Close your eyes, breath slow and we will begin

Heads up on a very relevant exhibition opening, tonight at Summit Fine Art, 1604-10th Ave SW from 5-8pm. The ex is titled 'Colony' featuring new works by Marcia Harris (exceptionally talented, very earth aware artist). She makes sense of the strange machinery with a rural/industrial beauty that is rare in global contemporary art.

where we live is where we work Marcia Harris, 120cm x 180cm, acrylic on canvas, 2008

Tufts Green Roof Research

Some quick thoughts from an urban ag conceptualist:

Reconceptualizing our food system is a wise use of calories at this critical point in urban evolution.

1. I was viewing aerial photos of North American cities taken in the 30's 40's & 50's... I was amazed to see these small squares and rectangles in the back of many homes, each with little rows. Of course, gardens! These are now lawns, decks, BBQ's, gazebos and pools. Leisure replaced personal food production or home based food security ie gardening.
2. Community gardens, with SPIN (Small Plot INtensive) technology, offer tremendous benefits to communities. These benefits are not just food centric, they are also social in nature (bad pun), craeting community pride, interaction between neighbours, green space for families, vehicle for contribution which provides sense of self worth... et al.
3. Reclaiming roads and boulevards, turning the grey/asphalt into green/food. This transition requires time, just as it did when going from green to grey. Reverse urbanization of infrastructure. It is a myth that we have to live in the concrete jungle. This reconceptualization of urban communities is a juggernaut of a movement.
4. How much can we logically produce? I suggest that using available urban ag technologies, such as green roofs/greenhousing, perimeter planting (around fields and parks), container gardening, unused lots, lane gardens, reclamation gardens, et al, we could produce close to 50% of our food in an urban setting. That is considerable. The carbon footprint is also reduced by a considerable factor. Look at it as a leap frogging of our food source from outside the perimeter to inside. The remainder of the food could be grown in our suburbs and in the brownbelts.
Reconceptualizing our food system is a wise use of calories at this critical point in urban evolution.