Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Sunday, March 22nd, 09

SPRING EQUINOX POTLUCK!

Come celebrate the arrival of spring with your neighbours at the next Denman Community Vegan Potluck, scheduled for March 22nd, 6:30 pm in the BackHall.
As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited. Any 100% plant-based dish (free of dairy, eggs, honey and gelatin) is a suitable contribution- nothing fancy required! The great diversity of salads, entrees and dessert items that always manage to arrive create a bountiful meal, and often provide creative new recipe ideas.
This particular potluck date dovetails with MeatOut- an international, educational event about the power of our individual food choices that takes place on or around the Equinox each spring and has spread to over 20 countries in the past 25 years. The much-quoted report by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, "Livestock's Long Shadow -- Environmental Issues and Options" (Nov., 2006), has done a lot to raise awareness about the devastating effects of animal agribusiness on the planet and global warming. And what of global hunger? Around 16 pounds of grain and 2,500 gallons of water are required to produce 1 pound of meat (thus feeding one or two people on meat versus approximately 16 people on grain). The Denman potluck series website links to a long list of articles on these topics and others, for anyone interested in exploring the many merits of eating lower on the food chain.
The now quarterly potluck series had long provided a forum for sharing information that furthers community discourse around issues of social justice, environmental awareness, and calls for action. Since the mid '90s when one of our featured guest speakers, Welsh builder Ianto Evans, shared his now old-fashioned slide show on natural building around the world, the renaissance in cob construction he helped spark here in North America has only grown in leaps and bounds. The Lasquiti Island-born women's collective known as the MudGirls, brought their own enthusiasm for self-empowerment through building with earth two years ago to a community vegan potluck presentation, inspiring a whole new generation of Denman Islanders to 'think outside the box.'
After dinner on March 22nd, local women who have since participated in MudGirls' skill-building workshops will share their experiences, their belief in the "necessary revolution of natural building," and their vision of a more sustainable future for housing here on Denman. In concert with the aims of the Denman Community Land Trust Association (DCLTA), these activists are keen to pose the question, "What if we were able to gift our community with healthy, affordable and earth-friendly homes?" DCLTA is a local, grassroots volunteer circle of Denman Island residents, representing a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experiences who have come together out of a common desire to do something tangible to address the need for affordable housing on Denman Island. Please come on out and support the conversation.

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