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Whole
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Introduction The Whole Village newsletter is published on line to keep our friends, near and far, informed on how our project is progressing. For background information and previous issues, please visit our website at: http://www.wholevillage.org . Click here to view our Membership Policy. Click here to read our Farm Plan. Site Site
Work
The vegetable
garden on the property has been tripled in size this year so that WV members
can participate in the planting and harvesting of their own fresh, organic
veggies. Outreach
An article on the WV has appeared in New Directions Magazine, available at Health food stores in the GTA. WV members have staffed tables at a Volunteer and Alternative Career Job Fair at the University of Toronto, the Erin Health Fair, the Fergus Health Fair, the Festive Earth Society Spring Fair in Riverdale Park, Toronto and the Natural Life Festival in St. George. There have been 78 people in attendance at our last 5 Orientation meetings, held for prospective members. Currently there are 164 people on our email Updates list. Denis gave a short presentation at the BD Association AGM on March 31 in Wroxeter. Networking
On February 23, WV
gave a 10-minute presentation at a seminar on Ecological Footprinting,
sponsored by the Caledon Countryside Alliance. The WV proposal was given a big thumb up from the main
presenter, Larry Onisto, as an example of what could be done to reduce our
ecological footprint. April 16 a group of
WV members took an inspiring tour of Rowanwood, a cooperative community near
Orillia, Ontario. Started in
1985, Rowanwood has eight families living on a 92-acre farm in individual
owner built homes. They are
committed to land stewardship, caring for each other, being an extended
family and sharing in a spirit of cooperation. At the invitation of Guy Gilron, Denis and Jeff presented the WV initiative to the staff at his employer, ESG International, a large environmental consulting firm in Guelph, on April 26. We may approach them for assistance in various environmental areas at a later date. MANDATE GROUPS Much of the organizing and development work of the Whole Village resides with our mandate groups. Some recent progress: Membership Membership
now stands at seven families, one Subscriber (member-in-waiting) and ten
Associate members. Orientation
meetings for potential new members and other interested friends are held at
the WV site at regular intervals.
If you are interested in attending an Orientation Meeting, the next
ones are scheduled for May 27, June 10 and June 24, 2001. Contact Jeff Gold at 519-941-1099 or
email jgold@netrover.com to RSVP and
for directions. Personal Orientations can be arranged, and current WV members
can also conduct their own orientation sessions for potential participants. Click here for more information
on our Membership Policy. Planning Our $20,000 grant under the Affordability and Choice Today (ACT) program has finally been activated. ACT is jointly sponsored by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Canadian Home Builders Association and the Canadian Housing Renewal Association. (For more information see: http://www.actprogram.com/english/welcome.asp). This grant will support our work with the municipality and region, groups of interested citizens, various provincial ministries, and other relevant authorities, to develop a set of zoning regulations which would allow the kind of positive development we propose, while continuing to control destructive development activities. It can be used to retain professional consultants to conduct impact surveys, environmental and engineering studies, prepare official plan amendments and rezoning filings and maintain comprehensive documentation on our progress. Design
Group Our energy and technical consultant, Greg Allen, has produced a Communal Sustainable Infrastructure Review, following extensive consultation with Whole Village members. This document provides various strategies for producing, storing and distributing heat and electricity. It also outlines several different options for water and waste management. Greg’s work will help us choose which type of infrastructure to incorporate in the Whole Village. (This document is available by request from jgold@netrover.com ). An informal meeting was held April 26 with Don Carr, a long
time employee of the Ministry of Environment. He explained in great detail the current Provincial
requirements for Community Water and Sewage Systems and explained how they
might impact our design strategies.
After recent events in Ontario around water quality, the regulations
have been considerably tightened Financial/Legal
Following the recommendations of our lawyer, Brian Iler, we have decided to set up a Registered Cooperative to administer the affairs of the Whole Village community. Communications
Farm/Land
Stewardship The WV Farm/Land
Stewardship Mandate Group has been working closely with Denis, Michael
Schmidt (our Biodynamic farm consultant) and Brad Peterson, our recently
acquired landscape architect, to refine the land use plan for the Whole
Village farm. In this plan new
shelterbelts and windbreaks define the fields for a seven-year crop rotation
regimen; cattle are pastured in a series of ten paddocks created with
electric fencing to allow the use of Management Intensive Grazing practices;
pastured poultry follow the cattle through the rotation; sheep and goats
graze the upper slopes of the on the northeastern hills, while the steeper
portions are anchored by intensive planting of fruit trees and berry bushes;
the small field along Shaws Creek Road is earmarked for a heifer pasture, and
a range piggery slotted for the main field near the wetlands. (Pigs love to wallow in the mud!) The foundations of the barns will be
stabilized and the surrounding area graded to move surface water away from
the barnyard. Brad and Denis are
working on a comprehensive site plan integrating all of these elements with
the residential landscape design. Wildlife Biologist
Ken Cornelisse, from the Ministry of Natural Resources, gave a presentation
on March 18 about the Upper Credit River Rehabilitation Project. The UCRRP is a partnership between
the MNR, Credit Valley Conservation, the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club,
Ontario Streams, Trout Unlimited and the Upper Credit Trout Club. This project is enhancing habitat and
encouraging stewardship on the Upper Credit from Charleston Side Road
upstream to Alton. We have begun consultations with the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy to set up a comprehensive Conservation Easement on the WV property. We will soon be meeting with the current owner of the land to discuss the tax savings she could make by placing an easement on the title prior to completing the sale to the WV. Wellness, Arts
and Culture The members of this
group are looking at home-based businesses in the WV, the possibilities of
creating a wellness or therapeutic centre as part of the village, facilities
and amenities to be included in the community building and what similar
resources exist in nearby communities.
They are also exploring ways to finance the
proposed facilities. Celebrations Our third annual
Whole Village May Day party was held Saturday April 28, 2001 at Karalane
Farm. It started with a
wonderful potluck lunch and continued on with an exhilarating and
lighthearted dance around the May Pole.
For more information, please contact us at: Whole Village Ltd. Phone: (519) 941-1099 Fax: (905) 833-2813 E-mail: jgold@netrover.com |