Village Vibe

On November 1st 2006, there'llbe four new families in the heartof Fernwood Village. With thehomelessness crisis in the cityreaching epic proportions, thefour market-based affordablehousing units couldn't come at abetter time. While the unitsaren't necessarily designed toserve those eligible for housingsubsidies, they are gearedtowards families raising two orthree children on a gross annualincome of no more than$41,500.

The suites have been affection-ately named by Executive Directorand Project Manager RobertaMartell, the Belfry, The George N',the Gladstone, and the Alleyview.They all have three bedrooms andare large, bright, and spacious.Each overlooks a different aspectof the soon to be bustling villagecore.

Not only concerned with theeconomic sustainability ofFernwood residents (and resi-

dents to be!), Fernwood NRG hasalso made efforts to ensure thatthe environmental footprint of theCornerstone building and its new

residents is as small as possible.Thanks, in part, to the help of allthe neighbours who came out tosee David Suzuki in May and to theDavid Suzuki Foundation thatdonated all the proceeds, thebuilding was fitted with a geother-mal heating system in mid-August.

Over a week long period, WilfScheuer and his team from ProStar Water and Mechanicaldrilled down 360 feet beneath theearth's surface. Into the two wellsthey inserted metal casings and acirculation loop through whichheat is pumped via water and dis-persed into the suites above aswell as the commercial suites onthe ground floor.

Applications for housing are dueat the Community Centre at1240 Gladstone Ave by 4:30p.m.on Friday September 15th. Todownload an application, head towww.fernwoodneighbourhood.caor call 381-1552 ext. 22.

news and views from the heart of Fernwoodwww.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca september 2006

A p a r t m e n t s f o r R e n t !

Inside the Vibe: pg 2 *Gardening on the Internet

*Together for Quality - NeighbourhoodEvent

pg 3 *Environmentally Conscious Business inFernwood

*Fernwood Recycling Gets Boostpg 4 *What’s On: September 2006

The drill wedged behind theCornerstone building for aweek in August caused quite abit of excitement (and noise) inthe ‘hood. But as one neigh-bour commnted, “Noisy ... butworth it.”

by Lisa Helps

Village VibeFernwood Neighbourhood

Resource Group(FernwoodNRG)

Declaration of Principlesand Values

1. WE are committed to creat-ing a socially, environmentally,and economically sustainableneighbourhood;2. WE are committed to ensur-ing neighbourhood control orownership of neighbourhoodinstitutions and assets;3. WE are committed to usingour resources prudently and tobecoming financially self-reliant;4. WE are committed to thecreation and support of neigh-bourhood employment; 5. WE are committed to engag-ing the dreams, resources, andtalents of our neighbours and tofostering new links betweenthem;6. WE are committed to takingaction in response to neigh-bourhood issues, ideas, and ini-tiatives;7. WE are committed to govern-ing our organization and servingour neighbourhood democrati-cally with a maximum of open-ness, inclusivity, and kindness;8. WE are committed to devel-oping the skills, capacity, self-worth, and excellence of ourneighbours and ourselves;9. WE are committed to focus-ing on the future while preserv-ing our neighbourhood's her-itage and diversity;10. WE are committed to creat-ing neighbourhood places thatare vibrant, beautiful, healthy,and alive;11. AND, most of all, WE arecommitted to having fun!

To subscribe, contact, submitto or advertise in the Vibe,head to www.villagevibe.ca

2 Village Vibe

Together for QualityTogether for Quality is a two-daycultural event to broaden under-standing of how arts and mentor-ship can integrate people living inpoverty into the community.

Interested in connecting withnew and emerging artists andcraftspeople, learning about localart as therapy and communityservice organizations, or just learn-ing more about how communityarts can bring people together toaddress poverty? Come to one (orall) of these exciting activities:

On Friday September 29th11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. join in aluncheon with a keynote speaker

and in the evening from 7:00 p.m. -9 p.m. there's an open mic poetryreading.

Saturday September 30th from1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. a PandoraArts Collective hosted art showopens in Little Fernwood Gallery. InFernwood Square, artisans andlocal service organizations will sellcrafts and display their services ina crafts and social services mar-ket. Saturday night there is aninteractive theatre night from7:00pm – 9:00pm.

All events will be held at 1921Fernwood Road. For more info callClive at 383-0936.

Here are some great gardeningwebsites for the armchair garden-er, web adventurer or the plant-aholic:

General gardening: Royal Horticultural Society atWisley, England: www.rhs.org.uk Trouble with Latin names?www.botany.com Bug infestation? www.insects.org Is it a weed? www.weedalert.com Confused about pruning?www.treesaregood.com When/how to water properly?www.crd.bc.ca/water

Pacific Northwest gardening:www.greatplantpicks.org Into roses? www.ars.org ... rho-dos? www.rhododendron.org Hydrangeas? www.hydrangeashy-drangeas.com/

Love English gardens? Visit Kew:www.rbgkew.org.uk/ or GreatDixter: www.greatdixter.co.uk orthe National Botanic Garden ofWales: www.gardenofwales.org.uk

Wonderful American gardens?try Longwood Gardens nearPhiladelphia: www.longwoodgar-dens.org or the Brooklyn BotanicalGarden: www.bbg.org

Love Monet's garden?http://giverny.org/gardens/ Closer to home try UBC'sBotanical garden: www.ubcbotani-calgarden.org/ Or visit gardens around the world:h t t p : / / g a r d e n -gate.prairienet.org/downpath.htm

Happy touring!

G a r d e n i n g o n t h e I n t e r n e tby Margaret Hantiuk

On Saturday August 12,Fernwood NRG's recyclingteam collected an unprece-dented amount of plastic.With Oaklands Saturday recy-cling recently cancelled,Fernwood NRG picked up theslack.

People toted everythingfrom CD covers to old appli-ances to coffee bags to milkand ice cream cartons, andmore. As of August, the localcompany that hauls awayFernwood’s unwanted plas-tics is also acceptingStyrofoam food trays, whichFernwood NRG's own recyclingqueen, Susan Salvati had beencollecting from people and storingin her basement for some

months. Susan's faithful assis-tant Annalee Lepp stood in for heron the 12th and bore witness tothe mounds of non-garbage bags

that piled up against theback of the CommunityCentre.

Plastic recycling hap-pens the secondSaturday of every monthfrom 10:00 a.m. to12:00 p.m. in the park-ing lot behind theFernwood CommunityCentre (access throughthe gates beside theCentre at 1240Gladstone Ave. Plasticsof all kinds are acceptedby donation and 10% ofall proceeds goes to the

Community Centre. Come one,come all and join Susan for recy-cling fun on Saturday September9th.

With the rise of green develop-ments and rejuvenation in theFernwood community, a local busi-ness marked its own contributionon August 15, 2006 with thegrand opening of a new store inFernwood.

“I applaud the efforts that havealready been made to facilitateenvironmental building work in theFernwood area,” says owner BillFinley. “As a resident in the neigh-bourhood, integrating ‘Shift’ andthe type of store that it is, furtherexemplifies the community’sinvestment in the environmentand support for ethical business practices.”

Shift Natural Fashion in Fernwoodis Bill Finley's fifth retail outlet.Finley's stores specialize in sellingenvironmentally sustainable prod-ucts that are well known for theireffective use of land and waterresources.

Shift is a ‘conscious-youth’ ori-ented store carrying a variety ofanimal friendly and environmental-ly sustainable products madefrom hemp, bamboo, recycledmaterials and organic products.Bill’s ‘Hempire’ includes threeHemp & Company outlets and twoShift outlets. Bill and the storesare part of the Values-BasedBusiness Network.

“Bringing this store to theFernwood community means thatpeople don’t have to travel down-town.” says Jeremy Bezooyen,manager of the new Shift. “We’remaking a positive contribution tothe health of the community byproviding clothing and food prod-ucts that are made by companieswho are really invested in whatthey’re doing.”

Shift is open for business at1284 Gladstone from 11:00a.m.to 5:30p.m. Monday to Saturdayand is also participating in theTuesday night market inFernwood Square.

Environmentally Conscious Business Comes to Fernwood

Fernwood Saturday Plastic Recycling Gets Boost

news and views from the heart of Fernwood 3

Fernwood residents divert mountains of plasticfrom the landfill and raise money for theCommunity Centre.

Make Yer Neighbourhood NicerTotal Plastics Recycling Day: Sat, Sept.9th, Back of FCC

10am - Noon. (Every 2nd Sat of Month) Recycle plasticsof all kinds (Styrofoam packing, soft plastics and bags,and ALL hard/rigid plastics) plus old electronics. Bydonation to cover transportation. Support this handyneighbourhood service or we might lose it.

Spring Ridge Commons Work Parties: Held on selectweekends. Sign up to be notified atwww.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca/commons

Special EventsFernwood Market: The Fernwood Market re turns to

Fernwood Square (corner of Fernwood & Gladstone),featuring food, goods & crafts from local vendors aswell as knitting, poetry, and art-making demonstrationsand information booths. Ongoing Tuesdays, 5:30pm to9:30pm, Free! Call Sue Mulholland at 361-3372 ordrop by the She Said Gallery at 2000 Fernwood Rd. formore info.

Fernwood Autumn Glow Seniors Open House: Saturday,Sep. 23, 1pm – 3pm, 1240 Gladstone Avenue.

Together for Quality, Sep. 29-30: A two day cultural eventto highlight the potential for arts and mentorship tobring diverse people together to begin to addressissues of poverty. Activities include a luncheon with akeynote speaker, poetry night, art show, crafts andsocial services market, and theatre. At FernwoodSquare and 1921 Fernwood Rd. For more info callClive at 383-0936.

Green ThumbsComposting Basics Workshop: Sat, Sep 9, Compost Ed.

Centre, 11:00am – 1:00pm, Free!Compost Club Lecture: Plant Propagation for Beginners,

Sat, Sep 9, Compost Ed. Centre, 2:00pm – 4:00pm,members free, non-members $15.

Gardening without Pesticides Workshops: Building aHoop Bin for Yard Waste Storage, Sat, Sep 30,Compost Ed. Centre, 2:00pm – 4:00pm, members$13.50, non-members $15.

Village Vibe news and views from the heart of Fernwood

A monthly roundup of neighbourhood shindigs. Head towww.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca/events for more listingsor to submit your event.

The Fernwood Community Centre is located at 1240Gladstone Ave. Office hours and public space open: 9am -9pm Monday to Friday.

Fernwood What’s On: September 2006

Kids & FamiliesParent & Tot Playgroup: Ongoing Tuesdays & Thursdays.

FCC Gym, 9:30am - 11:30am, $1 per family, snacksprovided.

Mother Goose Circle Time: Songs, rhymes & stories;Select Saturdays (Call 381-1552 to register and forinfo) FCC Infant & Toddler Centre, 11:30am -12:30pm, Free! ($2 for songbook)

Community Day Parent-Run Family Group: Familydirected and facilitated program! Ongoing Mondays,9:30 – 11:30am, FCC Gym, Free!

Youth, Adults & SeniorsNEW! Drop-in Badminton – Ages 12 to Adult, everyone

welcome. Ongoing Sundays (Starting Sep. 10), 7:00pmto 9:00pm, FCC Gym, $2 per person or $5 for a familyof 3!

Free Internet and Computer Access: Complete your one-time registration and then get online through theCommunity Access Program. FCC Community Room,9:15am to 8:30pm, Monday to Friday, except for11:00am to 3:00pm on Wednesdays. Free!

Drop-in Floorhockey : Co-ed Adult (18+), all equipmentprovided. Ongoing Tuesdays and Thursdays, FCC Gym,7:00pm – 9:30pm, $4, or get a punchcard: $40/11sessions. No wooden sticks.

Holistic Health & Healing: Qi Gong exercises andmeditation; Ongoing Mondays, FCC, 10:00–11:30am,Free!

Falun Gong: Peaceful meditation practice. OngoingWednesdays, FCC, 5:00pm – 7:00pm, everyonewelcome, Free!

Fernwood Autumn Glow (55+): Gentle exercise, lunch &activities; Ongoing Fridays , FCC, 11:00am, $5.50 forlunch.

Music, Art, Theatre, and Entertainment“The Guys” at the Belfry Theatre: Staged reading tribute

to firefighters with all benefi t proceeds to CanadianFallen Firefighters Foundation. Mon, Sep 11 only,8:00pm, for tickets call 385-6815 or head towww.belfry.bc.ca.

“I am My Own Wife” at the Belfry Theatre: True story ofan East Berlin celebrated antique collector andtransvestite who survives and transcends two of thelast century’s most brutal regimes. Sep 19 to Oct 15,for tickets call 385-6815 or head to www.belfry.bc.ca.

Victoria Bluegrass Assoc. Jam: Ongoing TuesdaysOrange Hall, 7:30 – 10:30pm, $2 to play, free tolisten. (Last Tuesday of month is open stage/featurenight; cost varies).

Live Music at Logan’s: For listings, check outwww.loganspub.com.

Saturday PlasticRecycling - SecondSaturday of EveryMonth - Bring all

those goods that theBlue Box Folks won’t

take to the CommunityCentre. Small dona-

tion required.

A note to our faithful readers:

We are currently revamping the format of the

Village Vibe and will resume delivery of the Vibe toall Fernwood homes with November’s issue. If yourneighbours are grumbling that they’re not getting

the Vibe, assure them that it’s coming, and havethem sign up to receive it by email at www.villagevibe.ca. Thanks!