Tuesday, 3 April 2012

EcoSask News, April 3, 2012


Easter Break, April 9-13
The Meewasin Valley Centre has a full line-up of fun activities for children at 2 pm every day during the Easter Break: April 9 - Growing Buddies, April 10 & 11 - Sun Catchers, April 12 & 13 - Kite Making.

Or you can head out to the Beaver Creek Conservation Area (9 am to 5 pm on weekdays, noon to 5 pm on weekends and holidays).

Reducing Pests without Chemical Pesticides, April 11
Sara Williams will be talking about her book, Gardening Naturally: A Chemical-Free Handbook for the Prairies on April 11 at 7 pm at the Cliff Wright Library. The event is co-sponsored by the Saskatoon Public Library and the Saskatchewan Environmental Society.

Rio+20, April 12
Stephen Stec, Center for Environment and Security, Central European University, will speak on “Rio+20: Choosing the future we want” at 2 pm, April 12 in the Prairie Room, Diefenbaker Building.

Gardiner Dam Birding, April 14
Join the Saskatoon Nature Society to look for migrating hawks and waterfowl at Gardiner Dam from 9 am to 5 pm on April 14. Bring a lunch and meet at the Co-op Service Station south of Stonebridge Mall on Clarence Avenue. For more information, contact the field trip leader at 374-8571.

Zoo Run, April 22
Help raise funds for the Saskatoon Zoo Society’s Zoo Club program by participating in the 5 km fun run or 2.5 km walk on April 22 at 9 am. The deadline for applications is April 13.

Environmental Film Festival, April 20-22
EcoFriendly Sask is pleased to be one of the sponsors for the SEN Environmental Film Festival. Films to be shown at the Roxy Theatre, Saskatoon, from April 20-22, include: If a Tree Falls, To Make a Farm, Land of Oil and Water, On The Line, Mad City Chickens, People of a Feather.

University of Regina Edible Garden
The University of Regina is adding a new garden plot to its edible campus. Vegetables are donated to help feed residents in need.

The Future of Food
Four Futures of Food, from the Institute for the Future, outlines four possible future scenarios by 2021:

Growth: “Consumers can get practically anything they want, whenever they want, and without much concern for cost.”

Constraint: “A food poisoning outbreak triggers massive loss of confidence in internationally traded food and meat, as the global rallying cry becomes ‘Know your farmer. Eat local. Eat plants.’ ”

Collapse: Previously ignored stresses on pollinator bee populations cross a critical threshold to cause widespread crop failure and scarcity.

Transformation: People embrace lab-grown meats and domestic 3D-food printers which are networked to share recipes. Food supply chains and restaurants are reinvented.

Interesting Articles
As big boxes shrink, they also rethink
Can Saskatoon sprawl and increase its density?
Fruit-bearing shrubs for dual-purpose shelterbelts
Home energy savings: Drain water heat recovery
Imagining an alternative to the parking lot

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. A complete listing of all upcoming events can be found on our Calendar.

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