Bixi Bikes Coming to Vancouver

We're thrilled to see progression in the plan to introduce Bixi bikes to Vancouver as the Velo-City Conference was attended late last month: 

Bike share is coming to Vancouver, and we must make it work

The international Velo-City conference is underway in Vancouver as of Tuesday morning and I arrived in time to hear an inspired talk by urban cycling advocate Gil Penalosa. Judging by the Twitter activity throughout the morning, Penalosa's message excited the full house in attendance at the Wall Centre. While Penalosa's full presentation — available here — is fast-paced and rich with detail, it was nicely summed up by an Australian delegate named Stephen Yarwood.

Given the way the Vision council have married themselves to the cycling issue, it was perhaps predictable that the site of the Velo-City conference felt like an offsite City Hall. Mayor Gregor hung around to do interviews while his chief of staff parked himself in front of the venue most of the morning. Even Penny Ballem paced around the site. The always affable Jerry Dobrovolny, Vancouver's Director of Transportation listened intently to Penalosa's speech, which he quipped might put him out of a job. Penalosa's message was to be bold, to be fearless in the face of public opposition, and to make cities as safe as possible for cycling with many miles worth of separated bike lanes. Vancouver, said Penalosa, has not been nearly bold enough when compared to cities like Chicago.The real star of the show that morning, however, were the over 600 Bixi bikes shipped in for the conference and parked in front of the Wall Centre convention facility. Bixi is the Montreal-based bike share manufacturer that will be providing the two-wheeled transport for Vancouver's bike share program. The operator for the Vancouver bike share will be the Alta company based out of Portland, Oregon.

I had the pleasure of having my first bike share experience, after I signed an insurance waiver and gave conference organizers a stamp of my credit card. To get access to a bike I simply inserted the card provided by Velo-City, waited a few seconds for the light to turn from red to green, and pulled the bike out while slightly lifting the rear of the bike from the seat. With my complementary Lazer bike helmet strapped on I took a short ride downtown. 

The Bixi bikes are beautiful machines. They are definitely more sturdy than your typical hybrid or road bike, and sport wide tires with a street-friendly tread. The seat is wide and comfy, something many casual riders prefer. 

The seat post – which I got a blurry image of – is easily adjustable, and thankfully you're not able to easily slide the seat and post right off the bike. That would be a big target of theft otherwise. 

My demo bike was a three-speed but the bikes on order for Vancouver's bike share will be a seven-speed bike to better manage our city's hilly terrain. The gear changer is located in the right half of the handlebar, and the left side has a small bell you can ring with your thumb when needed. There is a small amount of space over the handlebars to locate a small basket if necessary. 

The brakes are built into the wheel hubs, and while you're riding enough power is generated to run safety lights embedded into the frame of the bike, improving your visibility in traffic. Overall it's a solid and comfortable ride, but the slightly heavy frame had my quadriceps burning up a few hills. For all my Bixi bike images see this Flickr set... Read the full story at City Caucus

Bicycle sharing programs have been active in many cities throughout the globe, much like car-shares and other eco-transportation services that are new to Vancouver. As part of Vancouver's Greenest City Action Plan we are expecting to see a significant increase in bicycle transportation services and improvements. The increase in bikes and bike lanes pose a natural deterrent to motor vehicles as those that are inclined to choose cleaner modes of transportation can with ease, and those that prefer to utilize motor vehicles may chose to go elsewhere. The city's green transportation initiatives focus on walking, cycling, transit, and greenways. By designing streets with pedestrian priority, expanding the bicycle network, improving public transit, and increasing public green space, one can imagine a healthier, greener city in the future. Bixi is expected to be active in Vancouver by 2013.


Watch here to learn more about Velo-city Vancouver:

Sources: City Caucus, Bixi, Vancouver Greenest City, Velo-city, Vancity Buzz, UBC Transportation

Farm-To-Table: Local Sustainability

Farm-to-table (or farm-to-fork) is a food movement that promotes the traditional use of that which is closest to you. Farm-to-table advocates utilize as many local ingredients as possible, often directly from farmers in their areas or from businesses that carry local products. This sustainable approach not only results in fresher, more natural products but also helps to support local communities and economies.

This season on Top Chef Canada, 26-year old Carl Heinrich of Sooke, BC won the renowned title of Top Chef with his farm-to-table approach.

"Heinrich is deeply committed to the farm-to-table culinary philosophy. And in Top Chef Canada's final episode, Heinrich cashed in: the competitors were able to raid the garden of Hockley Valley for fresh ingredients with which they would prepare their final meal. 'Being from Toronto, I was also at an advantage in that I was able to say exactly which producer I wanted my product from.'" - Calgary Herald

Earth Friendly Farm-to-Fork Living

A low carbon diet refers to making lifestyle choices to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by energy use. It is estimated that the U.S. food system is responsible for at least 20 percent of greenhouse gases. But the 20 percent only counts from direct sources of GHG emissions. Indirect sources, such as demand for products from other countries, are often not counted, so an accurate percentage would be much higher than 20 percent. A low carbon diet minimizes the emissions released from the production, packaging, processing, preparation, and waste of food. A low carbon diet includes eating less industrial produced food in general, eating food grown locally and seasonally, eating less processed and packaged foods and reducing waste from food by proper portion size, recycling or composting.

Farm-to-table refers to, in the food safety field, the stages of the production of food: harvesting, storage, processing, packaging, sales, and consumption. Farm-to-table also refers to a movement concerned with producing food locally and delivering that food to local consumers. Linked to the local food movement, the movement is promoted by some in the agriculture, food service, and restaurants communities. It may also be associated with organic farming initiatives, sustainable agriculture, and community-supported.

Many farm-to-table advocates work hard to spread the word and to show others the importance of finding the freshest ingredients, while attempting to educate their customers about the link between farmers, farm communities, ancient food-production practices, and the food we eat. The public backlash against genetically-modified organisms in our food supply has added a note of political activism to what had been, until recently, a largely aesthetic movement. Farm-to-table restaurants may buy their produce directly from farmers, usually local. In a few cases, the restaurants and farms may be owned and operated by the same people. Restaurants who choose to buy from local food producers regularly yield healthier, better quality meals for their customers. 

This movement has arisen somewhat simultaneously with the increased knowledge and recent changes in attitude about food safety, food freshness, food seasonality, and small-farm economics. Advocates and practitioners of the farm-to-table model frequently cite as their motivations the scarcity of fresh, local ingredients; the poor flavor of ingredients shipped from afar; the poor nutritional integrity of shipped ingredients; the encroachment of genetically modified foods into the food economy; the disappearance of small family farms; the disappearance of heirloom and open-pollinated fruits and vegetables; and the dangers of a highly-centralized food-growing and -distribution system.

In the last few years the number of farm-to-table operations has grown rapidly. Recently, some food and agriculture writers have begun to describe a philosophical divide among chefs: the "food-as-art", or, in some cases, "molecular gastronomy” camp have increasingly focused on "food made strange", in which the ingredients are so transformed as to be surprising and even unrecognizable in the final food product. The farm-to-table chefs, on the other hand, have increasingly come to rely upon extremely fresh ingredients that have been barely modified, sometimes presented raw just a few feet from where they grew. Generally, the farm-to-table chefs rely on traditional farmhouse cooking with its emphasis on freshness, seasonality, local availability, and simple preparations.

Do your part and support local farmers! It is not only beneficial to the earth, it is also beneficial for the health of your families. 

xo ginny

Carl Heinrich:

Hailing from the small town of Sooke, BC, Carl Heinrich is the 26-year-old executive chef at Marben restaurant in Toronto. Although young, he has been working in kitchens since he was 13 years old and is extremely driven and accomplished for his age. Strong support from family and early mentors encouraged Carl to enter the culinary world. During his time at Stratford Chef School, Carl worked at a restaurant as a chef de partie and completed a summer stage for Daniel Boulud in New York City. After graduating, he took up an offer to return to New York and work at Daniel’s busy bistro in Midtown for nearly four years. Motivated by a desire to move back to Canada and be closer to family, Carl accepted a position at db Bistro Moderne in Vancouver where he worked alongside Top Chef Canada season one winner Dale MacKay. Carl's stages over the years include time at Camille's West Coast Fine Dining in Victoria, Marron Bistro in Toronto, Gramercy Tavern and Daniel in New York, Georges Blanc, La Regalade, and Le Comptoir in France and Alain Ducasse' Le Louis XV in Monaco. Carl now lives in Toronto, a city and a culinary scene he loves, where he learned the benefits of farm-to-table and nose-to-tail cooking. Inspired by ingredients and driven by French technique, Carl aims to make approachable but refined food. - Food Network

Sources: Ginny Blogs, Post City, Hockley Valley Resort, Calgary Herald, Farm-to-table, Vancouver Sun

Eating Green Across Canada: Toronto

As Canada's most populated city it's no surprise that everything is available to the visitors and locals of Toronto including a wide variety of organic restaurants that run the gamut from basic quick stop "get your veggie fix" to lavishly, locally sourced, haute cuisine. Many local organic restaurants boast an adherence to what they call the FOSL philosophy - Fresh, Organic, Sustainable, and Local.

The Beet

2945 Dundas Street West

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(416) 916-2368

www.thebeet.ca

Quirky, cute, and good-natured to its very core, the Beet prides itself on not only delivering delicious fare, but doing its utmost to promote health and well being in balance with nature. They use ingredients that are local or certified fair, and even their interior design and packaging is 100% biodegradable.

Compass Lakeside Grill

 

2340 Ontario Street

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

(647) 317-3912

www.menupalace.com

Located in one of Toronto's wealthier suburbs with stunning views of Lake Ontario, Compass offers a gastronomic experience few will forget. They offer a fixed price table d'hote and an extensive wine menu in an immaculate setting with stunning decor - and they do it all while promoting the FOSL philosophy.

Earth/Globe Bistro

124 Danforth Ave                            

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(416) 466-2000                                           

www.earthbloorwest.com

2448 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(416) 763-2222

www.globebistro.com

Earth and Globe are owned but the same group with the same philosophy of thinking global, and eating local. Both restaurants have eclectic seasonal menus using local ingredients in modern and trendy atmospheres.

Live Organic Food Bar

 

264 Dupont St.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(416) 515-2002

www.livefoodbar.com

Committed to sustainable organic food production and local farmers, Live Organic Food Bar's motto is: "the only way food should be processed is by the human body." Serving a strictly vegan menu, the Food Bar offers a variety of salads, sandwiches and raw or cooked mains and appetizers.

Williams Landing

120 Lynn Williams Street

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(647) 340-8008

www.williamslanding.ca

Located in the King West area of downtown, Williams Landing has become a popular bar and grill. They add a second "S" to the FOSL philosophy where "Seasonal" is as important an aspect to dining as caring for the planet. As their menu states: William Landing "supports the community that supports (them)" and where everything from the butchering to the vinaigrette is prepared in house.