Collaboration NOT Competition

Lots of strawberries and Oca for sale

After three years working to develop our nursery specializing in perennial edible plants to feed people, build biodiversity, and to sequester carbon, we have noticed a few others also venturing into this new market.  This is a new way of providing for human needs and adapting to a rapidly changing climate; a new form of agriculture that is very different from the old ways.  These new businesses are effectively co-creating a new market and we are not really doing this consciously.  We seem to be driven by our values for the common good and do not see each other as competition.  Instead we instinctively help each other by buying plants from each other, send customers, and sharing information and tips …what is good for the other is also good for us.  Anyways, just a quick observation and we can certainly say, that the bottom line has changed and collaboration sure feels A LOT better than competition.

So with that, here’s our spiel for this weeks open house for sales of perennial edible plants here at Eco-Sense:

We have eggs for sale

Date:  Saturday April 16, 2016 from 10am-2pm.  3295 Compton Road in the East Highlands.  If you are coming to just walk around the gardens please park at the bottom.  If you are coming to buy some plants, please drive up top where we have limited parking.  We also have eggs for sale at the lower gate and up top in the nursery office (the Eco-Hut).
Here’s the plant list with prices (all prices include the GST).  plant list
We have lots of Apricots for sale – 3 varieties.  Last year we harvested a whole bucket from our tree – UNBELIEVABLY YUMMY.  Our tree has just finished flowering and already the fruit is setting.  Woohoo!

Eco-Sense Video memory of the Week: Building the cob bathroom at the local lake.  This was a volunteer project.  The composting toilet is now in it’s 6 year of operation…and guess who has the cleaning contract for resource recovery?  Yup, we do, and now that we are on council we wear two hats with the District of Highlands… we disturb the shit and distribute the shit (we set policy AND clean the public bathroom) – the jury is still out on which one is more valuable. http://www.bcdailybuzz.com/media/3702/Highlands_Cob_Washroom/

Cob bathroom at Eagles Lake

Public composting toilet/change room – 400 hr volunteer project

Eco-Sense Photo Memory of the Week:  Here’s the finished cob bathroom.  Public composting toilet/change room – 400 hr volunteer project.

Eco-Sense Council Initiative (from last year).   In Highlands Sustainability plan there is a decision making tool on page 91 and 92.  This tool was sitting on the shelf and was pulled out and inserted into Highlands Policy in 2015.  It is now Highlands policy to use this decision making tool anytime we make any change or create new policy.  Yup, you heard that correctly, we have a policy to factor in sustainability goals into all our policy decisions…ha…a policy for making new policy.  In any event, it’s a good tool and can be used for any decision making…not just higher level policy decisions.  Policy No. II-110.  We now have to consider decisions that contribute to a build up of toxic materials in our environment, greenhouse gasses and fossil fuels, degradation of natural systems, un-renewable resource use, AND the undermining of other peoples ability to meet their needs.

Our paddle Honeymoon May 2005 – Sea level is going to be very different in the coming decades.

Links:  Sea level rise is going to be rising faster than most models have predicted.  The insurance industry was just informed at RIMS 2016 (a couple days ago) that they should plan for a 3 meter rise in sea level by 2050-2060.  Yes folks that is 9feet in 35 years.   This is based on NOAA data and the recent study by Hanson. Short article…very important read.  Here in the CRD we are only planning for 1 meter rise in sea level by 2100.  Next week we will share a council initiative around sea level rise.  http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2016/04/12/405089.htm

Council Failure of the week:  Gord’s “Safe Soil” resolution, was voted down for debate by the AVICC delegates.  It was a late resolution and needed 75% support to be opened up for debate… it was close as they had to count twice.   Not all is lost, as we can submit to the UBCM for September.  Oh well… all we can do is try, and we can hold our heads high.

Gord’s Eco-Sense Failure of the Week:  Before you ask “which one?” let’s just say… be kind.  It has been a bit busy, and Gord had accidentally booked two tours for the same day, and same time.  As a matter of fact, Gord forgot to write one of the tours in the calendar.  The one that was overlooked… was the one of 25 students… on a bus.     Thankfully both groups showed up early, got a longer tour than they had planned, and it turned out GREAT!  A HUGE shout out to Central School’s “Living the Good Life” program for extremely engaged students with great questions.

Thanks for reading, feel free to come on out this Saturday and give Gord time management advice…