WINTER SOLSTICE! Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012

Come celebrate Winter Solstice with your fellow islanders at this season's Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for Saturday (NOT Sunday!), December 22nd at 6:30 pm in the Back Hall. As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited to join in on our delicious, turkey-free holiday smorgasbord. After dinner we gather round the blazing Yule-fire to celebrate both the nurturing darkness of winter’s respite and the promise of returning light with carols appropriate to the solstice season!

Any 100% plant-based dinner entrée, salad, dessert, or single item dish that all may share (excluding dairy, eggs, honey and gelatin, please) is a suitable contribution for this animal-friendly feast. Begun in the mid 90's, Denman's community vegan potluck series provides the delicious opportunity to pick up creative, and healthy new recipe ideas. However, nothing fancy is required unless you are so inspired!

Please include an ingredient list with your offering, and thankyou for attending 'scent-free' to help keep our inclusive community gatherings accessible for folks with chemical sensitivities. Admission is by donation (suggested $3 towards expenses). Peace to one and all!

next potluck Saturday, December 22nd, 2012

CANCELLED: The Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for Sunday, September 23rd.


Without the Grapevine operating in September for advertising outreach, we decided not to try and reschedule this event. Social media reaches only a small number of Denman islanders, so thankyou for informing anyone you know who was looking forward to the Community Vegan Fall Equiinox feast about this cancellation. 

Our public potluck series has always welcomed 'food lovers of every persuasion'. If you are a vegan, or you are a vegetarian or omnivore moving in that direction who appreciates the vegan message we're still here to offer you support and community outside of potluck gatherings!

 We know how hard it can be sometimes to find that support, especially in a rural community like our own where some folks remain extremely threatened by the prospects of an animal-free diet, or activism that seeks to move towards a world that thinks differently about our relationship to animals.

Plans are still in the works for a public vegan potluck Winter Solstice gathering that will once again promote reducing our ecological footprints, unnecessary harm to animals, and improving personal and community health by embracing a plant-based diet!  

Thankyou to everyone who cares and has expressed their support for the Denman Island Community Vegan Potluck Series by attending in the past! Please watch here for updates…we'll be gathering again before you know it for another awesome feast! 

                                                                   …………..

An interesting note for those who will be eating low on the food chain already this coming weekend, or who could use additional inspiration: 

Portland Mayor Declares Vegan Awareness Weekend

By Kimberly Budziak | August 9, 2012

Mayor Sam Adams has proclaimed September 22–23 Vegan Awareness Weekend in the City of Roses, encouraging residents to enjoy vegan fare.

In an official declaration, Portland, OR Mayor Sam Adamsproclaimed the weekend of September 22 to 23, 2012, to be Vegan Awareness Weekend in the City of Roses. The document cites scientific findings from the likes of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Environmental Program, and the American Dietetic Association offering conclusive evidence on livestock’s contribution to climate change, a vegan diet's potential prevention of world hunger and fuel shortages, and the abundant health advantages associated with a plant-based lifestyle. In addition, the proclamation notes that delicious and nutritious vegan alternatives to animal products are readily available, and Adams says that he “encourage[s] all residents to observe this weekend by eating delicious vegan meals.”

Friday, June 29th - Vegan Dine-out!

       Instead of our traditional Summer Solstice potluck this year, you are invited to share a delicious organic meal in the Back Hall featuring homemade veggie burgers, savory summer potato salad, tasty desserts, and a refreshing beverage as part of 'Food for Thought'! This particular Sustainability Festival event takes place on Friday, June 29^th, and is a joint offering of the Denman Island Veganiculture Association, and the Community Vegan Potluck Series. The dine-out precedes both a local guest speaker and a film just in from the UK, also addressing the topic of food and sustainability. Everyone is invited to drop by for these presentations, regardless of wherever they plan to dine for supper!

      'Food for Thought!' is not a veg dine-out taking place as a fundraiser (like others you may have enjoyed or heard about), but does require a reservation so we know how many folks to prepare food for. We're keeping the cost low at $5-$10 per person ( sliding scale) with all proceeds simply going towards covering expenses. Thanks for supporting this particular opportunity to recognize the inter-relationship between local and global food sustainability issues during the Festival, if you are so inclined! Dinner will start at 6:00 pm- a little later than the beef barbecue also happening on the same evening at the Senior's Hall ( a completely seperate, but related event).

      In concert with the Sustainability Festival's agricultural theme on June 29th, SPUDS potato co-op will have a small display in the Back Hall. 'Food for Thought!' diners and others are also sure to appreciate islander Rudy Friesen's brief presentation addressing the importance of what we eat, relative to concerns about food miles. Finally, 'Making the Connections' is a thirty minute documentary from Environmental Films that explores a few of the reasons for practising or transitioning towards dietary choices less dependent on animal-based agriculture- the leading cause of GHG emissions worldwide. The film also highlights the growing movement in stock-free growing as an important contribution to local and global food security.

Please take a look at the many links right here on this blog (column to your right) that address these important topics. Call 250-335-1209 to reserve your meal or for further information, and see you there- 6 pm (NOT the usual 6:30 pm time we normally dine at with the  regular potluck series!) Thanks for helping keep this event 'scent-free' for the comfort of those with chemical sensitivities.

SPRING EQUINOX POTLUCK, March 18th, 2012

                                                                   

http://www.getvegucated.com/

Spring is on it's way…come celebrate the upcoming Equinox with friends, family and neighbours at Denman's Community Vegan Potluck Series, on Sunday, March 18th!

As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited. Four times a year the potluck series provides a wonderful opportunity to meet new folks and share a delicious meal accessible to all. Any 100% plant-based salad, entree, dessert or single item dish is a suitable contribution to our animal-friendly smorgasbords (excluding gelatin, honey, eggs and dairy, please). Nothing fancy required, unless you are so inspired! Please include an ingredient list with your contribution, and feel free to call for ideas or assistance.

2012 marks the 27th anniversary of "Meatout" - an international observance dedicated to advancing the joys and benefits of a plant-based diet on or around the Spring Equinox each year. Since it's inception in 1985, "Meatout" has grown to become the world's largest grassroots healthy diet campaign. To celebrate the occassion, Denman's potluck series is pleased to present the award-winning Best Documentary at last September's Toronto Independent Film Festival. 

"Vegucated" is a feature-length film that follows three meat and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. There's Brian, the pro-bacon bachelor who eats out all the time, Ellen, the single mom who prefers comedy to cooking, and Tesla, the college student who avoids vegetables and bans beans. Part sociological experiment, part science class, and part adventure story, "Vegucated" showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three very different people who come together to share one journey and ultimately discover their own individual paths towards a kinder, cleaner, and greener world, one bite at a time.

Dinner gets underway at 6:30 pm, and admission is by donation. Thanks for attending 'scent-free' for the comfort of chemically-sensitive folks in our community who also look forward to sharing great food and company at our potlucks. For further information, visit www.denmanpotlucks.blogspot.com or call 335-1209.

Solstice Potluck, Saturday, Dec. 17th, 2011

Solstice Potluck Sat., Dec. 17th

Come celebrate Winter Solstice with your fellow islanders at this season's Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for this Saturday (NOT Sunday!), December 17^th at 6:30 pm in the Back Hall. As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited to join in on our delicious, turkey-free holiday smorgasbord. After dinner we gather round the blazing Yule-fire to celebrate both the nurturing darkness of winter’s respite and the promise of returning light with carols appropriate to the solstice season!

Any 100% plant-based dinner entrée, salad, dessert, or single item dish that all may share (excluding dairy, eggs, honey and gelatin, please) is a suitable contribution to our feast. The now quarterly potluck series continues to welcome food lovers of every persuasion, and the delicious opportunity to pick up creative, and healthy new vegan recipe ideas. However, nothing fancy is required unless you are so inspired!

Please bring along your ingredient list, and thankyou in advance for also helping keep these inclusive community gatherings accessible for folks with chemical sensitivities by attending ‘scent-free’. Admission is by donation (suggested $3 towards expenses). Peace to one and all!

Going Cold Turkey

21/11/2011 02:22:00 Author: Fireweed
Posted by: NewsClipTV Reporter

It you’ve been thinking about it, you’re not alone. More and more folks are deciding they’re no longer comfortable including the sacrifice of a bird (or any other animal) in their holiday dinner plans. Fortunately, the discomfort of disapproval from some friends and family is a worthwhile trade-off for the peace of mind that comes from opting out of a ritual that more often than not supports the horrors of factory farming- not exactly peace on earth! Somewhere in the range of 1.9 million turkeys are raised in BC each year, with approximately half consumed during the Christmas season.

Turkeys are the only commonly farmed animal native to North America, and wild ones live in forested land where they can roost high in the trees at night, safe from predators. Unlike their domesticated counterparts they have excellent eyesight and can run up to 35 mph. Comparatively, the vast majority of turkeys raised for human consumption today can only manage a slow walk, as they have been bred to be twice the size of their wild relatives, mainly to increase breast volume for the marketplace. They can no longer fly, or even mate (they must be artificially inseminated). In nature these birds would spend up to five months- the age when most farmed turkeys are slaughtered- close to their mothers.

Supermarket turkeys labeled 'free-range' do not necessarily fare any better, as the vast majority are still raised in cramped grow-out quarters awash in ammonia. To prevent these so-caled ‘free-roaming’ birds from injuring each other, a portion of their beaks and toes are routinely severed. While it is standard practice not to use anesthesia, Ian J.H. Duncan, a professor of Poultry Ethology at the University of Guelph, says, “The idea of beak trimming being a short-lived discomfort for the bird may be far from accurate”. Changes in behavior, he explains, such as a substantial decrease in activity, particularly following the first week of the operation, “suggests that the birds are suffering severe pain”.

In the wild a turkey can live from 10-12 years, but domesticated free-range birds are routinely slaughtered between 14 and 25 weeks of age. BC turkey production is concentrated in the Fraser Valley and the live birds are transported via multi-tiered, flat-bed trucks in crowded, tight wire cages, through all kinds of weather conditions. At the slaughterhouse, they are hung upside down by their legs to have their throats cut- still fully conscious.

In BC it is only legal to kill an animal raised for food yourself- rather than make sure the act is carried out by the butcher in a government inspected abattoir- if the animal’s carcass is for ‘personal use’ only, and not going to be sold to someone else. In online forums that discuss backyard poultry slaughter, differences of opinion abound about the most so-called ‘humane’ way to extinguish a bird’s life. Not everyone is convinced that when a bird ceases to struggle it is actually calm. Some small-scale poultry handlers believe this is more akin to the kind of ‘playing dead’ response many animals resort to once escape seems unlikely. Many agree that avoiding exposing individual birds to the ‘kill process’ prior to their own turn, is integral to stress reduction- a modicum of consideration still admittedly difficult to provide in a backyard operation, and obviously impossible on a standard slaughterhouse assembly line.

I would like to stress that my comments here pertain to the industry at large, and not to any local production of turkeys I may or may not be familiar with here on Denman, or elsewhere in the Comox Valley. Whether or not one can afford to pay the high price for a certified organic turkey (the feed alone can cost the farmer three times as much, and the ‘finishing’ time is longer), it simply bears remembering that regardless of the 'label' attached, not all animals are necessarily raised, or slaughtered, under the kind of conditions we might imagine. Ultimately, of course, most will meet the same end in a fear-filled environment. Even those folks who take personal responsibility for the act of extinguishing the lives of the animals they choose to eat, cannot deny the fact that death does not always come easy for those who would prefer to live.

Whenever we allow ourselves to really 'connect' with an animal, it’s impossible to deny their individual will and unique personality. If you find yourself drawn to the idea of going ‘cold turkey’ this season, it’s easy to find inspiring stories on-line about ’companion’ turkeys- birds people have allowed themselves to bond with, and been moved by to include in their circle of compassion.

There are lots of wonderful resources on the internet to assist anyone interested in eating lower on the food chain, and you’ll find all sorts of great links on Denman’s Community Vegan Potluck Series website at www.denmanpotlucks.blogspot.com. If you could use some support in the new year, Denman is already home to a friendly community of happy herbivores who love to share great food and recipe ideas. Happy holidays, and bon appetit!

Forks Over Knives

Thursday, Nov. 24

Thanks to everyone who supported our Horn of Plenty Dineout in September, the Community Vegan Potluck Series sponsored event raised $824 for Medicins Sans Frontiers and their relief work in the Horn of Africa.

Our next 'actual' potluck celebrates the Winter Solstice. With only four official dates a year on our plates these days, the Potluck Series has decided to squeeze a film nite into November- with no dinner attached!

On Thursday, November 24th, at 7:00 pm, come on out to the Community School library for a special viewing of, "Forks Over Knives". We've been promising to show this insightful documentary for some time, and don't want to wait till next year! We all have friends and/or family who have been touched by cancer, heart disease, and other devastating illnesses. Renowned physicians Dr. T. Colin Campbell (author of "The China Study"), and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn (author of "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease") share the bold claim in "Forks Over Knives" that not only will increasing consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables lead to better health, but that removing animal products from the diet saves lives.

Both Esselstyn and Campbell grew up on family farms. "Forks Over Knives" is not an animal rights doc and the word 'vegan' isn't even used in the film. Inspired by remarkable discoveries early on in their careers, these men conducted several groundbreaking studies independently which led them both to the same startling conclusion about food, health and healing. The film traces the personal journeys of Campbell, a nutritional scientist from Cornell U, and Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. It also follows the progress of several "reality patients" taught by their doctors to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treating their ailments.

Denman Islander Bryanna Clark Grogan is a vegan chef, lecturer, columnist and internationally-acclaimed cookbook author with a passion for keeping up to date on peer-reviewed, science-based nutritional findings. In addition to being available after the showing of "Forks Over Knives" for questions about plant-based eating, Bryanna's latest (and ninth) cookbook, "World Vegan Feast" will be offered as a door prize to a lucky winner! Recently released to rave reviews, this culinary treasure contains over 200 stellar recipes inspired by cuisines from around the world.

Different ideas, traditions, and sometimes conflicting interests influence our dietary choices. As always, food lovers of every persuasion are welcome to attend this community event. We want everyone even remotely curious about eating lower on the food chain to have a chance to view "Forks Over Knives", so while there will be a donation jar on site, admission to the showing is FREE. For further information, please visit see the film trailer below, and/or call 335-1209. Visit Bryanna Clark Grogan's blog at http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/

SEPTEMBER 18th FALL FEAST FUNDRAISER

-HORN OF PLENTY- (click on poster for enlargement)

It is a longstanding tradition of the Denman Island Community Vegan Potluck Series to mark the Fall Equinox with an abundant harvest supper, but this year will be a little different. Horn of Plenty, a special fall feast fundraiser for the drought stricken Horn of Africa- will take the place of our usual September potluck on Sunday, September 18^th at 6:00 pm.

Please come on out to celebrate the bounty so many of us are blessed to share, and together we'll make our caring count. All proceeds from Horn of Plenty will benefit the relief efforts of Medicins San Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) in Somalia and the surrounding refugee camps.

MSF is running nine medical-nutritional programs in south-central Somalia, and three large programs in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. Across the Horn of Africa region, MSF nutrition programs are serving more than 260,000 children and pregnant or lactating women.

Between June 6^th and July 6^th, about 40,000 people arrived in Dadaab, Kenya in search of humanitarian assistance and safety. Dadaab, near the Somali border, is home to more than 380,000 people living in three massive camps: Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera.

In Dagahely camp, MSF is the sole provider of medical care for the 130,000 people and currently treating 6,400 childen for malnutrition. In Ifo, MSF provides medical care to the 25,000 refugees gathered on the outskirts.

In Liben, MSF is providing medical care in the six camps where 119,000 refugees are gathered. Here, more than 10,000 children are enrolled in nutritional programs.

Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, MSF does not accept any government funding - all funding comes from private donors. For further information or to donate on line, please visit www.msf.ca.

Denman's dine-out , Horn of Plenty, takes place in the Back Hall at 6:00 pm on Sept. 18th, and seating will be limited. Our Mediterranean-style menu will include entree, dessert, tea or coffee (see details at top of the right hand column on this page). Donations of appropriate organic produce from local islanders welcome! Please call 1209 to make your reservation before September 14th, thankyou.

More research indicates the importance of eating lower on the food chain

Local Food or Less Meat? Data Tells The Real Story -from the Harvard Business Review

8:25 AM Monday June 20, 2011 

In recent years, one part of the food business has rivaled organics as the hot growth area: "local" food (defined vaguely as coming from the same state or from less than 100 miles away, for example). It's a market segment that has just about doubled in sales and number of outlets over the last decade. The world's biggest food buyer, Wal-Mart, jumped on the bandwagon last fall and announced that it would double the amount of local food it sells (to 9 percent of all its food sales).
The idea of buying locally is not new, and farmers' markets have been big for years. It's become almost gospel that the food on our plates hastraveled about 1500 miles to get to us.

So it would seem logical that the best way to shrink your food-related carbon footprint associated would be to buy from near by. But it turns out that this assumption is wrong.

Thankfully, a couple scientists took a harder look at the data and published an analysis in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. The abstract for this article is a prime example of clear writing and good lifecycle analysis — which don't usually go together — so check it out. But here's the essence:

• Food is transported a long way, going about 1,000 miles in delivery and over 4,000 miles across the supply chain.
• But 83% of the average U.S. household's carbon footprint for food comes from growing and producing it. Transportation is only 11%.
• Different foods have vastly different greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity, with meat requiring far more energy to produce, and red meat being particularly egregious, requiring 150% more energy than even chicken.

So the journal article adds this up to an obvious conclusion: if you want to reduce your food's carbon footprint, eat less meat. In short, "Shifting less than one day per week's worth of calories from red meat and dairy products to chicken, fish, eggs, or a vegetable-based diet achieves more GHG reduction than buying all locally sourced food."

As a numbers geek, I love this kind of analysis. Now for the caveats: none of this data should dissuade anyone from eating locally also. The footprint benefits are real, even if dwarfed by food choice. And the benefits to local economies and smaller farms are very important.

But let me repeat: just moving away from meat for one day a week is more effective than buying everything you eat locally. This number will be surprising to most people, but it's partly why the global call for "Meatless Mondays" is gaining steam, with school systems and universities adopting the approach in cities around the world, from Baltimore to Tel Aviv.

As companies keep discovering, it really helps to run the numbers. As I've written about before, Pepsi discovered that the largest chunk of the footprint of its Tropicana orange juice was not in production (squeezing oranges) or in distribution (shipping heavy liquids is fuel-intensive), but in growing the oranges with natural-gas-based fertilizer.

Smart, knowledgeable execs are consistently surprised when good lifecycle data trumps seemingly solid assumptions. So we shouldn't expect consumers to figure out the right choices themselves. Buying local food seems like the obvious choice — until you run the numbers.

We have a lot of work to do, both in companies and in our homes, to tackle climate change. Good data and analysis will let us focus on the quickest paybacks and get the most out of our efforts.

FALL EQUINOX POTLUCK- September

UN urges vegan diet

Summer Solstice Potluck, June 19th

Solstice Potluck for the Birds, June 19th

Denman's Community Vegan Potluck Series is pleased to welcome wildlife rehabilitator, Maj Birch, as guest speaker for our Summer Solstice feast on Sunday, June 19^th.

Come celebrate the longest day of the year -and father’s day- over a delicious meal in the back hall at 6:30 pm. As always, food lovers of every persuasion are welcome and encouraged to attend. Any 100% plant-based entrée, salad, dessert or single item dish that all may share (free of eggs, gelatin, honey and dairy, please) is a suitable contribution. The potluck series provides a great opportunity four times a year to pick up healthy new recipe ideas that are also climate conscious and animal friendly, so be sure to include a list of your own ingredients, and prepare to take home some creative, tasty new ideas!

Maj Birch is the founder of Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society in Merville, which exists to assist ill, injured, orphaned or oiled wildlife and to transport for rehabilitation and eventual release those which have a chance for survival. MARS specializes in avian species- songbirds, waterfowl and raptors. The centre is not open to the public, automatically reducing potential acclimatization to human contact. All efforts are concentrated on providing a safe, stress-free environment for wildlife recovery.

The Society has been providing this important service to the region since the mid 90’s, often on a shoestring budget. Admission to the potluck is by donation, but you may wish to bring an extra $5 along to support MARS' work for wildlife through the purchase of their 2011 Island Experiences Raffle - there are some really great prizes in store!

Maj has an audio visual presentation that will appeal to the whole family, so mark your calendar now! And thankyou in advance for helping keep both the potluck and after dinner event accessible to folks in our community with chemical sensitivities by attending scent-free. Visit MARS online at www.wingbeats.info.

SUNDAY, MARCH 20th, 2011

Clayoquot Sound on the menu at Spring Equinox Potluck

Dan Lewis and Bonny Glambeck of Tofino are touring BC coastal communities this spring with a presentation called Secrets of Clayoquot Sound’. Come on out to hear these two seasoned naturalists and expedition sea kayakers at Denman's spring equinox Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for 6:30 pm, March 20th, in the Back Hall.

Dan and Bonny have paddled much of the BC coast. They'll be sharing stories about their many adventures at home in Clayoquot Sound, and show images from some of BC’s leading outdoor photographers.

Join these inspiring, longtime activists for an unforgettable journey through the natural beauty and splendor of the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Learn about the ecology of the region’s globally significant ancient rainforests, and threats to that ecology including fish farms, logging and an open-pit copper mine proposal.

As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited to attend our delicious community potluck feast prior to the after dinner presentation. Any 100% plant-based salad, entree, dessert, or single-item dish (free of eggs, dairy, honey & gelatin, please) that all may share, is a suitable contribution. Please include a list of ingredients.

Admission is by donation (suggested $3), and the potluck series is also designated 'scent-free' for inclusivity. For further information about the potluck series, please click here. To learn more about the Friends of Clayoquot Sound, drop by their website at: www.focs.ca. Spring is on it's way!

A Life Connected!

Compassion Documentary excerpt

featuring Australian activists David Coles & Philip Wollen

Sunday, February 20th, 2010

ART and ACTIVISM: RAGING, RESISTING, REJOICING

With Fireweed

Sunday, Feb. 20. 6pm Vegan Potluck, 7pm Presentation. Back Hall. Admission by Donation

Inside and outside of gallery walls, on the streets and in the landscape, art reflects and influences the way we see and experience life. The exciting merger of art and activism is a growing phenomenon today- confronting the status quo, encouraging dissent, and revisioning our world. In her audiovisual presentation, Art and Activism: Raging, Resisting, Rejoicing!, local activist Fireweed explores this widening culture of creative societal transformation. With International Women's Day right around the corner, Fireweed will be highlighting the work of women artists and activists in her slide show (although not exclusively so).

An honors grad from the Emily Carr College of Art and Design (Vancouver, BC, 1982), Fireweed has exhibited as a multi-media artist across Canada as well as internationally. Currently working in graphic design and digital photography, she founded BC’s Women and the Earth, a conference and workshop series dedicated to women’s personal empowerment through activism, in 1991. She has participated on the frontlines of numerous logging blockades, in solidarity with First Nations, anti-biotech activists, and in anti-G8 protests. Fireweed coordinates regional actions opposing Canada’s commercial seal hunt, other marine mammal slaughter, local rodeo, etc.

 In 1993 she initiated the Community Vegan Potluck Series on Denman as another form of animal advocacy, environmental and social justice activism, and enjoys combining her art and politics in part through the creation of nutritious plant-based cuisine that all may share. As a keynote speaker or workshop facilitator on the topics of ecofeminism, art and activism, animal rights and/or feminist earth-based spirituality, Fireweed has addressed numerous women’s events over the years, as well as college classes, environmental gatherings and community groups. With her partner she currently co-hosts a weekly activist-oriented pirate radio show called “Connections”. Also an impassioned writer, Fireweed is a contributing ecofeminist author in the newly released anthology, “Call to Compassion: Religious Reflections on Animal Advocacy” (Lantern Books, 2010). She lives with her partner and feline family in the woods on Denman Island.

FORKS OVER KNIVES

This important new film will have to be added to our loan collection, for all islanders to share. It's due out in theatres by mid March, 2011.

Solstice Potluck 2010

Come celebrate Winter Solstice with your fellow islanders at this season's Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for Saturday (NOT Sunday!), December 18^th at 6:30 pm in the Denman Back Hall. As always, food lovers of every persuasion are invited to join in on our delicious, turkey-free holiday smorgasbord. After dinner we gather round the blazing Yule-fire to celebrate both the nurturing darkness of winter’s respite and the promise of returning light with carols appropriate to the solstice season!

At last year’s UN sponsored Celebration of Faiths and the Environment in the UK, guests representing nine different religious/spiritual traditions gathered to launch long-term initiatives aimed at influencing the attitudes and behaviors of their communities for generations to come. Accomodating the interests of such a wide range of individuals from different cultural backgrounds resulted in the first ever vegan banquet at Windsor Castle…a dining experience that could be equally shared and enjoyed by all!

Any 100% plant-based dinner entrée, salad, dessert, or single item dish (excluding dairy, eggs, honey and gelatin, please) is a suitable contribution to our local feast. Denman's vegan potlucks are a great place to pick up new recipe ideas, but nothing fancy is required unless you are so inspired! Please bring along your ingredient list, and thankyou also in advance for helping keep these inclusive community gatherings accessible for folks with chemical sensitivities by attending ‘scent-free’. Admission is by donation (suggested $3 towards expenses). For further information,  call 1209. Peace to one and all!

Transition Denman

On Oct. 17th, coincidentally the day after World Food Day, Transition Denman hosted a community event involving 30 or more local groups in our active community. Each had only three minutes to talk a little about who they are and how they may fit with the transition movement. Here's what was presented in this brief window of opportunity about the Potluck Series. For further information, click here to access our actual home page, and check out our amazing LINKS list on your immediate right!

DENMAN POTLUCK SERIES

Denman Island’s Community Vegan Potluck Series began in the mid 90’s, hosting monthly 100% plant-based group meals over many years for food lovers of every persuasion, and after dinner presentations- meetings, guest speakers, films or slide shows on a wide variety of topics pertaining to social justice and environmental issues.

 There is no formal group structure to the series, but former Saltsprng Island resident John Robbins’ best-selling, Diet for a New America”, was our original inspiration. Robbin’s founded ‘Earth Save,’ a now worldwide initiative to raise consciousness about the global impact of our dietary choices, and in larger communities Earthsave chapters host similar potlucks promoting the many advantages to personal , environmental and animal well-being through eating lower on the food chain.

In the spirit of community inclusivity, our vegan potluck series also encourages a fragrance-free environment, for the comfort of chemically-sensitive individuals. 

Over the last couple of years the series has scaled back to just four seasonal gatherings a year- our next one celebrates the Winter Solstice- but we started archiving our history online through our blog back in 2006, so you’ll find posters and information on the last 44 potlucks hosted here in the Denman hall since 2004, ranging from guest speaker and anti GMO farmer Percy Schmeiser, to our recent screening of ‘The Cove’, this year’s Oscar winning best feature documentary on the plight of dolphins in Japan.

The potluck series blog is also a valuable educational tool, providing links to information sources to do with all of the material we have featured during the series archived history, and a listing of over 16 films in our collection available for loan to islanders for private or group viewing

Some of the island initatives that have taken shape through discussions shared at the potluck series have included a successful petition to DIRA in favor of declaring Denman, in principle, a GMO crop free zone, following in the footsteps of Powell River- the first municipality in Canada to set such an example. And Denman Donderdag- likewise a solidarity initiative, advocating in it’s case, the reduction of animal product consumption as a deliberate community-based political act. 

Like Meat-Free Fridays, or Meatless Mondays, in other communities around the world, Ghent Donderdag is meat-free Thursday in Ghent, Belgium…the first city in the world to go as far as legislating one meat-free day a week, so that all government offices, hospitals, schools, and other public institutions are expected to provide healthful meat free meals as a deliberate response in large part to the growing problem of global warming and the widespread impact animal agribusiness is having on climate change.

Please visit www.denmandonderdag.blogspot.com to support this kind of consciousness raising transition work in our community in your own circles on and off island, and for further information and links to inspirational resources. [For information on Denman Island's fledgling Veganiculture Association, DIVA, pleaes click here.]

So the Community Vegan potluck Series has always been for everyone, but does strive to provide a comfortable environment where those of us who choose not to eat any animals at all can enjoy sharing our culture of choice and the reasons for it with family, friends and extended community. 

Come celebrate the Winter Solstice with us and enjoy the fruits of the earth at our next friendly gathering!

Sunday, September 19th, 2010

Fall Equinox Community Potluck

You are invited to join in on a fabulous harvest feast at Denman’s annual Fall Equinox Community Vegan Potluck scheduled for Sunday, September 19^th, 6:30 pm in the Back Hall. As always, food lovers of every persuasion welcome! Any 100% plant-based entrée, salad, dessert or single-item dish (free of eggs, dairy, honey and gelatin, please) that all may share is a suitable contribution. Please bring a list of ingredients along with your offering.

The now quarterly potluck series originated in 1996, and almost always includes an after dinner presentation concerning topical environmental and/or social justice issues. Anyone interested in marine ecology and dolphins in particular will appreciate our September 19^th screening of The Cove.

Winner of the 2010 Oscar for ‘best feature documentary’, The Cove introduces us to Richard O’Barry, the man who once trained the various marine mammals named ‘Flipper’ for the popular 1960’s tv show. That series essentially spawned Sea World and countless other aquariums around the world where dolphins perform stunts and interact with human beings. O’Barry now spends his life trying to make it up to our cetacean friends, and is determined to help bring about the end of the secretive capture and slaughter of thousands of dolphins that takes place in Japan between Sept. and March each year.

According to movie critic Alonso Duralde, “The result is some of the most exciting filmmaking you’ll see this year —The Cove could very well change not only the face of nature documentaries but also laws, policy and attitudes toward the life and death of dolphins.“

Our dolphin-friendly potluck series is also designated ‘scent-free’ for inclusivity! Admission is by donation towards expenses (suggested $3 per person). For further information about The Cove, please visit http://www.takepart.com/thecove

The Cove PSA -My Friend Is... 2 min. version Directed by Andres Useche Produced by Fisher Stevens, Lina Esco, Chris Gartin from Andres Useche on Vimeo.

SUNDAY, JUNE 20th SOLSTICE POTLUCK!

Coal on the Menu at Solstice Potluck

Denman Island environmentalists host a community vegan potluck supper four times a year, and everyone is invited to come celebrate Summer Solstice (and Father’s Day!) at the next one scheduled for Sunday June 20th. The series provides a friendly forum for food lovers of every persuasion to enjoy a healthful meal together that all may share. Any 100% plant-based entrée, salad, dessert or single item dish is a suitable contribution (also excluding dairy, honey and gelatin, please!)

Coal is indeed on the menu, as special guest speaker Tria Donaldson, Outreach Coordinator with the Western Canada Wilderness Committee is this potluck's featured guest speaker. Tria will be sharing an informative audio visual presentation after dinner on this timely topic.

“Coal is widely regarded as one of the dirtiest fossil fuels,” says Tria. “And yet here in BC we are in the midst of a massive increase in our coal mining industry, at the very same time we are claiming to be a climate leader.”

Tria will talk about climate change, coal mining, and the environmental impacts of the proposed Raven underground Coal Project. The Western Canada Wilderness Committee always has many different campaigns on the go and the lack of endangered species legislation in BC is another issue the Committee is engaged in educating the public about.

Tria is an active volunteer with several organizations, including the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Sierra Youth Coalition and Canadian Youth Climate Coalition. She has worked on numerous social justice and environmental causes – like access to education, anti-racism, and campus sustainability. Tria is very passionate about engaging young people in social activism, and to this end she helped organize Power Shift Canada, the largest youth climate conference in Canadian history. She recently traveled to Copenhagen with the Canadian Youth Delegation for the climate talks, and was the Project Manager for goBeyond, a youth driven climate project that works with 12 post-secondary institutions in BC.

Islanders and others are invited to come on out and support Tria’s voluntary trip to Denman to share WC²’s presentation in the DI Community Hall on June 20^th, as well as to ienjoy a great meal with friends, neighbours and visitors in celebration of the Summer Solstice. Dinner gets underway at 6:30 pm, and admission is by donation ($3 suggested towards expenses). There is no set time for the after dinner presentation which always gets underway whenever diners have finished their meal.

Please note thtat the potluck series is designated ‘scent-free for inclusivity’ in consideration of individuals with chemical sensitivity.The Community Hall is a short walk up the ferry hill for off islanders who park in Buckley Bay to arrive on the 6:00 pm sailing.