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In this issue:
Electric Bike Raffle! 
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Starting Friday, November 11th, we will be raffling off one of our super funky e-bikes! Featured in this week’s newsletter, we are excited for the future winner of an Electric Pedego Classic Cruiser Hybrid Bicycle. Tickets are available for $5, and you can pick yours up at our storefront location. We will also be at Christmas Chaos (at the Island Savings Centre) this Saturday and Sunday! Try your luck and perhaps you will be the lucky owner of a new E-bike for the New Year! Draw date: January 13th, 2011
Ask the Candidates: Cycling in the Cowichan Valley?
Cycle Cowichan cares about practical and recreational riding in the Cowichan Valley. We are striving to make the Cowichan Valley a better place to ride for all. Part of the problem with the reason cycling isn't popular here is due to the lack of a coordinated plan to tackle the cycling issue. Narrow roads, lack of trail connectivity and lack of education are all symptoms of this. We thought we would take a positive approach and ask all the candidates for the upcoming elections what they thought about cycling in the Cowichan Valley. Here is what those who answered had to say.
Note: We did reach out to Ladysmith and the Town of Lake Cowichan; however, they didn't respond to our emails.
Mason Bee Workshop Recap
We would like to send a BIG thank-you to Eugene Fleck for sharing his knowledge about mason bees at our mason bee workshop! This was a great event where participants learned about the life cycle of mason bees, as well as sustainable harvesting practices to help our local mason bees thrive. From understanding the importance of mason bees to harvesting and cleaning mason bee cocoons- we hope that everyone who attended this workshop went home with inspiring information they can apply to their own collection of mason bees. If you missed this workshop, please click here to learn about harvesting mason bee cocoons!
P.S. No need to use bleach!
Real Estate Land Awards
 Many thanks to the Real Estate Foundation for hosting The 2011 Land Awards Gala Dinner and Ceremony in Vancouver. CGC was a finalist for our Edible Neighbourhoods Project, alongside three other amazing projects going on throughout B.C. Although we didn't win the award, we would like to congratulate the Nature Conservancy of Canada won for their incredible Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project. We would also like to thank our very own Justin Beaton, for his eloquence and heartfelt message that was included in our nomination video.
Cowichan Valley Apple Cider Still Available 
We are thrilled to announce that due to a bountiful apple season this year, we are offering our local Cowichan Valley Community Apple Cider again. All proceeds from this cider will go back into supporting CGC, and we thank all of our fabulous volunteers and homeowners for their participation. We will be offering the 2 litre bottles for a suggested donation of $6.00 each or 4 bottle for $20. Come by to get yours soon - they won't last long!
Ceres Edible Landscaping:
Holiday Gift Certificates!
Think outside the gift box this holiday season and give your family or friend a gift certificate for a custom landscaping service! Whether its innovative gardening expertise through one of our consultations, a new design to update their yard or some freshening up through one of our clean-up packages- Ceres Edible Landscaping can make this a gift that keeps on giving. Contact Kristi at 250-748-8506 for more information or email at kristi [at] cowichangreencommunity [dot] org
Sustainable Living Centre:
All About the Pedego Classic Cruiser Hybrid Bicycle!
CGC is proud to present our second featured electric bike, the Pedego Classic Cruiser. This bike, much like the Glider Scooter, is an eco-friendly and fun way to get around! The Pedego Classic Cruiser utilizes a brushless, gearless Hub Motor on the rear wheel, and runs with a 36 volt lightweight lithium battery in a removable pack. This beautiful bike's top motor speed is around 20 MPH and goes about 15-30 miles per charge depending on terrain and body weight. This lightweight and sleek looking bike is perfect for roaming around town, doing errands, or just for a leisurely ride through our wonderful town. For more detailed information about the Pedego Classic Cruiser please visit www.pedego.com, or visit our Sustainable Living Centre at 181 Station Street and take this beauty for a FREE test drive! Community Events:
Using WordPress for e-Commerce: Wed, Nov 16th – 11:45am-1:00pm Join Barry Hughes of Freshly Baked Websites to find out how you can optimize your web presence and turn surfers into customers. This session will focus on using WordPress as a tool and will cover: what WordPress is and why it's a great choice to run websites; why you should integrate WordPress and e-commerce; a practical demonstration.Bring your own lunch to these casual sessions, free for Chamber members, $5 for non-members. For more information, please contact Freshly Baked Websites. To register, contact Elizabeth at the Chamber 748-1111 or chamber [at] duncancc [dot] bc [dot] ca">chamber [at] duncancc [dot] bc [dot] ca
Transition Cowichan and Eye-Opener Films: The Economics of Happiness, Thurs, Nov. 17th from 7-9pm @ the Duncan United Church (246 Ingram Street). Communities are coming together to re-build on a more human scale, ecological economies based on a new paradigm - "an economics of localization." Admission by donation to help cover the cost of the venue. A chance to share your ideas and action plans will occur after the movie.
Island Farmers’ Alliance AGM: Saturday Nov 19, 2011 from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm at Somenos Community Hall, 3248 Cowichan Valley Hwy, Duncan
9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Workshops: Food Safety and Technology for Better Management (free hot lunch included). You'll hear about the CanadaGAP Program and discover how electronic record keeping can benefit your business.
RSVP morning session to Catherine at 250-748-0932 or cpicco [at] shaw [dot] ca
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Presentations: Elsie Friesen – Good Agricultural Practice; Candice Appleby, Small Scale Food Processor Association
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Annual General Meeting
For more info please visit: www.islandfarmersalliance.org
Community Futures: Upcoming Workshops
We are excited to let you know about the upcoming seminars being delivered by videoconference! These seminars are presented by Small Business BC in Vancouver but are available on our videoconference system at our office in Duncan. Click here for information on each of these seminars and to register. You MUST pre-register to attend.
Start Smart 4: Market Research - Monday, November 21, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, $49
Cowichan Wellness Expo: Nov 26 & 27, 9:30am-5:30pm: This Wellness event features healing arts, practitioners providing workshops and presentations as well as exhibitors displaying holistic wares. This is a FREE event taking place at Oceanfront Suites in Cowichan Bay, and is open to the community of all ages. For more information, contact 250-709-4334 cowichanwellness [at] gmail [dot] com.">cowichanwellness [at] gmail [dot] com
Documentary Night at the Library! November 28th we'll watch Mad City Chickens, a look at keeping backyard hens. Please feel free to come and watch these free movies at the Vancouver Island Regional Library on James Street in Duncan, B.C.
Host a Booth at VIU’s Volunteer Information Fair: Mon, Dec 5th - 12pm-1:30pm
Vancouver Island University’s Cowichan Campus and Volunteer Cowichan are teaming up to present a Volunteer Information Fair and is looking for exhibitors. The purpose of the event is threefold: to celebrate International Volunteer Day, to showcase to the community the many local agencies that use volunteers, and to introduce these agencies to students who require volunteer hours for program prerequisites. We have some awesome door prizes to hand out to our agencies – an example: VIU is offering a $50 gift certificate towards a continuing education course! Please let me know if you are interested in hosting a table by Thursday November 24th – there are only 24 available. Contact atvc [at] volunteercowichan [dot] bc [dot] ca or call us at 250-748-2133.
Veggies Available!
Delicious veggies are for sale from Growing Opportunities, a non-profit collaborative. Growing Opportunities works collectively with people of all abilities to learn and gain experience of growing food on a farming scale. To order veggies or get involved email jenandbearit [at] gmail [dot] com or phone and leave a message at 250-753-3070.
Casual Farm Help Available. Weeding, planting, general farm labour. Contact CGC for more information. 250.748.8506.
Job Opportunities: (Note: Please reply directly to the job posting)
The Cowichan Land Trust is hiring! Four positions are available to help with site preparation, landscaping, trail building and light construction for the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre. To be eligible for hire in one of these Job Creation Partnership (JCP) positions, you must be an unemployed individual ("insured participant") as defined by Section 58 of the Employment Insurance Act. This means that you are an individual for whom: a) an unemployment benefit period has been established or has ended within the 36 months (3 years) prior to the date of requesting assistance; or b) a benefit period that included a maternity or parental claim has been established within the 60 months (5 years) prior to the date of requesting assistance, after which you remained out of the labour market in order to care for a newborn or newly adopted child and are now seeking to re-enter the labour force. Participants receive an allowance of $457/week. Project start date can be as soon as possible. To apply please drop off, email or fax your resume to the Cowichan Land Trust #6-55 Station St. Duncan, fax 250-746-9608, or email: emailinfo [at] cowichanlandtrust [dot] ca.">info [at] cowichanlandtrust [dot] ca. For more information, contact Kai Rietzel at 250-746-0227.
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Events: Seed Stories Still On Tour!
There’s still time to catch the last Seed Stories presentation! Join us on November 22nd, 2011 at the Ladysmith Boys and Girls Club (220 High Street, Ladysmith, BC) where we will explore the history of seed saving in the Cowichan Valley and discuss the how-to of saving food seeds. Accompanying our Seed Literacy Team will be guest presenter Glen Hammond, owner of Sunnyside Holly & Garlic Farm in Chemainus. Glen will speak to the importance of saving heirloom seeds. This is a free event. We encourage participants to bring their questions, experience and stories of seed saving! Drawing from the experience and skills of CGC staff and regional experts, each presentation will feature a guest presenter from the community who will share their background and knowledge on saving seeds and the conditions needed for their production. The goal of this presentation series will be to both highlight the rich seed saving history of the Cowichan Valley, and to provide participants with the basic seed saving skills needed to revitalize such a tradition within our own community.
Seed Stories Event Dates:
November 10th, 2011 from 6:00pm-7:30pm: Hosted the South Cowichan Branch -Vancouver Island Regional Library (310-2720 Mill Bay Rd, Mill Bay).
November 22th, 2011 from 7:00pm-8:30pm: Hosted at the Ladysmith Boys and Girls Club (220 High Street, Ladysmith, BC). Funded in whole or in part by the Canada – British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement.
Tell our Government that you want
Mandatory Labelling on Genetically Modified Foods
We all have the right to choose what we eat. Assert your right; tell our government you want foods containing genetically modified ingredients to be labelled. This petition is in support of Bill C-257.
Add your signature by coming in to our store front at 181 Station St. or print off a copy that you and your friends, family, neighbours and co-workers can sign.
Support CGC through the Peninsula CO-OP!
Would you like to support CGC, but aren’t sure how? An easy way to donate to CGC could be the next time you go to fill up with gas. If you stop at your local Co-op gas station, just tell them you want to donate your gas purchase points to Cowichan Green Community's account (#49620)! It will quickly add up for us, we can put the points to great use, and the Peninsula Co-op is a Vancouver Island based co-operative! Awesome!
Thank You's:
We would like to send a BIG thank-you to Charles at Food Connections and all of our volunteers for helping us with our BIG Fruit Save pick!
Many thanks to Buckerfields and Dinter’s Nursery for the door prizes they donated for our Community Seed Saving Workshop.
We would also like to send a big thank you to Seaside Computers for always helping us out, as well as Susan Smith, the CVRD, and the City of Duncan!
And of course, new volunteers are always welcome! Contact us at 250-748-8506 or info [at] cowichangreencommunity [dot] org if you would like to help out. If you would like to volunteer with us.
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