Fernwood University: Food Security Series
Lesson 1: Feeding the Family: 100 Years of Food & Drink in Victoria
March 5th, 2013 7:00pm, Cornerstone Cafe
Speaker – Robert Griffin, Curator at the Royal BC Museum and co-author of Feeding the Family: 100 Years of Food and Drink in Victoria
Dr Robert Griffin has been a history curator at the Royal BC Museum for 30 years and now manages the History Section. He has curated several exhibitions and written articles on the forest and mining industries.
Dr. Griffin worked on Feeding the Family with volunteer researcher, Nancy Oke. Their book presents a colourful history of the bakers, butchers, grocers, coffee makers and other suppliers of food and drink in Victoria’s prosperous early days. Oke and Griffin show how the urban landscape changed as the city grew and how it stabilized in the shadow of Vancouver’s rising prominence.
Lesson 2: Living Roofs & Green Walls
March 12th, 2013 7:00pm, Cornerstone Cafe
Speaker – Bianca Bodley LEED GA, Biophilia design collective ltd.
Bianca Bodley is the owner and principle designer of Biophilia design collective ltd., a Victoria based company and group of talented artists who collaborate there skills to create unique and soulful results. Over the past 6 years Bianca has been designing landscapes, living walls, green roofs, furniture and plant art installations in this fair city. The name of her company reflects her passion for nature and creating spaces that are healthy and vital as well as beautiful. Biophilia’s projects include the greening of both residential and commercial spaces, interior and exterior. As to the medium, that is ever growing, and includes metal, wood, glass and of course plant material from native to exotic. With an ethos based in sustainability, 90% of Biophilia’s materials used in the art and furniture are reclaimed and repurposed to bring new life from old form. The result are pieces that are unique and full of history.
Lesson 3: Digging Victoria: Urban Agriculture in the City of Gardens
March 19th, 2013 7:00pm, Cornerstone Cafe
Speaker – Rhona McAdam, Author of Digging the City: An Urban Agriculture Manifesto
Rhona is a poet, blogger and food writer. She has a master’s in food culture and communications from L’Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche (Bra, Italy), writes a food and poetry blog (Iambic Cafe), and for several years taught an online course in urban agriculture and food security for St. Lawrence College. Rhona lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
Lesson 4: Mason Street City Farm: Interns & Aquaponics
March 26th, 2013 7:00pm, Cornerstone Cafe
Speaker – Jesse, Farmer at Mason Street City Farm
The Mason Street City Farm is a quarter acre market farm nestled into the heart of North Park neighbourhood in beautiful Victoria. It is a green space in the city where a diversity of people with a diversity of skills come together in the ancient and cardinal act of growing food. This quarter acre of land nestled in the heart of downtown has been in cultivation for over 20 years and currently provides food to local restaurants and members of the community.
Jesse will be talking about Mason Street City Farm’s new internship program and their exciting new greenhouse aquaponic system.
As an after class celebration & fundraiser for the Fernwood Neighbourhood Orchard, we will be hosting a screening of The Fruit Hunters.
When: April 11th, 7:30pm
Where: Belfry Theatre, Studio A
Tickets: $10+tax, available at the Belfry box office, 250-385-6815, or at belfry.bc.ca/tickets
