Nolalu's Very Own Country Market

Noticed how Farmers Markets and Country Markets just seem to pop up all around us? Same for the small rural community of Nolalu: as of yesterday we now have our very own Country Market, thanks to Leo Hunnako and Jacomyn Gerbrandy who made it happen!

You'll find it every Friday from 4:00 till 8:00 pm at the intersection of Hwy 588 and 590 at St. Urho's parking lot (a variety & hardware store, restaurant, bar, gas station and golf course all in one).

This first edition had 6 vendors selling their wares from the back of their trucks and vans, from plants and vegetables to handmade soap and artwork - and much more. More vendors will join as the growing season progresses.

Local markets selling locally grown food and handmade items are a wonderful addition to  any community. You know you're getting excellent value for your money and whom you're getting it from (not some anonymous multinational but your hardworking neighbour), the money spent stays in the community, you don't have to travel all the way into town (smaller carbon footprint) and it's just plain fun to hang out and chat for a bit. And should you feel like something to eat or drink, Jacob's Cafe is only a few steps away.

Local markets are also a significant step on the way towards food security. Food prices are rising at the same pace as the steadily rising price of gas (oil). Here in our part of the province most of our food gets trucked in from enormous distances, making that food more and more expensive - not to mention what it does to the quality of the food and the carbon footprint involved. Country markets can be an answer to this issue.

Hope to see you some Friday afternoon at the Nolalu Country Market. You can't miss it, just look for the signs!

Knock, Knock. Who's There?

A soft thumping sound revealed a smaller kind of wildlife last Saturday: a turtle trying to get in, probably looking for a sheltered place to lay her eggs.

The unseasonable warm weather must have brought her out early this spring. The long range weatherforecast predicts balmy temps and lots of sunshine, so her eggs stand a good chance of making it  (not inside, though!).

Hope her baby turtlets grow up to be as beautiful as their mom.

Backyard Moose

I sometimes joke that we don't need to go anywhere to spot wildlife, we only have to look out the window and there it is: deer, bears, eagles, moose, you name it. Still, some wildlife appears more frequently than other, moose being of the more elusive kind.

It's always a treat to encounter a moose, that icon of the north woods - especially if it happens to amble by in your own back yard. I've spotted this female a few times now, always at dusk. This time she gave me just enough time to get my camera.

I always marvel at how hard to spot they are despite their bulk (think horse-sized), and how graciously they move.

Unfortunately we're seeing less and less of them. The moose population has dropped rapidly in this region over the past few decades, from several thousands in the 1980's to a few hundred now. At the same time, the deer population increased dramatically.

Climate change is the main culprit; the milder, shorter winters are great for the deer who now survive in much larger numbers. However, deer transmit a brain parasite (the "deer tick") that is fatal to the moose. Basically, a lot more deer also means a lot more dead moose.

Second, in longer, hotter summers moose tend to eat less, and as a result their odds to survive the winter (on less fat storage) decrease proportionally. On top of that, longer and hotter summers also result in less wetlands for the moose to graze and cool off in, which doesn't help, either.

What it means for Northwest Ontario's moose population is anybody's guess, but it's safe to assume things will get a lot worse for the moose before it gets any better.

As for us, we're just happy to have over 30 acres of beaver ponds for the moose to roam around in. And don't feed those deer...!

Ain't It The Truth

(click to enlarge)

Sometimes I feel like that guy with the glue brush... (with thanks to Wiley Miller and his brilliantly perceptive comic strips).

Green Fiction and Good Food

A few weeks ago we were pleasantly surprised by a request for a book presentation here at the Eco Centre. Turns out that Kathy Ashby who just published her first novel "Carol, A Woman's Way", was visiting Thunder Bay and in the process of planning a book tour in the area where she grew up. That, together with her book's strong environmental slant, made our location a natural fit.

We felt this was a great opportunity to invite a select number of friends for a "literary potluck" with Kathy as our guest of honour. And that's how this past Saturday afternoon, about 15 people were introduced to Kathy's fictional heroine Carol, and her "one-woman's battle for all she holds dear - her husband, her son, her land and her inner peace" (quoted from the back cover).

The lively discussion that followed proved Kathy had piqued her audience's interest, and it was good to see a number of (autographed) books leave with new owners that evening.

"Carol, A Woman's Way" is published by Dream Catcher Publishing; Kathy can be reached at ashbykathy @ gmail.com (first remove the spaces in the email address - spam protection), or follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/awomansway.

As for us, we thoroughly enjoyed this format of friendship, food, fun and fabulous fiction and are open for similar intiatives, so stay tuned!

Terrace Bay's got a Good Thing Going!

Okay, so it may not be the centre of the universe; in fact, not many people may know where Terrace Bay can be found on the map. But Saturday April 24 was a special day for this town and the surrounding communities on Lake Superior's North shore.

Battered as these small communities have been and still are as a result of the declining forrest industry, they just refuse to roll over and die. On the contrary, many are determined to view this economic crisis as an opportunity to move forward instead of backwards.

Hustle and bustle in the hockey arena

One way to move forwards is by refocussing on the future rather than the past. And of course the one big issue that will very much determine our future for a long time to come is the unfolding environmental crisis, forcing us to re-think much of what we've considered "normal" so far.

Terrace Bay's Green Trade Show, organized by Sean Irwin and his happy, hard working team is a great example of this notion. Somehow, this small town of about 1500 souls manages to get just about anyone who is anyone in the green sector to its hockey arena for this one day in April. It's a great opportunity to meet folks in this isolated stretch of the province, to network, inform, inspire and get inspired.

Nolalu Eco Centre's booth

With 72 exhibitor booths and close to a 1000 visitors it's safe to say this year's (only 2nd!) edition was a resounding success. And because admission was only $1.00 (or a non-perishable item for the local Food Bank), the show was accessible for anyone, making it a community-building event rather than commercial event.

Terrace Bay's got a good thing going; kudos to Sean and his crew for making it happen. We're already looking forward to be back next year!

A Toast To The Environment

Those who read my Greenwash Of The Red (Wine) Variety rant on this blog may remember I have a low tolerance for eco bulls**t. Too many companies are jumping on the green bandwagon, tauting the many "green" or "eco" qualities of their products. In most of the cases those qualities are dubious at best, and in too many other cases plain & simple fabrication.

So when I noticed this bottle of Fuzion last week, a red Malbec from Argentine, and saw the paper collar claiming "Sustainable By Nature", I gave it a pass at first. Yet another blantant example of greenwash, I thought.

But then I read a bit further and learned that the bottle was designed to be 17.5% lighter in weight (requiring less energy to manufacture and to transport), that this family-run winery invests in social welfare programs and 100% sustainable farming, and plow some of their profits back into their community, I thought: Hmm, even if this only half true, it's still a lot more than most wineries can boast.
That, plus the fact that it was a modest $7.50 (yes, I'm cheap) made me decide to take it home.

Checking out their website I wasn't able to find out much more than what the collar said (parts are stil under construction), so I'm still a bit suspicious as to the extent of their claims. Still, they don't claim to be "eco" just because they didn't kill all the wildlife in their surroundings as a certain other wine does, so the verdict for now is: deserving the benefit of the doubt.

(And in case you were wondering: great value for for its price.)

Nice Paint Job

It's been 3 seasons now since the Eco Centre got its creamy-yellow exterior pain coat, energetically and cheerfully applied by a gaggle of Ontario Rangers (see our "Yay And Hooray" post). Emerging from this winter, we were curious to see how this experiment had held up with 3 harsh seasons under its belt.

Because a bit of an experiment it was; the paint we used wasn't just any exterior paint: it was a milkpaint, arguably he most environmentally friendly paint in existence. Made entirely out of milk components, with berry and plant extracts added to provide a wide range of gorgeous colours. Non-toxic, non stinky, easy to work with. It comes as a powder, just add water.

Still looking good, after 3 rough seasons

Just 2 caveats: it can only be applied to porous surfaces (e.g. drywall, wood, concrete, etc), and it isn't specifically designed for oudoor use. So our decision to paint the entire Eco Centre's exterior with it was a bit of a calculated risk.

We had already applied milkpaint on our Red Pine ceilings, used as a stain to tone down the prominent knots and provide a protective coat at the same time. On the washroom ceilings we sealed the stain with 2 coats of linseed oil, because of the higher humidity there.

First impressions: the exterior paint has held up pretty good. There are some spots where rain or melt water had been streaming lots, showing in somewhat paler colours.
Also, a few small spots had begun to peel a bit here and there. But generally speaking, about 90% looked just fine.

We happen to like the paler areas, it gives the house an elegantly weathered look (some designers  call it a "distressed look", I believe). As for the limited amount of peeling, we figure this is the result of the paint having been applied a bit too dry last year. It had been a hot day, and the the freshly mixed paint was beginning to thicken as some of its water content was beginning to evaporate. Oh well, live and learn. On the upside, any touch-ups are quick and easy to apply, we'll do those once the weather gets nicer.

A warm thank-you to the friendly folks of Homestead House Paint Co. in Toronto for taking their time to be as helpful as they could be and for making us this lovely colour - and a great product in general.