National Organic Week

This Week is National Organic Week, as Canada comes together to celebrate the illustrious Canadian organic food and materials industry.  Organic products can be seen as the most environmentally friendly option that a consumer has in purchasing both food, and other products such as organic cotton clothing.  By utilizing environmentally friendly farming techniques, the growth of organic goods causes minimal harm to the environment.  In addition, these techniques also keep the growing environment fertile, and maintain the quality of Canadian farmland.  When one purchases organic products, they can be sure that they have undergone a thorough approval before they are sold on store shelves.

What can you do to celebrate organic week?  One way would be to make an active effort to buy locally produced organic foods.  The BC government is investing money to make locally produced foods more available to consumers.  With the many farms in Richmond, this provides a great opportunity to begin to purchase locally grown food.  Buying local both supports the local agriculture sector, and reduces the environmental costs of the transport of food.  Help us celebrate Organic Week.

Be More Than a Bystander

I am writing today to spread the word about “Be More Than a Bystander”, a new initiative between the Ending Violence Association of BC, and the BC Lions.  Over the course of two years, with the guidance of an advisory group composed of experts in the field, members of the BC Lions football team will raising awareness based on four main steps.  Step one will be forty BC Lions facilitated workshops aimed at youths from grade eight to twelve that hopefully encourage youths to step in and not just be a bystander.  The second step is training coaches of amateur sport on the issue, so that they can pass down the message to their players. Third, throughout Vancouver and Surrey there will be an advertising campaign designed to promote the importance of taking action against Women Violence.  Finally, an educational film will be developed promoting a positive message that it is not cool if you disrespect women, and that you should be more than just a bystander.  This project will hopefully reduce the number of women that are victims of various forms of violence, such as domestic and sexual assault.  Also, it will try to make it just as much as a men’s issue and have a positive effect on certain attitudes and behaviors that result in violence against women.

For more information, please visit www.endingviolence.org.