GC 2020
27 results found
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Reduce residential encroachment on agricultural land
In order for us to have more local food in our supply chain we need to protect the agricultural land we have in the Lower Mainland including the Fraser Valley. Right now residential and commercial land zoning is encroaching too much on our prime agricultural land. Soil is a resource that must be protected!
71 votesThe City can advocate for the protection of the ALR. This is an action identified in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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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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Bring community gardeners together with those who have extra yard space
Create a program for homeowners & community gardeners to work together. For example, elderly people who want to stay in their homes but can no longer maintain their yards, would have their yards maintained by gardeners, in exchange for garden space in the home owner's yard to grow food.
69 votesA great idea and one that has already been started by City Farmer. Check out the great tool they have created to link those with space with those looking for space to garden: http://www.sharingbackyards.com/browse/Vancouver,BC&welcome_box=3
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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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create an urban farm network
Create an urban farm network, a hub that links farms, farmers, local food distribution and storage in the city and provides resources to everyone (including organized farms, non-profits, individuals, schools, community groups, city, etc) and provide business advice, links to funding, assistance in creating and sustaining local jobs, training farmers, and develop partnerships and connection to other urban farm resources throughout the city
121 votesCommunity groups are in early stages of discussing the implementation of this idea.
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Buying of Local Foods
Encourage the buying of local foods so products can be bought and sold without harmful chemicals, and are sold and grown with natural products
36 votesThe draft Greenest City Action Plan includes an action to create a local food procurement strategy for City facilities.
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Support Urban Farming Entrepeneurship
Urban farming from an entrepreneurial approach holds one of the most exciting possibilities for urban food production. Urban farming is a great way for Vancouver to achieve “worldwide entrepreneurial recognition” and create sustainable urban jobs.
Other successful urban farming systems (i.e., Havana, Cuba; Detroit, Michigan) have developed out of necessity and urgency. Such conditions do not yet exist in Vancouver. Yet urban farming, which is now a multi-million dollar “industry” in North America, holds the potential to create economic opportunities for those wanting to engage in urban food production; provide the most local food possible to Vancouver residents (and visitors);…
215 votesSupport for this via the creation of urban farming opportunities (e.g. SOLE food). Also July 2010 Council approved expanding farmers markets.
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make food not lawns
Stop planting grass and instead plant food that people can eat. The big living roof on the convention centre has grass right now but it, and other roofs and lawns could have edible plants living on them.
74 votesThis idea is included within the draft Greenest City Action Plan. It has been started, with City-owned property being converted to community gardens and green streets. See: http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/streets/greenstreets/index.htm
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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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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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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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Protect Urban Farming by changing the laws that get used to shut it down
Five years ago I moved to Vancouver and started turning the house I rented with friends into an urban farm. But a neighbour (one, out of dozens) thinks food gardens belong in the back yard and used the city's vague and undemocratic "Untidy Premises Bylaw" to have us ordered to remove it.
If Vancouver really wants to be green, it should start by looking around at the amazing things that ordinary people are already doing to make it that way and stop putting up barriers to their work. This bylaw needs a specific exemption for food gardens, or it needs…
56 votesThe draft Greenest City Action Plan includes a review of relevant bylaws that enable or inhibit urban agriculture.
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Indoor farmer's markets and community garden spaces for winter months.
Create indoor farmer's markets and community garden spaces for winter months in order to support healthy eco-living and eating.
94 votesCouncil has worked with Farmers Market Society to locate a new winter market site at Nat Bailey Stadium. Garden sites an interesting idea, but would need more study.
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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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Urban Orchards
Create urban orchards in every neighbourhood ( cherry, apple, fig, berries, plums, apricots and peaches). Employ staff to maintain these and to teach people how to preserve and use the harvest. Graft producing branches to existing cherry, plum, apple root stock.
48 votesSmall orchards are being planted by the Park Board in golf courses and at Sunset. Plans are in the works for more community orchards. This is a strategy in the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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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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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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A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers
A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers
Poverty Reduction, Environment Protection and Community BuildingGoal
Reduce poverty, involve community, promote healthy lifestyles, reduce personal and city spending, create a well connected and safer community, add natural nutrients back to top soil, and educate about healthy living and healthy food.Most cities and towns have multiple flower gardens that are taken care of by city workers. Call your local city hall, ask them to plant hardy vegetables in garden spots instead of the usual flowers. Vegetable plants produce very beautiful flowers that turn into edible veggies like Squash,…
41 votesThis idea is included in the draft Greenest City Action Plan. Action to date on this issue include community gardens and green streets on City-owned property. The City has also developed an edible landscaping policy http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/tools/links.htm#Edible
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street end community gardens
The short streets on the end of a typical block are 66 feet wide just like the streets along the front of most residential properties.
What if we made them 33 feet wide which is wide enough for a laneway a sidewalk and some trees. The remaining 33 feet could be used for community gardens, pocket parks or leased for a standard residential lot. The lot would provide additional housing without changing the character of a neighbourhood.2 votesVarious options for creating new green spaces are being considered. Converting street ends into mini-parks is an idea considered in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.
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Develop a city-supported urban farming program
Community gardens and farmers markets are on the rise in Vancouver, but there remains a need for more productive farms (market gardens) to produce significant amounts of local food.
There are more and more people interested in getting into farming as a livelihood, but barriers such as high land values and low profit margins in traditional farming make entry difficult.
The City could develop a municipally-supported urban farming program where city-owned land would be affodably leased to prospective farmers for a season to gain experience, earn an income, and produce food for local residents. This could be coupled with a…
240 votesCity has supported SOLE food project (in the DTES) and is investigating other urban farming opportunities as part of the draft Greenest City Action Plan.
