The 2010 Busker & Street Festival is sure to be a big hit this year, and with fine weather in the forecast, it looks as if there is going to be a great turnout.

Come down to the Booth outside of Victoria Hall, from 9 AM to 5 PM to learn all about safe bicycling, and to enter into a raffle for some neat prizes.

Come and say Hi when you are downtown on June 12.

-Bicycle Action Committee 2010 Buskerfest Sub-Committee. 

Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.

Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting and last year's inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the world's response has been feeble and half-hearted.

MIT researchers think America's obesity epidemic can be reversed via ‘foodsheds,’ in which healthier, more affordable food is produced and consumed regionally.

Read this compelling article at MIT News!

Sustainably grown grain was delivered to Nelson, BC, this weekend as 10,000 lbs of grain was shipped by sail from the southern arm of Lake Kootenay to Nelson.

Read the item:

Another great idea from western Canada! This website should become a clearing house for all kinds of interesting information:

Bits & Bytes

The Bike for the Planet event was a great success with more than 80 riders participating in the 2 hour event.

Montreal's 'Bixi' is doing big business and making quite a splash in the bike-share world. Recently Both Boston and London England have signed with Bixi to use their bikes and share system to implement city-wide bike sharing.

Read more about Bixi at their website: http://montreal.bixi.com/home/home-bixi

The Bike Train Initiative is building on its success with the launch of new pilot routes across Ontario for 2009.  It has been announced that Northumberland County will be part of the new Eastern Ontario route with a couple of stops anticipated for Cobourg between June and the first week in October.  Next week scheduling and pricing is anticipated to begin with ticket sales starting around April 22.

This award winning project introduced bike racks on board select VIA Rail departures between Toronto and Niagara Falls in 2007, and more than doubled the number of passengers last year.  The Bike Train seamlessly integrates train travel with cycling by adding bike racks, knowledgeable staff and useful information on board.

The Bike Train team from Toronto (Justin Lafontaine & Peter Lipscombe) have chosen the Waterfront Trail and the Rice Lake Ramble 87 km looped cycling route (incorporates Hamilton and Alnwick/Haldimand Townships as outlined on the County's Outdoor Adventure Map) as their initial pilot project routes.

[Photo: Rene and Eileen Mapili]

Spring greetings from Valley Pines Organics!

As we welcome spring, and look forward to all things budding, lots of seedlings are basking under grow lights, and seeds are germinating in the warmth of heat mats all over the premises of 199 Turk Road!

However, we do have produce from the 2008 harvest still available:

potatoes - from our cold cellar
carrots  and rutabaga - both fresh from ground storage!
 
Pick up times can be arranged most evenings after 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 1st and Thursday, April 2nd during the day by appointment.
Sunday, April 5th, noon to 5:00 p.m.
 
e-mail your order and we can have it ready for pick up.
 
Looking forward to seeing you as a new season begins!
Carol and Bob