On Leadership & Silliness: Derek Sivers @ Ted Talks 2010

Had to post this... found it on a friends blog.  Valuable lessons!

As a side note, this video has been edited since I uploaded it to the blog.  Today's date is Dec 11, 2011 and I am now, for the first time, seeing the advertisement in the last 2 minutes of this video.

                  "we have to move toward more sustainable fuels in the future.  It takes time. 

                  And in the meantime, we need to find the oil that we can to supply the earths 

                  needs."

This is greenwashing at its finest.  Whoever made the decision to attach this advertisement to the end of this Ted Talk is completely undermining the value of the videos' purpose.  Is this the kind of leadership - as Sivers would suggest - we should be validating?  I'll choose to follow a nut who has innovative ideas, rather than one who speaks about energy demands while obviously not understanding them.

Thanks for the lesson, Derek Sivers.

Beasley Neighbourhood Association creates "Neighbourhood Charter"

In the spheres of urban planning and social welfare, how much weight is given to documents which are not supported by municipal policy?  Can community organizations and neighbourhood associations create affective change even though their agendas are not officially supported by City Hall?  Moreover, where is municipal policy necessary and when should it be used to support community initiatives?

_______________________________________________________

I attended the Annual Beasley Neighbourhood BBQ a few weeks ago.  Although across the road from where I live is considered a different neighbourhood (according to lines drawn on a map perhaps 5 decades ago or more) the apartments on the east side of James St. North are considered to be part of Beasley.

The neighbourhood has a long history of neglect.  Since the 1980s, Beasley has been considered the poorest neighbourhood in the city of Hamilton.  There are many reasons for this which I may write about later.  Regardless, many attribute Beasley's present amount of community engagement to its history of neglect.  The fact that the new "Neighbourhood Charter" was introduced at the neighbourhood BBQ a few weeks ago shows me - even more - just how engaged and passionate a lot of community members are about where they live. 

Being perhaps the first neighbourhood in Canada to establish a Neighbourhood Charter, the purpose of the document is to redefine what Beasley is to its residents, and to determine what Beasley should look like in the wake of downtown redevelopment projects and gentrification; both which are currently encroaching on the neighbourhood.

Through working with City Hall, numerous organizations relevant to the area and countless individuals, the Neighbourhood Charter is said to define what the neighbourhood believes to be the best way to develop the neighbourhood in the future.

Although The Charter is generally thought of as a positive thing by City Hall and received ample support at the BBQ, I question how much institutional integrity The Charter actually has.  One reason why I question this is because of the newly proposed development at Cannon and Mary Streets.

A development of this scale seems too large for community groups to not put up a big fuss, especially considering the sites location across from the Good Sheppard Centre and Beasley Park.

Far more than its institutional integrity (or lack-there-of), the purpose of the Neighbourhood Charter, I am sure, is to deepen the organizational relationships which community groups and allied City Departments share.

This seems to be how community groups will be able to strengthen and legitimize their agendas - which over time may lead to policy.  As for now, one step at a time for Beasley.

Moving Beyond the Automobile: The rationale behind lane reductions

Lane reductions on busy streets can be a contentious issue.  While the average pedestrian on a busy street wants safety, the average person driving their car down the same street wants efficiency.  

These two opposing points summarize many discussions I've had lately with friends and family regarding the status of streets and how to build them correctly.  Ultimately, I've found, the contentious issue surrounding lane reductions come down to two fundamental differences in mentality: Those who live in walkable areas, use transit and are concerned with safety above anything else, and those who live in the suburbs, drive through the city on their way to work and want efficiency.

While the conclusion I draw from these discussions is simple ("move downtown" ...) it seems as though experts draw similar conclusions though have a different method of reaching the same, simple point.

This video outlines really well why experts and advocates involved in active transportation planning want to decrease the amount of lanes on our roads.  Thoroughfare or side street, they argue, lane reductions make streets more safe and efficient - whether your driving, cycling or walking.  

Katimavik and Square Foot Gardening

First garden bed done, 4' X 4'

The harvest has begun!  In late-May I planned and planted a garden in the backyard of the new house which volunteers from the government-sponsored youth volunteer program Katimavik will be living in for the next 3 months.  Within the last 2 weeks a friend and I have begun to harvest a variety of leafy greens planted early-June. 

Ever since learning about the Square Foot Gardening method I've been curious to see how it works. 

The purpose of Square Foot Gardening is to maximize the amount of food which can be harvested on a particular plot of land while not jeopardizing the amount of space which each plant needs to grow to its maximum maturity.

4 plugs of leaf lettuce per square foot

It's a cool method with an efficient approach - rather than viewing an entire plot of land and planting seeds in relation to its size, Square Foot Gardening teaches us to view each square foot of soil as an opportunity to be maximized.  As such, Square Foot Gardening is becoming pretty common in urban agriculture and small-plot agriculture.

To do this I dug beds that are 4' X 4' and sectioned off every square foot with string.  From there it's as easy as planting the appropriate number of seeds or plugs per square foot.