FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Toronto, Ontario
NEW URBAN FARM PROJECT GETS GRANT FROM CITY TO REDUCE CLIMATE CHANGE WHILE GROWING GOOD FOOD AND SOIL FOR TORONTONIANS
Left to Right: Ashlee Cooper, Susan Butler, David Miller, David Wild, Sunny Lam and Sunday Harrison (Photo: Shelli Wild)
FoodCycles is a soil regeneration and urban farm project that has received a grant from the Live Green Toronto Capital Fund today in front of City Hall for materials and equipment. The project will include two large hoop houses that are 2500 square feet. The project’s main goal is to create high-quality soil so that Toronto community gardens and gardeners can grow their own food. FoodCycles will also grow healthy, local, chemical free food for sale or trade. FoodCycles also plans to eventually raise local, hormone free fish and bees as well as educate the public on life skills and how to reduce their carbon footprint.
At the same time, FoodCycles will reduce climate change by putting up to 80 tonnes of carbon back into the soil per year through composting and doing it locally – preventing the release of up to 150 tonnes of greenhouse gases. A typical city truck travels 82,000 km a year to deliver and process organic waste for Toronto. FoodCycles can do that traveling only 3400 km – that’s a difference of 24 times. FoodCycles activities provide at least $45,000 of waste recycling environmental services annually. This will only grow as operations expand.
FoodCycles will begin operations by the end of this year. It is currently looking into establishing itself at Parc Downsview Park and a location at Hwy 401 and Weston Rd. A 10-member board drives it with experience in dealing with diverse communities, social justice, urban agriculture, organic farm work, greenhouse growing, mid-scale composting, vermicomposting, curriculum development and education, management, and event planning. The project has the support of several sponsoring organizations including FoodShare, Evergreen, the Toronto Food Policy Council and the Toronto Community Gardening Network.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Sunny Lam
Organizer (Communications, Outreach)
FoodCycles
T: 416 845 0818
http://foodcycles.org || http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnylam
“Growing vibrant soil, food and community.”
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