Meatless Monday with Foodstock in Support of Your Local Farmer

Hello and welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for another Meatless Monday. We took the Meatless Monday pledge as part of our CSR business initiatives in support of reducing meat consumption one day per week to improve the health of people and the planet.

Foodstock (click to enlarge poster)

Every Monday we normally share a different vegetarian recipe and we try to keep them simple using local, seasonal vegetables and common pantry items. Today we’re going to do something a little different in support of a local movement ­fighting against the proposed destruction of thousands of acres of Ontario farmland.

Foodstock is an anti-quarry event to raise awareness about The Hills of The Headwaters, the area being threatened by a proposed mega quarry by The Highland Companies that will destroy valuable farmland, jeopardize fresh water and potentially devastate the environment.

The Highland Companies is a multi-billion-dollar hedge fund from Boston that purchased over 7,000 acres of the richest farm land in Ontario, located in Melancthon Township, just north of Shelburne. Initially, Highland claimed that its interest was potato farming, which has been the backbone of the local economy for well over 100 years. Recently Highland filed an application with the Minister of Natural Resources to excavate the largest quarry ever proposed in Canada. Highlands plans to blast a pit deeper than Niagara Falls and spanning 2,316 acres (initially) to extract millions of tons of limestone for the lucrative aggregate market.

There are several environmental, health, economic and community issues that those committed to stopping the mega quarry are concerned about:

• The 2,300+ acre open pit would be 200 feet below the water table, disrupting the natural flow of the aquifers that provide water to approximately 1 million Ontarians. The proposed quarry would be the 2nd largest open pit mine in North America.
• The mining operation would require the DAILY use of 600,000,000 litres of water. This is equivalent to 25% of daily water use in all of Ontario.
• The operation would see 7,200 plus trucks a day (3,600 in and 3,600 out) on the roads-most likely Highways 124 and 89. Traffic of this size and quantity will pose significant dangers to all drivers on these roads, not to mention dust, noise and infrastructure wear. There has been no greenhouse gas emissions analysis of this traffic.
• Blasting is proposed to take place 365 days a year (except on statutory holidays).
• The plans call for rehabilitation of the mine back into agriculture. However, it is unclear what crops are able to grow in a 200 foot hole.
• There has been no analysis of the economic impact on the loss of farming jobs to the community, or to the impact of the loss of 2,300+ acres of prime agricultural land or its impact on food prices. Furthermore, no analysis has been done on the impact on tourism and existing business due to blasting, noise, dust and traffic.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgS0m2XtBbI[/youtube]

Chef and President of Canadian Chefs’ Congress, Michael Stadtlander and over 100 of the best chefs from across Canada are giving their time and talent to Foodstock, an outdoor, pay-what-you can, public food, arts and culture event in support of the movement to Stop The Mega Quarry. All funds raised will go to fighting the mega quarry. Each chef will prepare one item, celebrating the local bounty and will be encouraging Ontarian’s to stand up and have their voice heard by the government. Everyone is welcome so feel free to show up on October 16th or you can pre-register. If you are available to volunteer, please contact the organizers for more information.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpHxCG5owWk[/youtube]

“We all have a shared interest in the water, earth and sunlight of Ontario,” said Slow Food Toronto head Paul DeCampo. “We drink the water and eat the food from these farms so it’s up to us to protect the land. We can’t just be passive consumers.”

Other participating chefs include Jamie Kennedy, Jamie Kennedy Kitchens; Donna Dooher, Mildred’s Temple Kitchen; Anthony Walsh, Bannok and Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants; Anthony Rose, The Drake Hotel; and Keith Frogett, Scaramouche amongst many other amazing chefs.

If you need a ride, buses are being organized from the following locations:

• From Hamilton
• From Guelph
• From Toronto – Slow Food and Electricity
• From Collingwood – Please contact Joslyn Biggins at 705-445-2950

Please take the time to read the information on the links provided – it’s overwhelming and I don’t think I’ve done the cause proper justice here. You can also visit the North Dufferin Agriculture Community Task Force (NDACT) for more information. If you are able to attend on Sunday, please do and join in on this very important fight.

Take the Meatless Monday at your work to promote the value of CSR business initiatives that make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant, hotel or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.