precincts or neighbourhood food centres Vancouver needs kitchens.
The Kits and Mount Pleasant Community Centres do have kitchens, but they are not available for the public to rent. Trout Lake's new facility will have a rent-able kitchen but it is a rare case.
11 votes -
Make one floor of every condo a "farm floor" with vegetable garden. Feed the city from the city
Local food production in your own apartment building. A designated "farm floor" could be in the basement of the building where the underground parking is/was. Powered by solar panels on the roof.
10 votesA variety of urban agriculture opportunities are being incorporated into major developments.
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improve solar access for food growing
Access to sufficient solar exposure is often the most challenging impediment to food production on an urban site. Trees and buildings can create shade in spots that would otherwise be ideal for growing food - the ones just outside the kitchen or front door.
As counter-intuitive as this may seem, the city's plan to plant massive amounts of trees for carbon sequestration will probably interfere with many existing food gardens, and many more trees that are nearing the end their life-span could be removed to create room for food production. An exemption favouring food gardens could be made within the…
9 votesSolar access is always a consideration when we search for local food growing opportunities, community garden space, etc.
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Increase the number of facilities available for community kitchens/ food processing
Are people still interested in joining community kitchens? These were popular a couple of years ago but excitment seems to have died off due to a lack of available facilities.
Have community kitchen with themes- such as urban singles, local food etc...
Have these spaces double as urban food processing centres- have commercial kitchens set up to allow groups to come in and process large amounts of local food at harvest time so that it will be available for later us. Host workshops on various low energy food preservation techniques, nutrition, cooking, low energy cooking etc...
Install large size community…7 votesThe City supports a number of non-profits that have community kitchens. We are looking at increasing the number of the community kitchen opportunities in the draft plan
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Serve only nitrate free hotdogs/ cooked meats
All the food served in City should be free of chemicals & nitrates. Support organic/ natural -local if possible.
6 votesLocal and healthy local food options are under consideration in the draft Greenest City Action Plan. Parks board already has an Ethical Purchasing Policy in place that encourages the purchasing of Fair-Trade and organic products. http://vancouver.ca/parks/info/policy/pdf/policy_ethical_purchasing.pdf
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Provide a one-stop clearing house for information relating to local food in Vancouver.
A local food directory could support residents in participating in the local food economy, advising them of all the various initiatives that are going on relating to food production, processing and retail in Vancouver.
6 votesThis idea is in the draft Greenest City Action Plan
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Green Urban Cook book
Develop tasty recipes for urban nuisances such as crow a l'orange, pigeons au vin, raccoons en sauce, and coyote a la brouche.
5 votes -
Urban Farm Coop
Mandate urban farm coops in backyards. City Hall would then collect taxes in the form of fruits and vegetables. This could be as successful as it was under Stalin. It resulted in an unexpected benefit -- the reduction of the population by 15 million people. Vive La Revolution Vert!
5 votes -
Local Food Guide or Cookbook
The City should publish a guide to local foods. To be truly sustainable it must only include foods grown in sufficient quantity to feed everyone in the region (otherwise it's just elitism) and should exclude anything grown in greenhouses.
5 votesThe draft Greenest City Action Plan includes an action to create a local food information hub. This will not necessarily be a cookbook.
