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Written by Richard
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Tuesday, 16 February 2010 22:24 |
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 The sustainable city of Vancouver desired to increase the sustainability of its food supply chain. So in July 2003 it put into place a Food Action Plan with several initiatives to improve food sustainability for the population. On several levels this is a very Zen initiative and has lessons for communities everywhere.
One particular project was to build a network of over 2000 "Community Food Gardens" by 2010 as a legacy of the Winter Olympics. A community garden is a space that is allocated either to an individual or to a group in which food can be grown for the benefit of the grower.
These plots have additional benefits to the community at large, iincluding:
- improving the look of the city
- making the urban landscape greener, and
- increasing food sustainability by reducing the need to import food into the city.
There are also additional health benefits for the people who look after the gardens. The most obvious is the fact that in growing food the grower is partaking in the kind of outdoor exercise that will make them healthier. In addition, the grower can choose to apply the principals of organic agriculture to ensure that the food they have available is as healthy as possible.
Imagine being able to harvest your own food when you need it and it tasting so good as it's just impossibly fresh! No food brought in from outside the city can taste so good!
This is a legacy that will improve the lives of many citizens of Vancouver leaving them feeling more Zen and living a more Zen life. The scheme is set up in such a way that anyone can organize the creation of a community garden. Could you create a garden in your neighbourhood?
Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrec1/3666184289
For more insight into this topic, see these articles:
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 23:06 |
