There’s nothing quite like eating food you’ve grown in your own garden. Of course, not everyone has the yard space for sprawling gardens especially if you live in a large city. Fortunately, you don’t have to set aside your dream of gardening just because you are constrained by space. In fact, you can still grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables even inside your apartment thanks to vertical gardening.
Read MoreSometimes it can be difficult to think of ways to force your kids to spend some time outside, especially in today’s modern world. Surely, you have noticed that sometimes your children will rather stay inside glued to the screens then to go play outside. Each day you can see less and less children playing outside like we did when we were their age. Can you remember that feeling of running free and playing with your friends all day long? Those
Read MoreWe are all aware how important the plants are for our life. Not only do they make everything look a more bright and inviting environment, but they also produce the air we breathe and represent a large amount of food we eat. That is why most of us love to spend time surrounded by plants, no matter if that is outside in the parks, in the garden or even in the comfort of your home. But for those living in the city, having a green oasis environment
Read MoreIt is a well-known fact that the bees are disappearing. The cause of the loss is still hotly debated, but one thing is for sure, we can do more than we are currently doing to help keep bees in the ecosystem. Many people consider keeping bees in the their backyards in Calgary, so to find out more we spent some time with Calgary & District Beekeepers Association (CDBA) to find out how they can help you become an urban beekeeper. If you
Read MoreRod Olson from Leaf and Lyre Urban Farms gives advice on things that grow well in Calgary, and they should know! They run a small business selling the produce they grow from gardens around Bowness. Their philosophy is: “URBAN: We make use of the space around us in the belief that city spaces—though often small in themselves—can as a collected whole be productive and green, more vibrant and interesting, than our traditional uses of
Read MoreHave you heard of YYC Growers? Do you know what CSA stands for? Where’s your nearest Farm Co-op? Don’t know? You should! Knowing where organic food comes from and how to buy it is the best way to a healthy diet. Learn more about Community Supported Agriculture and how you can help here: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to know where your food comes from and learn all about it. If we are what we eat, then we need to
Read MoreFall is always the best time of year. The air is getting cooler and crisper, the colors change to beautiful gold and brown and the farmers markets are filled with a gorgeous bounty that delights out senses and fills our stomachs. One question that always springs to mind is how do I know it’s fresh? Rod Olson from Lyfe and Lyre Urban Farms explains what is in season right now in Calgary: Buying the crops that are in season help you to get
Read MoreBees are more than just producers of honey. Wherever we are on the Winnie The Pooh honey loving -bee appreciation -loathing -phobic or even allergic spectrum, we are all equally dependent on bees to produce food for our plates. According to a recent Greenpeace report, domestic and wild bees are responsible for 80% of the world’s pollination. Most of the fruits, vegetables and crops we depend on for food, need bees to pollinate them. Given that
Read MoreFor millions of years, worms have been hard at work breaking down organic materials and returning nutrients to the soil. They are nature’s natural organic material, food scraps and organic waste recycling experts. Recycling the organic waste of a household into compost allows us to return badly needed organic matter to the soil. In this way, we participate in nature's cycle. Composting with worms, otherwise known as vermicomposting, is a
Read MoreIf you have a flat roofed shed or storage space in your outside space you have a wonderful opportunity to ‘green’ the space by adding a living roof on top of the roof. A living roof is a carpet of plants that you grow on the top of the roof to reclaim the space they take up and to improve the air quality of where you live. If you have low storage on your balcony you can make use of the space and create a green roof structure to grow plants
Read MoreLike what we’re doing? Want to share your story or tell others? Do you have a green business in Calgary and want to get in front of a large local audience? Let’s build a green community together!