In light of an impending global food crisis, The Green Guild is inviting YOU to participate in the first annual Owen Sound Urban Agriculture Project! We are no longer in a period of time where it is even remotely feasible for people in Ontario to be eating pre-packaged salads from California or green peppers from Israel. Ignoring the sheer volume of fossil fuels necessary to accommodate this lifestyle and the impact that this has on the environment, the rising cost of such unnecessary fuel consumption is making it harder to make ends meet, while oil companies are making record profits. Further still, beyond financial and environmental concerns, it’s just logical to eat and grow food in the closest proximity to where you live.
The intent of the project, in its humble beginnings, is not to feed the demand for the entire city of Owen Sound. It is to promote localism, and to get people thinking seriously about pro-active solutions to problems that are the result of unconscious consumerism.
The project is about strengthening community by promoting active involvement. It is about self-reliance and the acquisition of skills that will most certainly become more important in the days to come. It is about taking responsibility as a citizen, and appreciating fully what vital role agriculture plays in the day-to-day lives of urban dwellers. It is very easy it seems, to become detached from the realities that exist behind the bright packaging in grocery stores, behind light switches, and gas pumps.
To participate in the project all you need to do is grow a garden and contribute some of your yield to, and be in attendance for, a tentative celebration to cap off the harvest season. We are looking at making a collective contribution to the food bank as well.
Participation can take many forms. Interested parties are encouraged to send their contact info and any thoughts or suggestions to kyle_stevenson1986@hotmail.com. You may also sign up in person at Billboard Clothing, across from TJ’s Coffee Shop on 2nd Ave. East in Owen Sound.
Over the summer we will send updates to participants about events that may be taking place, and forward any photos, tips etc. that participants are encouraged to send. Cheers!
Kyle Stevenson
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