Four Seasons of Green Project (Year 2 - 2010)

As our journey continues into it's second year we have been successful in many green initiatives. From our personal commitments to public events such as Spring Greening and the Kid's Club Garden.

How did we measure up to our top 5 goals?
1.  "To eliminate chemical products ingested and applied topically" - We eat organic foods & use organic body care products.  I eat solely vegetarian/vegan (I can't say I am a full vegan because I still love honey, and will wear second hand wool items), the kids eat vegetarian at home, and enjoy organic non-veg a couple of times a month at family and friends houses.
2.  "To allow zero chemicals to go down the drain" (referencing toxins) - In addition to eating organic our cleaning supplies are primarily home-made with lemons, baking soda, vinegar and borax. Our detergents and soaps are eco-friendly and biodegradable.
3. "To engage in 100% conscious buying habits in the family" - When we are out shopping or manage to catch a commercial on one of our 3 public broadcast channels, we often discuss at length why we do not need another new toy or gadget. We talk about Nestle products and the issues of fairtrade, environmentally and social responsible corporations, as well as where the product we buy will end up when we are finished with it (landfill etc.). Although we are still working at it, there is definitely a greater sense of awareness when making any purchase.
4. "To increase the families awareness of social justice issues" - (See# 3) We often take time to talk about natural disasters and how consumerism in North America has helped to contribute to global warming, global pollution... It is nice to see the boys taking it in, telling their friends (and especially when they educate adults) on issues such as youth employment, gender equality in education and life choices, sexual orientation, as well as animal and child rights.
5. "To get off the grid while remaining in a suburban environment" - Totally did not happen. I still dream of it, but it is just not happening right now. We did manage to reduce our electricity consumption. Stopped using the dryer, even hung our cloths inside over winter months (except for a a brief period where, well I guess I got a little lazy and felt the time pressures with working more - regardless we are back tot he cloths line now). 

What's new in 2010?
We have learned the most significant changes we can make are not only helpful to social and environmental justice, but are healing to our own physical and emotional bodies as well. The changes all revolved around food choices. Last year we committed to eating organic and fair trade - it was a little more expensive, but it soon became our norm to pay the real price of food.  This year we want to take our efforts in sustainability a little further...

Four Seasons of Green 5 Goals for 2010
1. Start an Urban Farm to grow 75% of the produce we consume from June-November
2. Walk/Cycle to the grocery store at least 50% of the visits
3. Build/run a small green house to continue to grow produce (especially gourmet salads, edible flowers and sprouts, as well as cold weather crops through winter)
4. Begin to offer workshops on sustainable - green living practices
5. Save the seeds, study, experiment and connect to other sub-urbanites so next year Four Seasons of Green can offer vegetable, fruit, herb and edible flower plants & workshops for those who want to plant their own 'Urban Farm" in their yard 

Too much of a good thing, is never a good thing.

If we have too much sun we get drought, too much rain we get floods. Too many babies we get over-population. Too many cars we get pollution. But what about with respect to green and sustainable energy? We generally assume that green and sustainable energy is a positive and eco-friendly choice. Is this still true if we consider global acceptance of wind energy, solar energy, geothermal... Are there detrimental consequences to large scale 'green energy' productions.

In a recent article I came across research suggested that implementing wind farms on a global scale may alter the temperature by interfering with wind activity. (Read article click here), which brings up the whole concept of excess again. Finding balance is a difficult thing to do. I say this as an adult with ADHD. Either I am too hyper-focused, or not focused enough. Have too much energy, or am completely disinterested. Full blast or stop. But what I have found to be my greatest coping mechanism is... meditation practice everyday. The 'everyday' part is key. By settling during my practice every day I find it much easier to find my own balance. Maybe we need a global meditation to slow-down consumption, mass production and the eco-panic so many of us experience.

As I contemplated the issue of excess, specifically related to green energy I reflected on the ecosystem both in the world around us and within our own bodies. In nature there is a delicate balance that keeps the animals, plants and microbes all working together in a sustainable fashion.  There is just enough of everything to keep the system flowing. This is not to say that change does not happen. We have all been born and we will all die. And in our death provide life for a host of other living organisms. It is in this change, that the ecosystem flourishes. Even a rock changes over time, albeit slowly, it still changes, and with that weathered change the flow of water or wind may change cause an entire series of changes... but that is another story...

Within our bodies our there is a bundle of cells called the sinoatrial node. This node has a very special job... to set the rhythm of the heart. However, there are a couple of fail-safes installed so that if our natural pacemaker stops working, other areas of the heart will take over to set the pace of our heart. (Read more here) My point is that nature has an integrated system that has been developed over millions of years using sun, wind, water, and elements of the Earth. When one of these systems is unavailable, another system kicks in. Perhaps we should take the hint.

The high demand for electricity comes from the way we design our homes and lifestyles. CAUTION: these two things may have to be altered. I am not suggesting we give up all our comforts and live in sheds. What I am saying is it is every individual's responsibility to assess what their personal and family needs are. Do we really need that third flat screen tv? Is it necessary for a 2 person family to live in a 5 bedroom home with 6 vehicles? How many screens need to be running at a time? In previous blogs I have mentions many small things we can do to alter the amount of electricity we use... for example electrical power bars with an off switch to ensure phantom energy isn't being used. If each of us considers what we really need, we can also consider a variety of ways to fuel these needs using integrated approaches to electricity, heating, cooling, even eating. 

There are assistance packages and grants available to retrofit your home in order to make it more energy efficient, which reduces the load that the electric companies need to supply. This reduces pollution and extraction of non-renewable resources, and the use of toxic agents for electricity (nuclear power).Grants and education programs are offered to add photovoltaic panels, solar hot water heaters, or special flush toilets to your home. Home depot will help you install an entire solar panel system that you can run your house off of and sell back to the electric company. Here is a short video about a woman who has been retrofitting her home and using her property to grow her own food. She acknowledges it can't all be done at once, but we can certainly do something at once... what will your something be?

In New York the Waterpod Project offers urbanites an opportunity to learn and experience sustainable living, urban gardening and green energy. In Ontario the Kortright Centre, Windfall Ecology Centre and Green Venture offer energy audits, sustainable education/training (including how to build straw-bale houses, install solar panels, and wind energy ) as well as a variety of eco-resources.  For 'do-it-yourselfers' youtube has a series on building green, learn how to retrofit or build from scratch with Building Green TV. If you are looking to buy a home maybe you would consider a prefab eco-home. Here are a couple of links to get you started...

Retrofitting, or building new homes can be expensive, so what can you do to reduce your carbon footprint and dependency on fossil fuels. Create a garden. No matter how small or large a garden makes a difference. Urban farmers are growing organic produce in their small yards, some enough to sell to local restaurants.  Here is one family that has done just that...

We did it!
365 days of organic eating, organic body care products, 0 harmful chemicals down the drain, conscientiousness consumerism, reduced carbon emissions. The goals were lofty and some were not met in 2009, but we have another year to keep going...

We are not off the grid, but we are on Bull Frog Power, a 100% green energy electricity company that infuses green power into the grid equivalent to what we use. The company generates statistics for you on how you are lowing your carbon emissions and footprint. It is nice to see in print how your actions are impacting (or in this case NOT impacting) the world we live in. 

Health and Environmentalism
The primary reason we began this project was health. My health had suffered for years, I suffered for years. A few months before starting the Four Seasons of Green Project my doctor prescribed a diet change and meditation. I didn't really believe that would help with migraines, an addiction to pain killers, gallbladder disease and IBS. Not only did it help all those issues (at least moderately), in 1 month it lowered my heart rate from 94 BPM to 62 BPM, improved my sleep, increased my patience, decreased my anxiety and... I lost 15 lbs. During my daily meditations in the woods I realized how all of nature is deeply and inextricably connected. My health mattered to the ecosystem. I had to make a significant change to my daily habits, my consciousness because of my new perspective on life and my role in social and environmental justice. 

From these realizations, and a predisposition to environmentalism and social justice, Four Seasons of Green was born. A year of conscious living and healing was ahead of my family and I, and many unexpected things happened... but I'll save those for the book and film... don't hold your breath it is a busy year, it will get done as soon as it can. But I will highlight some things I have learned that have kept me dedicated.

If you have been following the year you may have noticed that I am vegan, which translates to my family being vegan. However, with carnivorous friends and family the boys generally eat organic meat a couple times a month. They are young and learning about compassionate living, their connection to nature and watching those around them for clues on living, eating and health. As they get older they will make more decisions about their own eating habits and whether vegan or vegetarian living is right for them.

Here are a few things I have learned about vegetarian/vegan living through the year 

Eating pasta and cheese, french fries and burritos does not make you a healthy vegetarian, in fact, eating an unbalanced vegetarian diet is likely to pack on the pounds and create health problems Green leafy things, with whole grains (I like rice or quinoa) and a few nuts or seeds goes a long way to helping the body heal Meal presentation counts for a lot, so make it pretty Eating a primarily vegetarian diet reduces more carbon emissions than not driving anywhere for an entire year You can reduce your carbon emissions by a tonne and a half by omitting meat and dairy from your diet A pound of beef requires 1939 gallons of water (1 lb potato = 64 gallons of water) The US produces 12,000 pounds of human excrement per second, and 250,000 pounds of livestock excrement per second (the latter does not get filtered through sewage treatment and often contaminates groundwater, lakes and rivers, and contributes to dead zones in the oceans) 80% of food grown in the USA is for livestock feed (imagine how much food, water and land would be available to humans if there was a reduction in  demand for meat and dairy products) 18% of green house gases are from livestock, that is more than the emissions from ALL forms of transportation ground, air and water put together Eating more vegetarian options is a cheap and easy way to make the change to a healthy lifestyle and sustainable living

Raw strawberry treat (strawberry, almonds, agave, avocado, cacao)

Although I do prepare and eat a lot of Raw Food (from sliced veggies to live crackers to sinfully delicious cakes, pies and desserts), I like my broccoli steamed,  my potatoes whipped, and sometimes even my carrots roasted. I love lentil bakes, and rice is the staple of my diet. I have found I like 'The Middle Way' in many facets of my life, and balance just seems to make sense.

For most of the year my diet was very restricted and all foods remained whole, unprocessed - even to the exclusion of hummus and pureed soup. I could not tolerate protein powders, crackers, breads, most fruits. So I had to be creative with what I could eat. It is amazing what you can do with an avocado when you are pressed. The kids however, enjoyed the luxury of a variety of foods from fresh baked breads, muffins and treats, to kamut pasta, maki (vegetarian sushi), homemade ravioli (with herbed cashew cheze filling) and a host of smoothies.

Our fruit and veg garden was a hit, although I should have watered it more, and lost some crops as a result - I have gained experience for next season. The strawberries and raspberries took over the yard with the help of a bunny whose poop distributed the seed in the back and front yards. We never got to taste a single blueberry as the birds were quick to scoop each berry that appeared! The gardens (herb, veg, fruit & floral) were not only a convenient way to acquire our food... they offered affordable organic produce, reduced carbon emission (transport to market and our transport to pick them up). I had hoped to instigate a community garden in our neighbourhood, but with so many other things on the go, it was missed. 

FYI - you can get the necessary protein, vitamins and minerals through a balanced vegan or vegetarian diet (I do it as a vegan without wheat, or soy). Proper education (dedicated self-education is great) about a vegan/vegetarian diet is imperative for a balanced and healthy veg lifestyle. 

Inside and Out
It was great to know the food we were eating was pesticide free. But what you put on your body matters as much as what you put inside of it. As our conventional products ran out we replaced them with organic, biodegradable - eco-frienly products... everything from toothpaste to shampoo, to sunscreen and moisturizing lotion. There is a substantial body of evidence regarding absorption of body-care products into your bloodstream (if you dont want it on the inside - dont put it on your outsides), and if it is soap, shampoo, cleaners... you are also adding them to your water supply - no matter where you get your water, water is not bound by borders and imaginary lines... it evaporates, rains, carrying toxins with it all over the world... meaning we are all responsible for cleaning up the global supply of water. 

Here are some of my favorite picks from 2009 (and we tested out a lot of products to find these gems!)

• Natracare feminine hygiene pads (plastic free, chlorine free, organic cotton cover, over 90% biodegradable)
• Luna cloth pads ( I have homemade versions, they are easy to make if you have time, and you can use organic cotton)
• Ecover dish-washing machine powder & rinse aid
• Lavera Sunscreen - best darn sunscreen every used, in Mexico my pale pasty white, blond, blue eyed 4 year old, who was in the water hours on end had one application in the am (and we had to scrub it off at night) came back just as pasty not a single burn... my brother just as pale, pasty white, blond, blue eyes sunburn magnet used coppertone sport 45 as per the bottles instructions got a horrible sunburn with blisters!  So kudos to Lavera Kid's Block! Thanks for keeping our skin unburnt while visiting the equator (well close enough)
• Dr. Bronners sensitive liquid soap (add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil for aroma) - CAUTION so not get this soap in your eyes it hurts A LOT - more than you could possibly imagine! Some squirted in my eye and I couldnt open it for 20 minutes, my vision was blurry for a few hours, and it hurt for almost 6 hours - other than that caution, I like it for in the shower as a body soap and as a hand soap
• Coconut oil or olive oil or grapeseed oil - for moisturizing skin great after a shower or bath
• Miessence - Organic toothpaste - the anise is nice
• Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner (mostly organic)
• Aubrey Organic Shampoo and Conditioner
• Biovert Dishwashing Liquid (Hand washing dishes)
• Tide Free - this was a bone of contention. It is dye and fragrance free, phosphate free, apparently also biodegradable... I am still looking for an effective detergent. We have tried PC Green, Seventh Generation, Nature Clean, Borax, washing soda, Nelly's and biovert... I have two boys and I roll in the dirt just as much as they do... Tide Free is the only one to clean my clothes... the natural detergents are costing more and cleaning less, my cloths look dingy, stains marked our clothes and no amount of washing, detergent and borax mattered until we tried the Tide... so if anyone has any recommendations for an eco-brand that works, I am happy to try it.
• Tub & sink Cleaner: mix cream of tartar & baking soda sprinkle in tub, spray watered down vinegar over the powder and with a damp cloth clean the tub, works well on porcelain - don't scrub to hard or use too much of an abrasive it may scratch your tub
• Crome taps & mirrors - vinegar and water (lemon if you like it scented)
• Kitchen sink - salt & baking soda mix, spay with vinegar, scrub
• Toilet - baking soda & vinegar for bowl (if vinegar is too strong add lemon OR use salt and a fee drops of tea tree oil to disinfect)

Mind Set
What you think and how you think matters to your health, your wealth and your happiness. Your happiness matters to environmental and social justice. (By the way, environmental justice is a form of social justice;  I may use the terms interchangeably) Research on the 'biology of belief,' 'biology of emotion',  'molecular healing', 'clinical hypnosis', and 'meditation' consistently show that what you think affects how you feel (emotionally) which impacts your health on a very physical level. Deepak Chopra explains that each organ over a period of days exchanges the atoms within it's structure, and over the course of 1 year your entire body is made up of completely different atoms than the year before. You are made of the environment you live in, both the environment around you and within you. The replacement atoms look at your blueprint (located in your DNA and Subconscious mind) and follow those instructions. If you want a healthier liver, stronger heart, pain free back, or even to reduce and irradiate your cancer - you have to change your blueprint. (for those of you deeply interested in this This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me directly and I can direct you to resources)

The point is what you think matters. How you feel matters.  Hormones and chemicals are released into your body relative to what emotion you are experiencing; joy, anger, fear... Anger and fear trigger a release of cortisol and adrenalin, which over a period of time can become harmful to your body. The good news is you can control these hormone levels and increase the beneficial 'happy' hormones.  If you want to feel healthy, strong and free of pain, it helps to understand your connection to everything - even on a most basic level. You do not need to have a PhD in this field, just knowing you have the power within yourself to heal yourself and the world world around you is sufficient. That is the hard part, once you realize this, then you can learn the techniques to create the health, wealth and environment you want. 

Besides the health benefits, when you truly belief in the possibility of making a difference in your own life and the lives of others...  it is amazing what you can accomplish. More info here.

The Obstacles
For starters finances were a huge problem. In the first few months of my dedication to eat only organic there wasnt really enough for me to eat after I fed the kids, so I lost a lot of weight. By May things started to balance out, I freelanced as a photographer and that helped with the bills. Having a supportive community really helped too! Neighbours and friends would often stop by with some organic food to help out.

Finding food at the begining was very difficult, but as the year progressed more mainstream grocers began to offer a greater variety of organics. Now they are everywhere. One does not need to go to the healthfood store for their organic groceries, Loblaws, No Frills, Sobeys, Metro, Wal-Mart, even Shopper Drugmart carries Organic food. Let me take this moment to say that just because it is organic does not mean it is healthy - a cookie dowsed in chocolate and sugar - or potato chips - or overly processed foods, although organic (which is great) are still junk food! So eat them in moderation as a treat, not a meal.

School, sleep overs, friends houses, dining out, and travel...

• Thankfully Malachi's Dad is a devoted environmentalist and he supported the project
• The schools and daycares needed a lot of education around organics - the reasons why we were doing the project... but all hopped on board and even provided organic alternatives to the kids when appropriate
• For sleep overs I prepared food for Kelob and he ate from his stash of meals and treats, this lead to his friends carrying an organic supply - to which they discovered they really liked and began adding more organic foods to their diets as well.
• Dinning out - there are a few restaurants in the GTA, but watch the menu! Some say organic, but only have one thing organic and the rest is local (from somewhere in Ontario - riddled with pesticides) so be diligent, asked questions and if you find a good place please let me know! On the upside, I have become quite the chef. I even discovered I like the creativity and delight of eating a special treat that is healthy and yummy!
• Travel: We went to Mexico in October, and surprisingly with the amount of Organic imports we have in Canada from Mexico one may think it would be easier to obtain organic food...it was not. I brought some organic food, which was confiscated at the border, I found a store in Playa Del Carmen where I purchased the SAME rice that was taken from me at the airport while trying to enter Mexico. Wal-Mart had a small selection of organic food, but basically my diet for a week was rice, re-fried beans, cashews and raisins - I lost 8 lbs. I let the boys eat at the resort - a break from the organic diet and although I expected teh kids to experience GI problems from the influx of pesticides and whatever else, they seamed to feel fine. However - quite unexpectedly their behavior was atrocious!  More than just a change in routine, different scenery, I have an audience to perform for behavior - I was very surprised at the change to be quite honest. When we returned home and to the organic food, Kelob had a lot of belly and GI issues for about a week. I wasn't expecting that either. After a week back on the organic food all things returned to normal. I realize this is subject reporting and that there are too many variables to attribute the change in behavior and belly upset to diet... so I am just relaying the story to you as I experienced it. 

Timing - like anyone I live under the constraints of too much to do and too little time some days... so accomplishing all the goals with very little or no money, while raising two boys, often cooking from scratch, maintaining a garden, running my own business, studying... lets just say there are only so many hours in a day, and even if there were more - I was getting tired!

The largest obstacle...  believing in what I was doing and why... and that it all matters... 

The Results
Did any of it make a difference? All of it made a difference. Friends and acquaintances who prior to Four Seasons of Green did not eat organic now go out of their way to ensure there is organic food in their house, even if we aren't coming over for dinner. Organic options made their way into the classrooms and daycares that the boys go to. Through events, television appearances, articles in the local papers... blogs, a few videos, we definitely raised some awareness, even beyond the choirs ears (so to speak).

And as for my health... the combination of diet, yoga, meditation and visualization (hypnosis) made an incredible impact. At the begining of 2009 I still had headaches a couple of times a WEEK, I could only eat rice, peas, carrots, pears and cashews without experiencing stomach and abdominal pain. By August my stomach was feeling considerably better, but the rest of my GI tract was still under construction (that's how I like to visualize it anyway). As of January 2010 I find I am able to eat a varied diet in moderation. I learned how to prepare a variety of delicious raw food and vegan dishes according to seasonal availability of food, which is healthy for the body and the Earth. My headaches grew fewer and farther between, but even in December I still got a couple a month (which is a huge improvement over a few a week). My weight is healthy and stable. Overall there has been a significant improvement in my health and my outlook on life.

And a dedicated change in mindset also led to a romance... which has developed into a great relationship.

Kelob was on Ritalin at the begining of the year (I fought against it for many may years, but for a whole host of reasons, revolving around safety he ended up on a low dose). I never argued about the efficacy of Ritalin, it was the health consequences I was concerned with. As expected it did what it was prescribed to do. By summer time, Kelob began meditation and hypnosis, which became an effective adjunct to his treatment plan - so much so that he has successfully been off his medication since. (For anyone interested in the connection between meditation, hypnosis and ADHD/ADD/Aspbergers & behavioral issues This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me directly)

Though it was tough at times for the kids to attend birthday parties and not eat the cake everyone else was eating, or the gingerbread houses at Christmas, or pizza from the local pizzeria and worst of all.... no MacDonalds (lol), they survived and have learned a lot of valuable lessons on consumerism, the environment, conservation of resources including electricity, water and land. They learned about hybrid cars from a friend who purchased one in the fall (09), and wind power. They learned about the OSPCA, WWF, and PETA. They also learned about fair trade practices, child labour and human trafficking. They learned about racism, genocide and the perpetuation of race-based fear through cyber-bullying and other methods of negative ethnic stereotyping. Most importantly they learned that their thoughts and actions affect others (as much as a 5 year old and an 11 year old can) on a global scale. 

Motivational Highlights:

In November I was lucky enough to attend an event that Craig Kielburger (of Free the Children and Me to We), He is an incredibly motivating speaker, and a local hero... Meeting him was a great boost nearing the end of the project, when we were all feeling a little tired out. Thanks for the pep talk Craig!	In the springtime I had the Joy of photographing a workshop for Youth in Aurora, Ontario where Severn Suzuki was speaking! A great event full of enthusiastic youth ready to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said in the name of social justice!

Moving Forward
Connecting to Consciousness... The most important thing I learned is that people will not change unless they feel connected to the change. So I have created Connecting to Consciousness to help people access that part of themselves that innately knows who they are, their place in the eco-system and their relevance to humanity. My focus is primarily on people with chronic and severe health issues (chronic pain, FMS, IBS, Headaches, Cancer...). The reason is two-fold; 

1. I have the tools and capacity to help people in constant and extreme pain feel better

2. This group of individuals are prepared to make the changes necessary to be healthy and happy - and when they do that, they are creating ripples of healthy, environmentally sustainable, socially just choices

It is possible to work with this demographic in person, over the phone or on video conference. Anyone in the world had the capacity to connect to their consciousness, and make the change to a healthier, happier life which will automatically create a healthier, happier world.

Working full time as a pain management consultant, leading hikes, meditation and raising a family leaves little time to maintain this site, but I will do my best to continue to post when I can...

If you have questions or comments, drop a line, I will post your comments/questions on the site.

Make the Change!

Food for Thought

http://www.raw-food-health.net/SaveTheEnvironment.html (Environmental impacts of the food we eat)
www.bullfrogpower.com/
www.davidsuzuki.org
Alliance for a New Humanity
Pesticide Research
Pesticide Legislation Changes UK
Children and Pesticides in Food 
Toxic Levels of Pesticides in Pear and Apples for children 0-5 (when within the legal regulated residue levels)

Food Prep Sites

http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
***my Fav***  http://www.aniphyo.com/
http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/node/312
http://www.vegan-food.net
http://www.vegcooking.com/
http://www.therawfoodworld.com/
http://www.rawbc.org/raw_desserts.html
http://www.purelydelicious.net/

My Favorite Vegan (un)Cook Books

 The Joy of Vegan Baking (Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Vegie Food (The Austrialian Woman's Weekly)
Vegan Yum Yum (Lauren Ulm)
The Raw Transformation (Rudell)
Eat Drink be Vegan (Dreena Burton)
The Raw Gourmet (Nomi Shannon)
Uncooking with RawRose (Rose Vasile)
The Art of Raw Living Food (Doreen Virtue & Jenny Ross)

Special Thank You to all who supported The Four Seasons of Green Project...

Regional Councillor John Taylor
Town Councillor Joe Sponga
The Era
Dave Wood
Cathy's Composters
Scanlon Creek & The Conservation Authority
World Wildlife Fund
Trinity United Church & Rev Wardlaw
Goldhawk Live
Bull Frog Power
OSPCA - Newmarket
Clean Air Alliance
Ontario Power Authority
Dulcimerhead
Laura, Neil, Cooper
Liz, Pippa, Judy
Laura, Rudy, Cody, Katlyn, Linda, Lorraine, Janet
Kelly & Crosslands Church
Kelly, Katie, Kontie, Erika
Jake
Eddy
Andrew
Clare
Ken, Terri, Adrian, Sam, & Nora
And especially...Shane, Lisa, Kelob & Malachi
And all of the community & global support!

www.aefinefoods.ca
www.wanigan.com

If more people purchase organic foods over conventional foods the stores will bring in more organic foods and follow the consumer demand. BUT the consumers must make the demand in the market while removing the demand for GMO corn and soy products.

Now you have the food - how do you prepare it?
Personally I enjoy making up recipes, but I know that not everyone likes to reinvent the wheel... Substitute your conventional foods with organic and make your favorite recipes. Check out your local library for books on Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian cooking to reduce your carbon foot-print.
You can also try these sites...

http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
***my Fav***  http://www.aniphyo.com/
http://www.vitalitymagazine.com/node/312
http://www.vegan-food.net
http://www.vegcooking.com/
http://www.therawfoodworld.com/
http://www.rawbc.org/raw_desserts.html
http://www.purelydelicious.net/

 Good Luck! And if you come across any good websites or recipes please send them to me so I can post them for others to enjoy as well.