Planet-based eating refers to eating practices that are good for the earth and for people. In peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh's book Love Letter to the Earth, he writes: "The food we eat is a gift from the Earth ... we receive the body of the cosmos in every mouthful of food we eat."
In this newsletter, we invite you to browse these tips and resources to help you fall in love with food and the planet!
This graphic from Our World In Data shows the results of the largest meta-analysis of global food systems to date. Check out the article.
Waste Less, Save Money
63% of the food Canadians throw away could have been eaten - meaning the land, water, and emissions to produce that food are also wasted. For the average Canadian household, this amounts to more than $1,300 worth of food per year! With the cost of food now higher than ever, now is a great time to learn how to save edible food from ending up in the compost bin.
Tips to get started:
Love Food Hate Waste has many tools to Plan it Out, Use It Up, and Keep It Fresh. We especially love the fridge guide, tips on how to revive food, and their "5 ways with..." tips.
Check out Calgary food guide Julie van Rosendaal's recipe for "compost muffins" - a delicious recipe to use up bits of veggies that might be withering in your fridge.
Use technology to plan. The free app OurGroceries can by synced with the whole family so you don't accidentally overbuy food. There are lots of meal planning tools like BigOven, which lets you search for recipes based on what you already have in your kitchen.
Join the Bow Valley's Food Movement
The Bow Valley Food Charter is a set of principles that articulates what our community wants our food systems to look like, including how we grow, harvest, process, distribute, prepare, eat, and dispose of food.
Last summer the Biosphere Institute signed the Food Charter. We invite you to read the Charter and consider adding your signature!
"Our vision is to create community-based food systems that are equitable and ecologically regenerative. In doing so, we aim to build food sovereignty for all of the diverse communities in the Bow Valley from Lake Louise to Banff to Canmore to MD Bighorn to the Îyârhe Nakoda Nation."
Feel the Pulse
Pulses like lentils, chickpeas, and peas are the edible seeds of legumes. Legumes are "nitrogen-fixers" which improve the soil and growing legumes means farmers can use less fertilizer. Pulses are healthy as they add nutrition and planet-friendly protein to your diet. Lentils are particularly versatile; they're common in many cuisines and provide a full protein when eaten with a whole grain. Plus, they're grown here in Alberta!
To get started incorporating lentils into your diet, start with these recipes from lentils.org.
What's going on?
Planet-Based Cooking Workshop
In Grade 9-12? Curious about how our food impacts the planet? Join our hands-on workshop Feb 15, 4:30-6:30 in partnership with Town of Canmore and Dawn Byford (C.H.N.C)! Register by emailing fcssadmin@canmore.ca or phone the FCSS office at 403-609-3743.
Call for Artists! Three Sisters Gallery is hosting an artists exhibit called Climate Matters and the Town of Canmore is inviting artists in the Bow Valley and surrounding area to submit artwork (visual art, short stories, poetry or narrative art) that creatively explores the climate crisis, environmental issues and solutions, and our hopes for the future.
Apply on or by Feb 15. For more details, visit https://bit.ly/threesistersgallery
Join us at the "Coldest Night of the Year" event
The Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley is a community-based organization that provides support to individuals without shelter in the Bow Valley. The 'Coldest Night of the Year' event is a walking fundraiser event on February 25, 2023. We invite you to walk with the Biosphere Institute team or donate to this cause at the link below.
https://cnoy.org/location/canmore
Earth Talks Speaker Series
We're partnering with the Canmore Public Library to deliver a monthly 'Earth Talks' speaker series in 2023, starting with February 27, 7pm! Join us for a presentation Scrubbing the Sky of Carbon Dioxide - an hour of discussion on removing CO2 from the atmosphere in order to meet climate targets.
>> Register now
Green Buildings Open House 2023
The Green Buildings Open House is a self-guided tour of high-performance and sustainable building practices in the Bow Valley.
This event on June 3, 2023 is an annual showcase of homes and businesses that display leadership on high-performance and sustainable building design, construction, and homeowner practices. Buildings can display examples of sustainable technology, renewable energy systems, water and energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and more. This open house is unique because homeowners or business-owners take the lead on showing their own building to the public.
We are seeking sponsors and participants for 2023! To sign up for updates, join as a participant, or sponsor the event, email andrea@biosphereinstitute.org.