28. September 2009 by David.

September 8th, 2009

Our Journey Begins

Early in the morning of September 1st, 18 “fairy jam children” from all over Canada prepared to meet for the first time at a Greyhound bus station in Ottawa. Complete strangers, they cycled in groups on their inaugural Otesha ride to Riverglen Biodynamic Farm outside of Ottawa. Greeted by their “fairy jam mothers” who fed them homemade local and organic strawberry jam, they were initiated into the Otesha way of living. Thus, they began to build a mobile sustainable community together, one full of joy, friendship… and jam.

Since our first meeting, we, the Great Lakes Tour 2009, have spent one week getting to know one another, setting up our own guidelines for our community, and preparing for life on the road. A lot can be accomplished when 18 people sit together in a circle on the grass, patiently allowing each individual to express their thoughts and ideas in turn. Moving forward with a decision only if the entire group reaches consensus, we are striving to make this a community that suits each individual that comprises it. We talked for hours (and hours, and hours) about the way we will reach out to others, how we will ride together, what we will eat, how we will respect each other, what we will do to reduce our environmental impact, and even talking about how we will talk. But we didn’t just talk – we played, laughed, loved, listened. As twilight settled in every night, we opened our eyes to a new activity – showcasing our individual abilities in a talent show, sharing our enviro-knowledge in a game of trivia, and even “shooting for the moon in an old tin can” at a hoe-down on the farm! With a chorus of crickets singing each evening as we walked back to our tents and a moonlit river to bathe in only a short walk away, 18 people began to adapt to the life of the bicycle traveler – connected to nature, enjoying each moment, and focusing on community-driven sustainability.

Throughout the week, we have worked on strengthening our theatrical ability, our environmental focus, and our community, all culminating with our premiere performance of our version of the Otesha play, “A Reason to Dream” at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa. Full of nerves, we huddled together in a hallway outside the theatre and sang together to our heart’s content, a melody that had been introduced to us earlier in the week – a melody intended to be used to indicate that something very important is about to happen. Each one of us was feeling different things as we prepared for our first performance, but exuberance, eager anticipation, and the feeling that we are part of something truly inspirational were certainly feelings bubbling up inside each and every one of us. As our first performance came to a close and the realization that we can now all sincerely say that we are being the change we want to see began to set in, the bonds we had formed over the past week were cemented together with a sense of hope and accomplishment. We received a standing ovation from our first audience and after chatting with many friendly faces, we got on our bikes and began the night ride back to the farm, only to be greeted by a tunnel of all of our supporters cheering us on as we rode away. The impact this enormous display of love and support had on our tour is almost too much for words. It was a moment we will never forget.

As we leave Riverglen to begin our 2000km journey across Ontario, we would like to express our gratitude to the many people that made our first week together so phenomenal. To the Otesha staff members that facilitated our meetings, planned our week, and inspired us to exceed all of our expectations, to Riverglen biodynamic farm that hosted us with open arms and an amazing atmosphere, to the volunteer chefs that created amazing gourmet vegan meals for us, often from veggies picked only hours before, to the lovely couple that taught us the boot scootin’ ways of the hoe-down, to those who donated food to us (from fresh veggies to muffins to hemp ice cream, and more!), and to our extremely receptive audience that showed up in droves to support us – thank you so much! Our gratitude toward each of you is enormous!!

And with that, we’re off! Here we come, Ontario!

***

Donate to support our ongoing efforts to train sustainability advocates by clicking here.

The Otesha Project
72 Riverdale Ave.
Ottawa, ON K1S 1R2
613 237-6065

www.otesha.ca

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28. September 2009 by David.

Riverglen Biodynamic Farm’s

first annual
Harvest Open House and

Ottawa’s Hugest Hundred Mile Potluck!

The days are shorter, the pumpkins are plumper and the harvest is coming in.

The fields are getting emptier and our cupboards and root cellars are getting fuller.

The work is winding down, and it’s time for
a festival celebration!

Come celebrate the culmination of the season with other members of the CSA Community. Bring your friends and neighbours who may be interested in the farm or joining the CSA next year.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

3:00 p.m. Children’s harvest activities

Gleaning the fields and farm tours

5:00 Ottawa’s Hugest Hundred Mile Potluck
(featuring Beau’s beer!)

7:30 Music and dancing

Save the date- more information to come!

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23. September 2009 by David.

Hello Every One!

I would like to start by wishing everyone a great fall season. As of today, there is officially more night than day. Now, don’t be too sad! Although very challenging, this summer has certainly brought us its share of rewards. Of course, in the heat of the moment, we sometimes overlook our achievements. Equinox is the passage to a season where taking a few moments to relax and feel good about our accomplishments.

For one thing, I’m happy about the volume and the quantity of vegetables we have been able to offer you. There has been great progress from our two previous years, and I hope to continue seeing the quality of our produce increase over the years.

Now, don’t worry. There are still three more weeks of vegetables coming up and you can still look forward to seeing new things in your weekly bounty! There was a strong current of cold air moving around Ottawa over the weekend.and although it seems to have passed by Ottawa, it did settle down our neighbourhood. When I surveyed the garden on Sunday morning, I saw the squash, tomato and basil plants were no more. Fortunately, the fruits hang on the vine unscathed and we scramble to pick them and get them in our storage room. If we’re on the ball, there might be tomatoes available right into October!

Besides vegetables, it has been a very busy week. One section of the barn was raised and reinforced, the hayloft has been filled with bales, we’ve had a visit from a film crew and a school group, we made prep 500 and even took the time to do an application on Saturday evening. It’s been pretty non-stop!

After all this great work, what better thing to do than party! Please come to our end of season celebration on October 17^th. Riverglen Biodynamic Farm and the Community Shared Agriculture Community are thrilled to invite you to the first annual Harvest Open House and Ottawa’s Hugest Hundred Mile Potluck! We’re hard at work to make this one awesome party. For those who haven’t visited the farm yet, this will be your last chance this year. So put it on your calendar!

- David, Robin, Marah, Jen, Roseanne, Sarah

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8. September 2009 by David.

You can’t swallow Rudolf Steiner’s work in one gulp and you don’t have to. The Explorations course offers a first introduction to the concepts which underlie so many of its successful applications. The series has seven sessions. Check out what this is all about!

Ottawa ­ Start: Wed. Sept. 16, location t.b.a. $160 with Hamo Hammond, <hamohammond@rogers.com>

Rudolf Steiner Centre Thornhill ­ Start: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 7-9 p.m., $160 with Paul Hodgkins

Kingston ­ Start: Wed. Sept. 23 at Mulberry School $160 with Kristin Wise

Guelph ­ Start: Wed. Sept. 30, 7-9 p.m.,Trillium W.S. with Paul Hodgkins

To register or for more information contact Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto
<mailto:info@rsct.ca>info@rsct.ca - www.rsct.ca - 905-764-7570 - fax 905-889-3336

To be removed from this list please reply to me at sbeals@magma.ca

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8. September 2009 by David.

We are presently seeking a host family for one pair of young people (aged 19-24) —  one young person from Canada and one young person from Kenya.

The team arrives very soon: September 12th and stays until December 8th. The Youth Volunteers have local placements three days a week, and meet as as team on Wednesdays & Fridays to explore the community & the millennium development goals. Evenings and weekends they have the option for many activities and events and to join in what their host family is doing.

For more information, please check out our local website at http://sites.google.com/site/cwykenvo/ Especially the HOSTING section of the Program FAQ.

The Youth Volunteers three-month stay in the community will be the first stage of a CWY Youth Leaders In Action Exchange Program. The second half of the program will take place in Kenya.  Integration into the community and volunteer work with local agencies and organizations are key goals of the program. It affords participants an opportunity to learn about the region as well as the local lifestyle and culture.

Canada World Youth seeks hosts with a diversity of experiences. We are looking for an openness and enthusiasm to share your home life with two young people, and likewise, to allow your life to be enriched by these new relationships. We invite all types of households-retirees, single parents, same sex partners etc.-to host. One spare room is all that is required. Host families receive an allowance of $12 per participant per day ($672 / month) to help differ costs.

Please contact us: (613) 883-0792 / cwy.kenvo@gmail.com–
Anne-marie Henry &
Rahab Njeri Mwaniki
Project Supervisors
Ottawa / Kenya Youth Exchange
Canada World Youth

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2. September 2009 by David.

Every week just seems to get better and better. There’s still a tone of work to do, but somehow it seems easier… more natural. Our bodies have picked up the rythm of summer and go with it. Harvest still consumes our days, but this week, there’s a twist.

Otesha cycling activists have arrived on the farm. They are preparing for a month-long cycling tour across southern Ontario. At various stops along the route they will be performing a play which aims to communicate a feeling of optimism, activism and responsibility. A wonderful, positive energy pours out of the group, which breathes new life into our daily activities. Their company here at the farm is very much enjoyed!

Since the group is so much fun, our own team of keeners decided to team up and make our Farm Hoedown that much cooler. Genevieve has booked musicians hailing from way out younder to lead our Riverglen Farm Hoedown! This is a special event for members of Intentional Eaters and Otesha.

That’s right, gear yourself up for some hearty laughs and some good ol’ Contra Dancing! Don’t know the moves? Not sure what to do? That’s ok, neither do I! That’s why we brought in a couple pros to lead the way this Friday. After a little limbering up, I’m sure we’ll all get to whoopin’, haulerin’ and jumpin’ in no time at all. It’s really all about having a good laugh and letting go for a couple hours.

So that’s about it for this week. We’re starting on the hay (finally) this week, so I’ll be spending a few long days out in the sun no doubt, but it’s good to know it’s actually going happen. With four extra stomachs to feed this winter (Camino the Bull) I want to make sure I have a good supply of hay up in my loft.

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