11 results found

1. 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 votes

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   3 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   A 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

2. 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); and help the City reduce “…the carbon footprint of our food by 33 percent per capita”

   The city can support urban farming businesses in many ways:

   • Provide tax credits to homeowners and businesses for converting lawns into farms (see - and support! - the other posting that suggests this). Vancouver has very limited space for urban food production so lawns are the future of urban farming in this city.
   • Provide start up loans and grants to potential urban farmers (business plan required!)
   • Adjust zoning bylaws to allow for income-generating food production anywhere in the city
   • Provide funding for urban agriculture resources such as shared tools and storage space; educational websites; apprenticeship opportunities; and, sustainable transport (yes, even urban-grown food needs to be distributed!)
   • Develop urban farmer’s markets (city-grown or processed food only)
   • Support restaurants in sourcing urban-grown food

   Urban farming may never be able to feed the whole city, but it can help reduce our food miles and carbon foot print, while at the same time providing interesting, fulfilling, and economically-sustainable jobs for Vancouver residents.

   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);… more

   215 votes

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   7 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Support for this via the creation of urban farming opportunities (e.g. SOLE food). Also July 2010 Council approved expanding farmers markets.

3. 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 votes

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   5 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   This 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

4. 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 votes

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   2 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Hobby 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

5. 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 votes

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   5 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Council 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.

6. 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 votes

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   6 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   Small 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.

7. 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 votes

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   2 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   The 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

8. A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers

   A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers
   Poverty Reduction, Environment Protection and Community Building

   Goal
   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, beans, sun-chokes, tomatoes, cucumber, and zucchini, just to name a few of the basics.
   You can still enjoy the beauty of all the flowers the vegetable plants produce and even add a few seasonal flowers in the mix.

   A few times a year, the community can get together for a harvest. The harvest can then be sold at farmers markets, donated to needy families, or whatever idea someone else may have.

   Poverty Reduction
   Many types of Vegetables can be stored for quite a long time. we can help reduce poverty if the harvested food is donated to those who need it.

   Community Involvement
   Involving community members by allowing everyone to participate in weeding, watering, and harvesting.

   Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
   There are currently hundreds of millions of dollars spent on Marketing campaigns each year. These vegetable gardens will help to promote healthy eating with people walking by a bunch of veggie gardens all day.

   Save Money
   Reduce city spend by having community volunteers do some work such as weeding, and general garden maintenance.

   Education
   Demonstrations, informational tours, and meetings can be held at garden spots for educational events related to growing your own garden in the city.

   Harvesting
   Harvesting the crops can be a community event bringing individuals and families together a few times a year to sell and/or give away the crops. Harvesting your own seeds will eliminate purchasing expensive annual flowers that die and wither each year.

   Rebuilding for future Generations
   Over time each garden spot will rebuild itself to a more natural state and balance itself to support the types of vegetables being grown. Adding natural nutrients such as it's own compost to top soil each year will build a healthy garden for future generations.

   Safer Community
   Creating a well connected and safer community is always on the top of the list for most families and singles these days. Getting to know more people in your community will create a safer atmosphere by having more people watch out for each other more.

   The infrastructure for maintaining these gardens already exists in most cities and towns across North America. Some gardens even have automatic sprinkler systems. Very little needs to be done to make this idea possible. Help make 2010 a year of community and health. Plant Veggies!

   A Call to Town Hall - Plant Veggies, not Flowers
   Poverty Reduction, Environment Protection and Community Building

   Goal
   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,… more

   41 votes

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   3 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   This 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

9. 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 mentorship program with experienced producers, and educational programs at the highschool and/or post-secondary level.

   If we want to get serious about local food, we need to get serious about growing a new generation of farmers. We all benefit!

   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… more

   240 votes

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   10 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
   started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

   City has supported SOLE food project (in the DTES) and is investigating other urban farming opportunities as part of the draft Greenest City Action Plan.

10. Encourage urban food production

    Urban vegetable gardens and container planting can go a long way towards reducing our food miles and our dependence on imports.

    Successful projects in Mexico and Cuba show us that we can produce a lot of food in the city proper, so why don't we?

    669 votes

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    23 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
    started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

    The draft Greenest City Action Plan will discuss this in a variety of ways.

11. Create more community gardens

    Provide more opportunities for the creation of community gardens. Existing community gardens should be preserved and enhanced. Encourage community gardens on school grounds for educational and aesthetic purposes.

    227 votes

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    8 comments  ·  Encourage local food  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
    started  ·  AdminGreenest City Planning Team (Admin, CG2020) responded

    City has already moved beyond the 2,010 (garden plots) by 2010 challenge. Three new gardens were created in the summer of 2010 and others are currently in the planning stage. This is an idea included in the Draft Greenest City Action Plan.