Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Saturday, 26 January 2013
What's in the cards for 2013...
FUAL wants to build on our contributions over the last
year:
•
public
information series
•
manure maven
workshop
•
establishment of
the Lantzville Farmers’ Market (LFM)
•
advocacy on
District Council bylaw 60.23
(adoption
pending)
•
statement on
District Council soils bylaw 90
(adoption
pending)
We are planning more workshops and infomation sessions and
will continue our advocacy work regardless of District Council’s disrespectful
lack of response.
The
soil is a nation's real capital, and water, not oil, is the truly valuable
resource.
Klaus Toepfer, recent
Director-General of the United Nations Environment Program and former German
minister of the environment
Soil
Soil...
Soils contain more carbon than our atmosphere and forests
together.
Soils hold over twice as much water as our rivers and
atmosphere combined.
Capturing rain where it falls is the key to preventing
most floods.
More carbon is stored in soil worldwide than is found in
the atmosphere and the planet’s biomass together.
"Destruction of the
earth's thin living cover is proceeding at a rate and on a scale unparalleled
in history, and when that thin cover -- the soil -- is gone, the fertile
regions where it formerly lay will be uninhabitable deserts."
The Rape of the Earth: A
World Survey of Soil Erosion, by
Jacks and Whyte, published in 1939.
Around 2bn ha of soil, 15% of the Earth's surface, is now
classed as degraded by human activities
BBC News, 2002
The debate has been cast in
the wrong terms. The problem
cannot be solved if we keep asking: ‘What energy sources will be available to
replace fossil fuels?’ We should ask: what populations can be supported at a
decent standard by the energy sources available after the transition from
fossil fuels?
Lindsey Grant, The
Collapsing Bubble
... because of misuse, every year we lose a hundred million
acres of farmland and 24 billion tons of topsoil, and create 15 million acres
of desert around the world.....
mankind is using about 160 billion tons more water each year than is
being replenished by rain and fed back into water storage.... sustainability is not enough. We need to be concerned with
survivability
.... In the last half century,
the Earth has lost a fourth of its topsoil and third of its forest cover. We are losing fresh water at the rate
of 6% per year. A third of the
world’s natural resources were consumed in the last three decades. Most were
consumed by the billion people in the rich countries
Friday, 25 January 2013
Councillors Disagreement on bylaw enforcement resolved
January 24, 2013
MEDIA RELEASE
Lantzville, BC – COUNCILLORS DISAGREEMENT ON BYLAW ENFORCEMENT RESOLVED
Lantzville Councillors Jennifer Millbank and Brian Dempsey met with Mayor Jack de Jong yesterday to discuss the Notice of Motion introduced by Councillor Millbank at Council’s Regular Meeting held Monday, January 14, 2013 relating to bylaw enforcement for small farm operations.
The Councillors reinforced the need for a more structured policy on bylaw enforcement.
Under the existing zoning bylaw sales of agriculture material is not permitted on residentially zoned land.
A narrow interpretation of the zoning bylaw would indicate that everyone in the community that has or is growing vegetables, fruit trees, etc., and markets these products may be contravening the bylaw. However, Lantzville has a long and rich agricultural heritage and has rarely, if ever needed to enforce this particular portion of the zoning bylaw. In fact, small time farming has been encouraged as demonstrated by the recently opened Lantzville Farmers Market.
Within the framework of this history and through discussion, Councillors Millbank and Dempsey have agreed to approach Council with the objective of amending the existing home based business portion of the bylaw to accommodate small farm operations while encouraging them to be considerate and maintain good practices and neighbour relations.
The Notice of Motion for an investigation has been withdrawn.
You can view the release on the District of Lantzvilles website:
Lantzville, BC – COUNCILLORS DISAGREEMENT ON BYLAW ENFORCEMENT RESOLVED
Lantzville Councillors Jennifer Millbank and Brian Dempsey met with Mayor Jack de Jong yesterday to discuss the Notice of Motion introduced by Councillor Millbank at Council’s Regular Meeting held Monday, January 14, 2013 relating to bylaw enforcement for small farm operations.
The Councillors reinforced the need for a more structured policy on bylaw enforcement.
Under the existing zoning bylaw sales of agriculture material is not permitted on residentially zoned land.
A narrow interpretation of the zoning bylaw would indicate that everyone in the community that has or is growing vegetables, fruit trees, etc., and markets these products may be contravening the bylaw. However, Lantzville has a long and rich agricultural heritage and has rarely, if ever needed to enforce this particular portion of the zoning bylaw. In fact, small time farming has been encouraged as demonstrated by the recently opened Lantzville Farmers Market.
Within the framework of this history and through discussion, Councillors Millbank and Dempsey have agreed to approach Council with the objective of amending the existing home based business portion of the bylaw to accommodate small farm operations while encouraging them to be considerate and maintain good practices and neighbour relations.
The Notice of Motion for an investigation has been withdrawn.
You can view the release on the District of Lantzvilles website:
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