Getting Seedy

We managed to get to the Seedy Saturday event at the Ron Kolbus centre (at Britannia Park), and were blown away by how great it was. Of course there were seeds to trade (we forgot to bring ours, but we probably need them for the new garden anyway), but also 8 or so small seed vendors specializing in organic and heirloom varieties. I spoke to one of the owners of The Cottage Gardner, and she said it's the busiest she's ever seen it. Of course, since we showed up at 2 pm, a lot of varieties were sold out. We'll have to rely on mail order. Along with the seed vendors, there were displays from a lot of local food-oriented organizations, including Just Food, who produce the excellent BuyLocal food guide. They also sponsor the Community Gardening Network of Ottawa, which includes fourteen local community gardens. The closest to Bells Corners looked like it was in the Carlington neighbourhood. I wonder if there would be any appetite for a community garden here? Most people have lots which are big enough for a small garden, but that doesn't have the same social aspect of getting together with a bunch of like-minded gardeners to dig some dirt. So what do you think? Where would be a good location for a community garden in Bells Corners?

Going solar

This is a really interesting story about a family in Orleans that have installed a solar panel, and are selling power back to the grid:

Even in December, the rooftop solar panels on the Helmerson family's home can produce enough power on a sunny day to meet the family's needs — and a little more.

The catch: at $12,000 for the system, it will take about 15 years for it to pay for itself. I would expect there to be great economies of scale with a system like this, though. Imagine a $6000 system that paid for itself in 7 years... at that point I think you'd start to see mass adoption.

Tilting at windmills

An Ottawa man is trying to have city bylaws ammended to allow him to erect a power-generating windmill in his back yard:

About 20 of Findlay's neighbours showed up at the committee meeting Wednesday to express their opposition to the turbine. Some said they support the concept, but have safety concerns.

Kinda sad, isn't it? This isn't just NIMBY, this is NIYBY (Not In Your Backyard)! Many houses in Bells Corners have large yards, so the setback wouldn't be an issue. The 10 m height would still be a problem, though. Windmill man's suggestion is interesting:

"We should take the lead from the Europeans who are installing these not only in backyards, but on street poles, lighting poles, on schools, on fences, on bridges," he said.

Finally, a good use for these hideous structures!

Fight the greenwash

Interesting article in Wired today on GoodGuide, a startup that aims to provide accurate, scientist-vetted data on every day consumer products and give them a "green" rating. A great way to deal with "green-washing", where companies make bogus claims of environmental friendliness for their products. With no standards for what's "green", it's possible to make claims for pretty much anything.