Are you or your community group working on a sustainability related project?  We want to hear about it!  Contact us to have your project featured on this page!

•••

Shelburne Grows:

Are you interested in growing your own food?  Do you want to learn more about growing food in your backyard or are you interested in starting a plot at a community garden? Do you need help getting started?  Are you interested in sharing what you know about growing food?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you will be interested in Shelburne Grows.  This is an initiative designed to help people in the Shelburne area grow their own food, and connect beginning gardeners with those in the know.  Please visit our blog at www.shelburnegrows.wordpress.com or email us at shelburnegrows@gmail.com for more information.

•••

Sou’West Nova Transit

Sou’West Nova Transit is a community based, non-profit, rural transportation society.  It was established by local residents to provide low cost, door to door, affordable transportation on a dial-a-ride model.

It is aimed specifically at residents of Shelburne County who are elderly, economically disadvantaged and who have mobility and medical problems. Beginning of operations will be on or about November 1, 2011; but the transport operations start date will be determined at a later time.

Sou’West Nova Transit will establish the program by recruiting, training and scheduling volunteer drivers operating their own vehicles that meet eligibility requirements.  These drivers will not be paid wages or salaries, but will receive reimbursement for fuel and meals.

To find out more information and/or volunteer,  please contact  David  at 656-3010 or by email at david.meyer@eastlink.ca

•••

Local Food Study to be conducted in Eastern Shelburne County

Shelburne area (Town of Shelburne, Municipality of Shelburne, Town of Lockeport) has recently been chosen as a case study host community for the Community University Research Alliance (CURA – http://www.foodsecurityresearchcentre.ca/cura/) to conduct in-depth research on community food security. This research will be done in collaboration and in partnership with community members. The community engagement part of this project will start in June; beginning with a community gathering to discuss the area’s food issues, including the rising costs of food, the dependence on the importation of food, the sustainability of making a living fishing, farming and producing local food, and other food security factors. The gathering will take place on Monday, June 20th from 9:30-12 at the Jordan Falls IOOF hall and everyone is welcome. During the summer the planning of the research will take place with the goal of beginning the research project in the fall. In collaboration with community members, the research that will take place will strengthen capacity for policy change at multiple levels and hopefully increase individual, organizational, community, and systems capacity in the Shelburne area.

For more information, to get updates on this project, or to find out how to be involved please contact Sheila Bird at 875-2623 / sbird@swndha.nshealth.ca

•••

Sable River Country Market – Last week October 29, 2011. Thanks for a wonderful season – see you next year!

•••

Shelburne Farmer’s Market Moves to Trinity United Church

On Saturday, May 21, the Shelburne Farmer’s Market will hold its inaugural market in its new home at the Trinity United Church Hall (John and Hammond streets).
The market will be open every Saturday, rain or shine, from 9 am to 1 pm.
As always, a wide variety of local foods and crafts will be available at competitive prices.
• Grass-fed and free-range meats from Forest Hills Farm
• Pesticide-free vegetables from the Naugler farm
• Delectable baked goods, including gluten-free goodies
• Jams, jellies, chutneys and pickles
• Sweet and savoury sauces
• Mosaics, quilts, photographs, wood furniture
AND MORE
Hope to see you there!

•••

Tri-County Local Food Network:

The Tri-County Local food network is a grass roots group formed to build and support a sustainable, healthy, local food system that is accessible to all through action, education, advocacy, and relationship building in Shelburne, Yarmouth and Digby counties.
This organization is working on a number of initiatives in the Shelburne area, including supporting and promoting local markets, the “local food challenge” and a New Horizons project with the theme “Food Production & Preservation - Sharing the Old Ways Across the Generations”. The Shelburne Regional High School Community Garden project and the Lockeport High School greenhouse project have both received funding from this program. This is an opportunity for seniors to share their knowledge and skills with producing and preserving food with the younger generation.
http://www.tclocalfoodnet.com

•••

Shelburne Regional High School Community Garden

If you haven’t yet seen the beautiful and productive community garden at SRHS, don’t delay! The students and community members are growing vegetables and fruit and we hope to see even more community participation next year. The garden shed was completed this year and houses communal tools and watering equipment. And the Grade 7 class has been making fantastic compost with their “From Garbage to Garden” project.

•••

Lockeport High School Greenhouse

There is a new structure at the Lockeport High School – a fantastic greenhouse has been built this year on the school grounds. A number of groups were involved with the project, including the environmental club, Junior High Science, Technology, Education and Family Studies classes and the O2 program. Community groups and local businesses also lent a hand.