Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

This week, thanks to Alex Steffan's Worldchanging post, I discovered a blog to help broaden and deepen my nutrition knowledge and take it well beyond its usual geographic and professional interest boundaries. This find of the week is:

Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog

A good place to begin exploring the blog is on the About page. Then, as dietitians, we probably will want to check out the posts in the Nutrition, Organic Agriculture, Cooking, Fruits & Nuts, Vegetables, and Nibbles.

I'm working my way through the nutrition archive today. Here is a sample of well-written posts on various topics:

Food is good
Kids eat more if fruit and veg are home-grown
School gardens
Heirlooms are better for you

The ethics of eating (American Public Media interview with Barbara Kingsolver)

One of the first books I want to read on my "summer" (that does not begin until September, sigh) vacation is Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. My book choice is partly because I'm a dietitian but mostly because I'm a persevering urban gardener who wants to become more of a locavore.

Until today, this book was further down the "to read" list but it moved to the top after I listened to an engaging interview with Ms. Kingsolver on American Public Media's Speaking of Faith.

Here is the link to the web page with all your listening and reading options. I downloaded this podcast and listened to it on my ipod. It's a keeper and one I will be replaying.

City of Vancouver's Food Policy Publications, Web Links & Other Resources

As I sow veggie seeds in containers on my balcony (yes, I am very late putting in the garden) and begin reading The 100 Mile-Diet, I find myself thinking a lot about sustainability. Today, when I did a Google search on "Vancouver Food Policy Organization", I found this page of resources on the City of Vancouver web site. The information is well-organized in a quick-and-easy-to-read list.

This post likely has a small audience--I'm not sure if I have any local readers--but if you live or work in Vancouver and are interested in local sustainability and food security concerns, you may want to browse the entire list. Here is a sampling of what you'll find:

REPORT & RESOURCES

• Second Annual Food Policy Progress Report, February 15, 2007
• 2,010 Garden Plots by 2010, May 30, 2006
• Vancouver Food Charter, January 2007
• Backgrounder on the Food Charter, January 2007
• The Vancouver Food Assessment Report - Summary
• City of Vancouver Edible Landscaping Brochure March 2006
• Evergreen Foundation. Growing Healthy Food on Canada’s School Grounds. March 2006.

FOOD SECURITY WEB SITES (external links)

• 100 Mile Diet - Local eating reduces food miles!
• Community Kitchens: Building Community Around Food
• Slow Food Vancouver

Free and Low-Cost Meals and Groceries in Vancouver

• Listing of FREE Meal Programs
• Listing of LOW-COST Meal Programs
• Listing of Low-Cost Sources of Food