WEEK 14
MY TEAM AND I
Before I joined the Green Business Management program, I always disliked doing my assignments in groups due to fear of conflicts or lack of commitment and delivery from either myself or my team mates.This semester has been great. Despite the slow start, I must say I have learned a lot from both my professors and my classmates, particularly my team members. In the early weeks of the team formation, I would say I started off on a pretty cautious note. Our first couple of meetings was characterized by the feeling of fear and pressure to attend and contribute. Some of the strengths my team members brought to the team were:
Tina: She is very focused and hardworking and she would always remind us of what we needed to do and when was good to finish. She kept us on toes! She is also very knowledgeable about Powerpoint and was always happy to modify our slide designs by adding some ‘spice’ to them.
Kaush: He is very mature in his work. He is also very hardworking and determined. He goes to extensive measures to find material needed for our reports and presentations. I would say Kaush and Tina have pretty much the same personality and so we’d have a bit of trouble coming to a conclusion if they didn’t feel the same way about a discussion. In all the cases, we’d have to go by what Philip and I support.
Philip: Philip has come from far as far as his involvement in the group work is concerned. He started off pretty slow but eventually he caught up was able to deliver his part well. He is very charming and easy to work with.
Becky: I am pretty hard working too when I set my mind to it. I had some difficulty working with my team in the first week, especially since I like to do what I want, when I want, and this would not cut it for the group. I believe I have been able to deliver my parts well and professionally. Being in a team with people from countries where English was not predominant, I became the default spelling and grammar checker, a role I was glad to play.
Just to rate our work:· Teamwork: Plus· Research and delivery: Plus· Listening to each other and paying attention to their points of view: Plus · Practice for presentation: Minus
WEEK 13.
FINAL PRESENTATION.
In readiness for our Final Presentation, we have met with our Client organisation’s representative Shirley. We listened to what some of her concerns were and we have been able to incorporate recommendations and implementation processes in our final presentation as much as we could. Should they implement this, The Mission will gain greatly from the recommendation in our report.
Some of the Mission’s high leverage options for sustainability will be in its ability to provide nutritious and balanced diet to its people, saving costs on food preparation,food waste and housekeeping, thus, reducing its impact on Environment.
Additional Contribution to the Final Presentation:
Pick-it-Yourself Farms.Some farmers allow the consumers to walk onto their farms during harvest time, they pick the fruit, vegetables, corn or whatever they want and pay for it as they go. The consumer benefits by being able to collect the best quality products. The Mission will take advantage of such farms and have some of its more stable minded “clients” help with the shopping of such products as strawberries, apples, cabbages, etc. An example of this is Richmond Strawberry Farm and Shouldice Berry Farm on of Fallowfield Field & Richmond Road. These grow Strawberries, raspberries and pumpkins.
Harvest Chart by Just Food.This chart shows various types of locally grown crops and the months of the year that they are ready for harvesting. This seasonal calendar will guide the Mission to be able to know WHAT, WHERE and WHEN local food is available through the year and therefore to eat seasonally. Eating seasonally is a cheaper and more sustainable way of eating.
Table and Graph of Comparison between Organic and Non-Organic Food Prices.
Training.
CRAFT Ottawa farms are a group of ecological farms looking to build the next generation of food producers. They believe in a sustainable, local food system. CRAFT interns have a complete immersion in a working farm, with producers who respect their contribution and are willing to share their wisdom and knowledge. Some of the people at the Mission, once they have been rehabilitated, can apply for this program which has structures put in place for training. They can then use the knowledge they acquire to help with the long term farming for their own sustainability and that of the Mission.
Some of the CSA farms accept Geraldine Baker of Glorious Greens receives volunteers on her farm and trains them in food production. She can pick people up from the city and therefore reduce their cost of transportation.
Source: http://www.craftontario.ca/
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, (WWOOF) Canada's mission is to raise consciousness about ecological solutions to environmental issues through support of a community of people who are passionate about sustainable organic stewardship of food, animals and land while respecting nature and protecting natural resources.
They teach about organic growing and producing and other sustainable living practices, as well as the many interesting aspects of Canadian farms, rural and urban properties. WWOOFing / volunteering is a helping exchange. The volunteers help 4-6 hours a day, 5-5 1/2 days per week and receive accommodations, meals and a very interesting experience.
Ottawa Mission Farm DreamNo doubt, Ottawa Mission will one day expand beyond the walls of its current building. When that day comes, we hope the Mission can expand its way onto a little farm where all the first and second stage people who are in training or have finished training and have nowhere to go yet can stay and cultivate. In this setting, the people will be able to effectively produce some of their own food.How? They have a fundraising department that can be used to raise funds over a number of years, specifically for purchase or lease of a small farm.
The farm will benefit from skills obtained by the WWOOFers and volunteers on CSA farms.
************************************************************************
WEEK 12.Some questions I have as a Green Business Leader:1. What change can I make in my institution?2. Am I well-equipped enough to take on the challenge of creating a sustainable business environment?3. Am I significant enough to be heard and to make a notable difference in the way the world perceives Green Business?4. Is Green Business alone able to make change fast enough?
FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS WITH OTTAWA MISSION.
Kaush, Tina and I, (Becky), met with Shirley Roy of Ottawa Mission and presented her with a report containing our findings and recommendations from our Mid Term project. She was impressed by the recommendations and seemed very positive about them.
As a follow-up, we had prepared some questions for her. The following are some of her responses to our questions:
Their dish washer is very industrial. It uses extremely hot water so as to kill any diseases from people who may be infected. They also use a large amount of soap.
The city does not take care of their recyclables, and so they have to pay a contractor to get rid of it for them.
The average amount of money they spend on food alone is $375,000. This comes down to about $31,250 a month. This is separate from the food they get from donors such as restaurants.
They have a Fundraising department which deals with:· Partnering with media organisations.· Preparing newsletters.· Coordinating with third parties such as churches and schools which have fundraising activities for the mission. This is very independent though.· They have assigned someone who works specifically with major gift donors and fundraisers.
They would like to do a proper follow up on the people who come in and out of the mission but they lack the resources and staff to keep track of them. They are not able to update their addresses.
They have a second stage house which so far has 11 beds used by people who have successfully finished their first stage but have nowhere to go. Usually they are accommodated for a maximum of one year and then they have to be on their feet.
Her reaction to the training program was of concern for availability of structures in place to show that the people are actually learning and gaining some skills, such as soil nutrients, etc.
We suggested that instead of spending money to get rid of their used oil, they give it to Samack, the guy who runs his car on vegetable oil. Shirley was very receptive to the idea.
An Excerpt of the Report we presented to Shirley.
We recommend that Ottawa Mission takes up some or all of the following practices so as to be able to provide healthier and more affordable food to the people who come to the shelter.
Just Food.Just Food runs a program called Community Shared Agriculture (CSA). CSA is an approach to growing and purchasing food products in which the farmer and consumer are working cooperatively. In a CSA, the farmer grows food for a predetermined group of consumers. The consumer enters into an agreement of purchase with the grower prior to the start of the season. The farmer gains a guaranteed market; the consumer gains high quality, fresh food. CSA farms usually offer weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables Our first recommendation is to link these farmers, through Just Food, to the Mission’s main financial supporters and monetary donors. In this way, the Mission can have a steady supply of healthy food through the year. You can also choose to use the Food Box programs where you need not necessarily commit for an entire season, the payment is usually due on a week by week.Also, on a long term basis, some of the residents of Ottawa Mission can be trained in farming so that they can help the farmers to plant, weed and Harvest these crops. In return, they get paid in kind or monetary terms, or both of each. This will help them to make a living without depending of donors for food. The Just Food website provides information on location of these farms, what kind of food they grow and at what time of the year. Following these information, you will be able to know which farms have crops ready for planting, weeding or harvesting. This will also serve as a guide to your food availability.
Fresh Harvest is one of the Ottawa Food Bank's perishable food retrieval programs. Each day, the Fresh Harvest driver sweeps major grocery stores within the area, picking up such items as fresh meat, fresh produce, bakery and deli goods. This food is then delivered the same day to one of the local soup kitchens or to one of the city's emergency housing shelters.
City Harvest is a different perishable food retrieval program that focuses on prepared meals or food items from local restaurants, retirement homes and food service providers. The prepared food is then delivered directly to a soup kitchen or agency that has a meal program.
We suggest that these two programs be persuaded to take Ottawa Mission into consideration as they distribute the food and make you one of its recipients, thus reducing your food costs.
Community Harvest Ontario.The goal of this program is to increase the quantity of fresh, local, healthy foods distributed to food banks across the province. They are accomplishing this goal in three ways:
1. Connecting with farmers to acquire the product that cannot make it to market for ‘cosmetic’ reasons such as size or colour. These types of produce, called "seconds", are perfectly healthy, tasty, and fresh and would otherwise be disposed of. Through Community Harvest Ontario, we want to ensure that these foods make it to the Ottawa Mission without having to go through the food banks. We believe the Mission can take advantage of this program and acquire some of these ‘ugly’ foods at a cheaper cost.
2. Working with farmers on planting projects. Many farmers across Ontario are planting crops specifically for their local and area food banks. CHO helps by covering some of the costs of planting and harvesting, and by providing volunteers to assist with some of the work involved in growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Connecting volunteer groups with farms that have surplus produce in their fields. The volunteer groups travel to their assigned farm and pick the edible food that remains on the land; a process known as gleaning.
If the people at Ottawa Mission form groups and help with the harvesting of these foods, they can be given a percentage of what they harvest, and this is free, healthy food!
Organic Day! We suggest that as a step towards healthier food, special days be set aside every month or bi-monthly when only organic meals are served. This could also be served on Public holidays and other special days such as The Annual Christmas Dinner.
WEEK 11
David Suzuki Foundations: Doing Business in a New Climatehttp://www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/Doing_Business_in_a_New_Climate.aspx
Highlights and ways this material can be applied to Ottawa Mission:
Our Final deliverable is essentially based on implementing the recommendations that we made to Ottawa Mission during our Mid-Term presentation. These recommendations are designed to help them become more ‘green’, sustainable and save more money while at it.Suzuki’s guide is designed to help businesses take action to reduce their climate impact, and at the same time reap some of the many related benefits, thus it is 100% in line with our project. The first step towards becoming sustainable is ‘..by assessing the risks and opportunities, setting goals, assigning staff and resources, developing and implementing a plan to achieve those goals, and monitoring the results.’ This is a very useful process for Ottawa Mission to follow in order to reduce and control their carbon emissions. They have assessed their risks and though their opportunities may seem so few, they have made an important second step, and that is establishing a “Green Team” to deal with the reduction of their contribution toward global warming.
The steps provided in this book are very applicable to real businesses, and Ottawa Mission, being a charity soup kitchen, can only learn so much from it. However, the Mission is still exposed to certain risks that all businesses face, such as continued exposure to high energy costs. These costs can be reduced and savings made from reduced fuel and energy consumption as a result of reducing Green House Gas emissions. There would also be improved operational efficiencies, e.g. through better food management and provision of more naturally grown foods.
WEEK 14
MY TEAM AND I
Before I joined the Green Business Management program, I always disliked doing my assignments in groups due to fear of conflicts or lack of commitment and delivery from either myself or my team mates.
This semester has been great. Despite the slow start, I must say I have learned a lot from both my professors and my classmates, particularly my team members. In the early weeks of the team formation, I would say I started off on a pretty cautious note. Our first couple of meetings was characterized by the feeling of fear and pressure to attend and contribute. Some of the strengths my team members brought to the team were:
Tina: She is very focused and hardworking and she would always remind us of what we needed to do and when was good to finish. She kept us on toes! She is also very knowledgeable about Powerpoint and was always happy to modify our slide designs by adding some ‘spice’ to them.
Kaush: He is very mature in his work. He is also very hardworking and determined. He goes to extensive measures to find material needed for our reports and presentations. I would say Kaush and Tina have pretty much the same personality and so we’d have a bit of trouble coming to a conclusion if they didn’t feel the same way about a discussion. In all the cases, we’d have to go by what Philip and I support.
Philip: Philip has come from far as far as his involvement in the group work is concerned. He started off pretty slow but eventually he caught up was able to deliver his part well. He is very charming and easy to work with.
Becky: I am pretty hard working too when I set my mind to it. I had some difficulty working with my team in the first week, especially since I like to do what I want, when I want, and this would not cut it for the group. I believe I have been able to deliver my parts well and professionally. Being in a team with people from countries where English was not predominant, I became the default spelling and grammar checker, a role I was glad to play.
Just to rate our work:
· Teamwork: Plus
· Research and delivery: Plus
· Listening to each other and paying attention to their points of view: Plus
· Practice for presentation: Minus
WEEK 13.
In readiness for our Final Presentation, we have met with our Client organisation’s representative Shirley. We listened to what some of her concerns were and we have been able to incorporate recommendations and implementation processes in our final presentation as much as we could. Should they implement this, The Mission will gain greatly from the recommendation in our report.
Some of the Mission’s high leverage options for sustainability will be in its ability to provide nutritious and balanced diet to its people, saving costs on food preparation,
food waste and housekeeping, thus, reducing its impact on Environment.
Additional Contribution to the Final Presentation:
Pick-it-Yourself Farms.
Some farmers allow the consumers to walk onto their farms during harvest time, they pick the fruit, vegetables, corn or whatever they want and pay for it as they go. The consumer benefits by being able to collect the best quality products. The Mission will take advantage of such farms and have some of its more stable minded “clients” help with the shopping of such products as strawberries, apples, cabbages, etc. An example of this is Richmond Strawberry Farm and Shouldice Berry Farm on of Fallowfield Field & Richmond Road. These grow Strawberries, raspberries and pumpkins.
Harvest Chart by Just Food.
This chart shows various types of locally grown crops and the months of the year that they are ready for harvesting. This seasonal calendar will guide the Mission to be able to know WHAT, WHERE and WHEN local food is available through the year and therefore to eat seasonally. Eating seasonally is a cheaper and more sustainable way of eating.
Table and Graph of Comparison between Organic and Non-Organic Food Prices.
Training.
CRAFT Ottawa farms are a group of ecological farms looking to build the next generation of food producers. They believe in a sustainable, local food system. CRAFT interns have a complete immersion in a working farm, with producers who respect their contribution and are willing to share their wisdom and knowledge. Some of the people at the Mission, once they have been rehabilitated, can apply for this program which has structures put in place for training. They can then use the knowledge they acquire to help with the long term farming for their own sustainability and that of the Mission.
Some of the CSA farms accept Geraldine Baker of Glorious Greens receives volunteers on her farm and trains them in food production. She can pick people up from the city and therefore reduce their cost of transportation.
Source: http://www.craftontario.ca/
Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, (WWOOF) Canada's mission is to raise consciousness about ecological solutions to environmental issues through support of a community of people who are passionate about sustainable organic stewardship of food, animals and land while respecting nature and protecting natural resources.
They teach about organic growing and producing and other sustainable living practices, as well as the many interesting aspects of Canadian farms, rural and urban properties. WWOOFing / volunteering is a helping exchange. The volunteers help 4-6 hours a day, 5-5 1/2 days per week and receive accommodations, meals and a very interesting experience.
Ottawa Mission Farm Dream
No doubt, Ottawa Mission will one day expand beyond the walls of its current building. When that day comes, we hope the Mission can expand its way onto a little farm where all the first and second stage people who are in training or have finished training and have nowhere to go yet can stay and cultivate. In this setting, the people will be able to effectively produce some of their own food.
How? They have a fundraising department that can be used to raise funds over a number of years, specifically for purchase or lease of a small farm.
The farm will benefit from skills obtained by the WWOOFers and volunteers on CSA farms.
WEEK 12.
Some questions I have as a Green Business Leader:
1. What change can I make in my institution?
2. Am I well-equipped enough to take on the challenge of creating a sustainable business environment?
3. Am I significant enough to be heard and to make a notable difference in the way the world perceives Green Business?
4. Is Green Business alone able to make change fast enough?
An Excerpt of the Report we presented to Shirley.
We recommend that Ottawa Mission takes up some or all of the following practices so as to be able to provide healthier and more affordable food to the people who come to the shelter.
Just Food.
Just Food runs a program called Community Shared Agriculture (CSA). CSA is an approach to growing and purchasing food products in which the farmer and consumer are working cooperatively. In a CSA, the farmer grows food for a predetermined group of consumers. The consumer enters into an agreement of purchase with the grower prior to the start of the season. The farmer gains a guaranteed market; the consumer gains high quality, fresh food. CSA farms usually offer weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables
Our first recommendation is to link these farmers, through Just Food, to the Mission’s main financial supporters and monetary donors. In this way, the Mission can have a steady supply of healthy food through the year. You can also choose to use the Food Box programs where you need not necessarily commit for an entire season, the payment is usually due on a week by week.
Also, on a long term basis, some of the residents of Ottawa Mission can be trained in farming so that they can help the farmers to plant, weed and Harvest these crops. In return, they get paid in kind or monetary terms, or both of each. This will help them to make a living without depending of donors for food. The Just Food website provides information on location of these farms, what kind of food they grow and at what time of the year. Following these information, you will be able to know which farms have crops ready for planting, weeding or harvesting. This will also serve as a guide to your food availability.
Fresh Harvest is one of the Ottawa Food Bank's perishable food retrieval programs. Each day, the Fresh Harvest driver sweeps major grocery stores within the area, picking up such items as fresh meat, fresh produce, bakery and deli goods. This food is then delivered the same day to one of the local soup kitchens or to one of the city's emergency housing shelters.
City Harvest is a different perishable food retrieval program that focuses on prepared meals or food items from local restaurants, retirement homes and food service providers. The prepared food is then delivered directly to a soup kitchen or agency that has a meal program.
We suggest that these two programs be persuaded to take Ottawa Mission into consideration as they distribute the food and make you one of its recipients, thus reducing your food costs.
Community Harvest Ontario.
The goal of this program is to increase the quantity of fresh, local, healthy foods distributed to food banks across the province. They are accomplishing this goal in three ways:
1. Connecting with farmers to acquire the product that cannot make it to market for ‘cosmetic’ reasons such as size or colour. These types of produce, called "seconds", are perfectly healthy, tasty, and fresh and would otherwise be disposed of. Through Community Harvest Ontario, we want to ensure that these foods make it to the Ottawa Mission without having to go through the food banks. We believe the Mission can take advantage of this program and acquire some of these ‘ugly’ foods at a cheaper cost.
2. Working with farmers on planting projects. Many farmers across Ontario are planting crops specifically for their local and area food banks. CHO helps by covering some of the costs of planting and harvesting, and by providing volunteers to assist with some of the work involved in growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Connecting volunteer groups with farms that have surplus produce in their fields. The volunteer groups travel to their assigned farm and pick the edible food that remains on the land; a process known as gleaning.
If the people at Ottawa Mission form groups and help with the harvesting of these foods, they can be given a percentage of what they harvest, and this is free, healthy food!
Organic Day! We suggest that as a step towards healthier food, special days be set aside every month or bi-monthly when only organic meals are served. This could also be served on Public holidays and other special days such as The Annual Christmas Dinner.
WEEK 11
David Suzuki Foundations: Doing Business in a New Climate
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/Doing_Business_in_a_New_Climate.aspx
Highlights and ways this material can be applied to Ottawa Mission:
Our Final deliverable is essentially based on implementing the recommendations that we made to Ottawa Mission during our Mid-Term presentation. These recommendations are designed to help them become more ‘green’, sustainable and save more money while at it.
Suzuki’s guide is designed to help businesses take action to reduce their climate impact, and at the same time reap some of the many related benefits, thus it is 100% in line with our project.
The first step towards becoming sustainable is ‘..by assessing the risks and opportunities, setting goals, assigning staff and resources, developing and implementing a plan to achieve those goals, and monitoring the results.’ This is a very useful process for Ottawa Mission to follow in order to reduce and control their carbon emissions. They have assessed their risks and though their opportunities may seem so few, they have made an important second step, and that is establishing a “Green Team” to deal with the reduction of their contribution toward global warming.
The steps provided in this book are very applicable to real businesses, and Ottawa Mission, being a charity soup kitchen, can only learn so much from it. However, the Mission is still exposed to certain risks that all businesses face, such as continued exposure to high energy costs. These costs can be reduced and savings made from reduced fuel and energy consumption as a result of reducing Green House Gas emissions. There would also be improved operational efficiencies, e.g. through better food management and provision of more naturally grown foods.
WEEK 8.
My Contribution to The Green Service Consultancy Firm’s, Eco-Pulse, Mid-Term Presentation.
OUR OBJECTIVES.
To ensure the healthiest meals are provided to the people. Organic food can be expensive, yes, but it need not be the domain of the wealthy.
Work with them to ensure easy availability of organic food.
To help them be cost effective while achieving the best that they can for these homeless people.
To teach them how to use cheap but safe cleaning products.
To work with them to manage waste.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
We recommend that Ottawa Mission takes up some of the following practises so as to be able to provide healthier and more affordable food to the people who come to the shelter.
Fresh Harvest is one of the Ottawa Food Bank's perishable food retrieval programs. Each day, the Fresh Harvest driver sweeps major grocery stores within the area, picking up such items as fresh meat, fresh produce, bakery and deli goods. This food is then delivered the same day to one of the local soup kitchens or to one of the city's emergency housing shelters. More than 50,000 pounds of fresh food is collected and distributed each month!
City Harvest is a different perishable food retrieval program that focuses on prepared meals or food items from local restaurants, retirement homes and food service providers. The prepared food is then delivered directly to a soup kitchen or agency that has a meal program.
These two programs can be persuaded to take Ottawa Mission into consideration as they distribute the food.
Just Food.Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) is an approach to growing and purchasing food products in which the farmer and consumer are working cooperatively. In a CSA, the farmer grows food for a predetermined group of consumers. The consumer enters into an agreement of purchase with the grower prior to the start of the season. The farmer gains a guaranteed market; the consumer gains high quality, fresh food, as it becomes available. CSA farms usually offer weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables
Food Box programs are a variation of the CSA structure. The food box differs in the consumer need not necessarily commit for an entire season, the payment is usually due on a week by week basis and the consumer often has less say as to what is grown and what goes into the box.
We plan to link up the farmers, through Just Food, to the money donors so that the Mission can have a steady supply of healthy food through the year.
Donors
We will talk with some of the Mission’s donors and encourage them to partner with the Community Shared Agriculture to provide organic food to the Mission. One of our targets is Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who understands the importance of healthy, organic and fresh food.
Special organic meals on Public holidays and other special days such as The Annual Christmas Dinner.
Community Harvest Ontario.
Community Harvest Ontario is an initiative of the Ontario Association of Food Banks. The goal of this program is to increase the quantity of fresh, local, healthy foods distributed to food banks across the province. They are accomplishing this goal in three ways:
1. Connecting with farmers to acquire the product that cannot make it to market for ‘cosmetic’ reasons such as size or colour. These types of produce, called "seconds", are perfectly healthy, tasty, and fresh and would otherwise be disposed of. Through Community Harvest Ontario, we want to ensure that these foods make it to the people without having to go through the food banks. If the people at OttawaMission form groups and help with the harvesting of these foods, they can be given say, 10% of what they harvest, and this is free, healthy food!
2. Working with farmers on planting projects. Many farmers across Ontario are planting crops specifically for their local and area food banks. CHO helps by covering some of the costs of planting and harvesting, and by providing volunteers to assist with some of the work involved in growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Connecting volunteer groups with farms that have surplus produce in their fields. The volunteer groups travel to their assigned farm and pick the edible food that remains on the land; a process known as gleaning.
Community Harvest Ontario is an initiative of the Ontario Association of Food Banks. The goal of this program is to increase the quantity of fresh, local, healthy foods distributed to food banks across the province. They are accomplishing this goal in three ways:
1. Connecting with farmers to acquire the product that cannot make it to market for ‘cosmetic’ reasons such as size or colour. These types of produce, called "seconds", are perfectly healthy, tasty, and fresh and would otherwise be disposed of. Through Community Harvest Ontario, we want to ensure that these foods make it to the people without having to go through the food banks. If the people at OttawaMission form groups and help with the harvesting of these foods, they can be given say, 10% of what they harvest, and this is free, healthy food!
2. Working with farmers on planting projects. Many farmers across Ontario are planting crops specifically for their local and area food banks. CHO helps by covering some of the costs of planting and harvesting, and by providing volunteers to assist with some of the work involved in growing fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Connecting volunteer groups with farms that have surplus produce in their fields. The volunteer groups travel to their assigned farm and pick the edible food that remains on the land; a process known as gleaning.
Some of the residents of Ottawa Mission can be trained in farming so that they can help the farmers to plant, weed and Harvest these crops. In return, they get paid in kind or monetary terms, or both of each. This will help them to make a living without depending of donors for food.
WEEK 7.
I am going to be taking care of the healthy food section for the Eco-Pulse presentation. In lieu of that, I have done some research on organic food and the following is my finding:
ORGANIC FOODS.
Organic refers to an "earth friendly" and health-supportive method of farming and processing foods. Weeds and pests are controlled using environmentally sound practices that sustain our personal health and the health of our planet. The term "organic" applies to both animal and plant foods.
In simple words, Organic foods are those foods that are produced, processed and packaged without using chemicals. They have been accepted due to their perceived health benefits over conventional food. The organic industry is growing rapidly and has caught the attention of farmers, manufacturers and, above all, consumers.
The term "organic" can be applied to a variety of different kinds of foods. The term can be used on agricultural products, and on meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. And it also applies to the methods used to process organically grown foods.
Some conditions for Organically Grown Crops:
- The crop must be produced on land without the use of synthetic substances (pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers) except those provided by the standards.
- No prohibited substances can have been applied to the land for 3 years prior to harvest.
- The land must have defined boundaries and buffer zones preventing the crop to have contact with prohibited substances from adjoining land.
- Soil fertility and crop nutrient management must be done in a manner to improve soil conditions, minimize soil erosion, and to prevent contamination of crops, soil or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms or heavy metals
Organically Grown Meat, Poultry, Eggs and Dairy:
- Livestock must be fed rations composed of agricultural products, pasture and forage that are organically produced and, if applicable, handled.
- Prohibitions regarding animal feed include:
- Administering of animal drugs in the absence of illness
- Use of hormones to promote growth
- Use of supplements in amounts above those for adequate nutrition
- Use of mammal or poultry slaughter by-products for feed
- Excessive use of feed additives
- Routinely administering synthetic parasiticides
· Organic poultry must be under continuous organic management beginning no later than the second day of life
· Milk or milk products must be from animals that have been under continuous organic management beginning no later than 1 year prior to milk production.
As of June 30, 2009, the Organic Products Regulations require mandatory certification to the revised National Organic Standard for agricultural products represented as organic in international and inter-provincial trade, or that bear the federal organic agricultural product legend (or federal logo).
100% organic: A raw or processed agricultural product that contains (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) 100% organically produced ingredients.
Organic: A raw or processed agricultural product that contains (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) not less than 95% organically produced or processed agricultural products.
Made with (specified) organic ingredients: The ingredients in a multi-ingredient agricultural product must contain at least 70% organically produced ingredients and handled according to law.
Organic ingredients listed individually: The ingredients in a multi-ingredient agricultural product containing less than 70% organically produced ingredients with each organically produced ingredient identified as such.
Some of the popular organic food items include:
- Fruits, Vegetables, Mushrooms, and Grains
- Dairy products and Eggs
- Livestock feed
- Meats and Poultry
- Fish and seafood
- Honey
ORGANIC FOOD AND HEALTH.
Organically grown food reduces exposure to toxins used in conventional agricultural practices. These toxins include pesticides, many of which have been federally classified as potential cancer-causing agents; heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Minimizing exposure to these toxins is of major benefit to your health. Heavy metals damage nerve function, contributing to diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lowering IQ, and also block hemoglobin production, causing anemia. Solvents damage white cells, lowering the immune system's ability to resist infections.
Organically grown foods have also been shown to contain substantially higher levels of nutrients such as protein, vitamin C and many minerals.
Organic food protects from heart disease and cancer, as they contain Phenolic compounds. It ensures high food quality, which other conventional foods cannot give. Organic food is natural and fresh, and thus, it is tasty.
WEEK 5.
OTTAWA MISSION.
My Green Team, Eco-Pulse has chosen to work with Ottawa Mission for our Mid-Term Presentation. Ottawa Mission is a shelter for the homeless. We looked at the practices of the organisation:
The organisation serves over 1100 meals in a day. People who cannot move into their permanent housing to live on their own are given housing and are therefore able to gain life skills and get support at the same time. They have a “school’ known as Stepping stones, which helps some of the people to finish high school and move on to college. They have a Job Training Centre that trains some of them in areas such as Fod training. These people graduate from this program and 80% of them get jobs outside of the shelter, thus, are able to take care of themselves.
The Mission also helps people who are (terminally) ill. In the past 5 years, 85 people have passed away under dignified conditions in this mission. They also have a 6-month LifeHouse program which helps rehabilitate people who are o drugs.
We chose to work with Ottawa Mission because our Consultancy company is interested in food and nutrition. This organisation feeds so many people in a day and we thought if we can make a difference in someone's diet, someone who is homeles and poor, then we would be happy people. Another thing is that Ottawa Mission has a green team, so this team provided a stepping stone for us to bring about the results that we want in ths organisation.
SOURCE: http://www.ottawamission.com/index.php?q=whoweare.html
WEEK 4:
Leading Change Toward Sustainability, pgs. 7-56.
This book has a lot of insight on helping leaders facilitate transition in their organisations. The idea of a Green Business is often met with lack of support and uncertainty from the employees and management, but with effort and persistence, they begin to understand and appreciate the need for a more sustainable way of carrying out the organisation’s activities.
In the past 200 years, human beings have caused temperatures and sea levels to rise due to global warmin.
Businesses view today’s challenges as opportunities and strive to make industry more sustainable. They are faced with the challenges of how to change and yet still thrive; how to transform their organizations from top to bottom so that their vision of sustainability drives everyday decision-making and defines success. Design can celebrate positive aspirations and create a wholly positive human footprint.
The levers of successful change toward sustainability, (such as altering the thinking, assumptions, beliefs, the way planning and decision making occurs) are complex and require a lot of time and resources to put into place and to accomplish. This means that it has got to start sooner than later to be able to meet the target – decarbonisation. Stakeholders’ expectations in the area of sustainability and AstraZeneca’s desire to manage its reputation were some reasons why the company reduced its emissions drastically. This shows that companies may not necessarily be ‘believers’ in Going Green but they do it to save their face, cut costs, increase profitability and stay in business. The “Take-Make-Waste” production system is one that leads to depletion of our natural resources as opposed to the “Borrow-Use-Return” system which ensures that used energy is returned to nature where it can be re-used for renewed growth. This therefore means that Recycling is one main way of ensuring that our resources last long enough to sustain the future generation.
The story of the Emricks shows the power of initiative and persistence. It doesn’t take too many people to make a difference and bring change to the environment.
WEEK 2
WEEK 2
This was technically our first class with the professor, Jen. She talked to us about effective blogging. I have been picking up rather slowly; particularly with the Blackboard.
We carried out an exercise in class that involved getting into groups of two and asking that alowed us to know each other a bit more.
Cradle to Cradle - Chapter 2 and 3.
"Why being less bad is no good"... The writer brings out the nortion that businesses have which makes them feel it's okay to pollute a little than to pollute too much. Throwing toxins into a river is like taking a loan against future water and the paople that will pay for it are the future generation. Green Washing is pointed out...some people make it look lie they are green and environmentally friendly when really they ollute the environment in some not so obvious way.
The 4 Rs: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and Regulate. Recycling is seen as a last resort. If we reduce our consumption, we will reduce the toxins emmitted and we will not need to recyle as much as we do now.. I do not agree that each time a product is recycled, it produces a less valuable product.
Regulations are boundaries. Busineses have however become enven more powerful than the government and the government is therefore afraid to put regulations in place that are against these businesses.
WEEK 1 - ORIENTATION
During the first day of class, we had a 6-hour orientation period where we got to meet our lecturers and coursemates. It was a very nice experience for me as I got to interract with the students from different countries and cultural backgrounds. We were introduced to the Green Business Management Course and to the online lerning/information tool, BlackBoard 9.
We were previledged to have with us two guest speakers who made a presentation about "Awakening the Dreamer" and spoke to us about the sustainability of the environment, the dangers of pollution, ignorance of the people when it comes to conservation and how to overcome the obstacles to a better tomorrow.
As the days have gone by, I have learnt to be a bit more open and a little bit more social.
We were previledged to have with us two guest speakers who made a presentation about "Awakening the Dreamer" and spoke to us about the sustainability of the environment, the dangers of pollution, ignorance of the people when it comes to conservation and how to overcome the obstacles to a better tomorrow.
As the days have gone by, I have learnt to be a bit more open and a little bit more social.
Cradle to Cradle - Intro & Chapter 1
The writer is angry and seem to have had enough of the people and the hypocricy in the name of recycling. The writer seems to want to make "us" feel guilty for purchasing environmentally dangerous products. He is unhappy with the way the human race is destroying the planet after such a short time on earth.
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