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Welcomes & Farewells

Jaime Muneoka on behalf of Member Selection Committee

Apologies for this long overdue update! We've had lots of action in Member Selection over the past few months.

Back in March we bid farewell to Greg and Laura in 811, which resulted in a tiny waterfall of units. Gabriela and her family shifted over to 811, leaving room in 783 for Kris and Debbie to take over. The resulting vacancy in 34 was filled by new member, Ella Pisarska and her 12-year-old daughter, Hannah.

More recently we said goodbye to Janice and Meghan Way and said hello to Dave Robinson and Ximena Gonzales in 819.

All of our new members have been longtime Sunnyside residents, so you likely already know them from the neighborhood. Welcome Ella, Hannah, Dave and Ximena!

News about news: Thanks to Erin. Introducing Jessica. And Congratulations to Joe

Submitted by Richard Harrison on behalf of the Board

Hi everyone,

Just to keep you all up to date, the contract for Erin, who has done great work for us in the office on a temporary basis this past month, is up now. The new person, likewise on a short term contract, is Jessica, and we welcome her to the Co-op.

In other news, I just want to draw your attention to the fact that our own Joe Nunn, the man behind the wheel of Joe's Garage and also behind the smooth spinning of the wheels of many of Calgary's bicycles ridden both for business and pleasure has a feature in this month's Avenue magazine has a piece on his work (pages 11 and 12). And not only there. A recent issue of the Globe and Mail contained an article on him in its insert section. Congratulations, Joe.

All the best,

Richard Harrison, Board Chair.

Coop Housing Board of Directors Descriptions 

Submitted by Belle Auld on behalf of the Education Committee

(Editor’s note: the Board of Directors descriptions in this article do not refer specifically to Sunnyside Housing Co-operative but to housing co-operatives in general. For information about Sunnyside’s bylaws, please see the documents page on our website. Marion Gauzer, Communications Committee)

  • Chair: this position provides leadership to the board and the co-operative. The chair serves as chair for all board and general meetings, maintains a strong relationship with management, and often serves as the face of the organization. The chair should be familiar with important policies and procedures governing co-operatives.

  • Vice-chair: this position is tasked with fulfilling duties assigned by the chair or filling in when the chair is not available.

  • Treasurer: this position is often combined with the secretary position. The duties of the treasurer require some understanding of financial reporting and accounting practices and are often given to a manager or hired expert (e.g. an accountant) that can perform them efficiently. The treasurer often oversees the co-operative’s finances, filing the annual return, preparing a budget, and keeping the board and shareholders informed on financial matters.

  • Secretary: this position maintains the records of the co-operative including policies and procedures, meeting minutes, and an up-to-date membership list. In many co-ops, the secretary serves as a point of contact for members on matters including share redemption, submitting resolutions, or concerns with the co-op.

Coop Housing Board of Directors Responsibilities

The board of directors is central to the operation of a co-operative business. Directors discuss matters affecting the co-op, make decisions that shape and guide the co-op, and prepare information and recommendations to members to discuss and decide on. Much of what a board does is responsive, reacting to events, ideas, and opportunities facing the co-operative. It’s important for directors to think about the future, and look for ways to improve their practices and the co-op’s well-being. This list gives an overview of the important responsibilities of the board of directors:

  1. Manage financial matters of the co-operative: It’s important for the board to have a strong understanding of the co-op’s financial position. This can be done with support from staff or an accountant (depending on the size of the co-op). The board should lead the creation of an annual budget, monitor revenue and expenses, and present the annual return and budget back to the members at the annual meeting. Some members of the board will have signing authority on the co-op’s accounts and their signatures will be required for items like cheques, agreements, chequing accounts, annual returns, and applications.

  2. Strategic Planning: The board provides leadership to the organization and shapes its direction. It creates, updates, and maintains strategic plans that include the co-op’s agenda, goals, and key opportunities. The board should regularly identify projects and manage the co-op’s investments.

  3. Create policies and procedures: The board will create policies when first incorporating the co-op, and on an ongoing basis. Some policies will be created in response to the co-op’s business, or as challenges and opportunities arise. These policies relate to things like finances, membership, conflict of interest, information and technology, safety, and elections.

  4. Give the co-operative a voice: Both the board and the management will promote the co-op to the public. The board, as representatives of the members, should speak on behalf of the co-op when working with partners, funders, media, or other audiences. They should provide information to members at meetings and give direction to staff. It’s good to have a communications strategy for the board and management that outlines how the co-op communicates with other parties, so everyone is sharing a consistent message.

  5. Management: Depending on the size of the co-operative, the board may directly manage the day-to-day affairs. In larger co-ops, the board usually provides oversight to managers or an executive team. The board will have the final say on many important decisions and may have to deal with conflict or debate that could arise. For example, it’s the board’s job to decide how to allocate the co-op’s profits. To do this, it needs to take a number of things into consideration: adding to reserve funds, investing in the co-op, and distributing profit to members. Decisions like this can lead to conflict, but the co-op can help avoid this by including members in the discussion (and listening to their ideas).

  6. Engage the members: At the end of the day, the co-op exists to serve its members. The board should engage members in important decisions and happenings with the co-op. The board can help ensure members have a sense of ownership with their co-op by communicating openly with them

 https://coopcreator.ca/resource/being-a-board-member-in-a-co-operative-business/

Gardening Time and Updates from Grounds

Submitted by Cristian Badea-Hasa on behalf of the Grounds Committee

Start Gardening Time

Every time I say “spring” after mid-March, snow is there shortly. I put in place a protocol to avoid saying it. First step is replacing the capricious word with “gardening time”.

But, better, let’s start digging! Or, NO DIG, as it is the buzz in the last few years.

More than ten years ago, after many attempts to repair the lawn, I was inspired by a landscaping guy from Oregon. Covered everything with flyers and then mulch. After a while (few years, but gardening takes some patience) mycelium was there and, underneath the wet paper, wonderful, alive soil. Ready for gardening it was.

Yes-yes! But, poor grass ☹… What grass? It is no grass around! Is a mix of stupid genetically modified cereals with very short roots, which do not sequester the carbon dioxide back in the soil. It is a realtor’s marketing scam from about a hundred years ago.

Simply saying: weeds (let them grow and you’ll see).

Slowly gardeners realized that mulching around important plants will help with water retention in the area, obviously preventing some pests coming to the feast (slugs, bugs don’t like “stepping in mulch). Cooling the friendly plant in the summer and a good blanket during the winter. And, yes, fewer weeds.

BIG EVENT: Mulching At Sunnyhill 2021

A garden-size woodchipper was acquired by Grounds. Works fine for up to 1 ½-inch branches, sticks, dried stems. It will be available to book for use in the garage. Because it grinds things it will be locked and some brief training will be provided for safer use.

It’s not only that you get rid of branches but save some bucks for the coop garbage bill. Make some mulch for your use or simply compact the wooden materials for easier disposal.

Coop has large common areas and has lots of trees and bushes. We need lots of mulch and mulching and “mulchers” every gardening season.

TIME: Weekend of June 5th and 6th . Starting time 10 am.

WHO: Everybody is invited to give a hand (or two). Will be a lot of work, but plants will be happy, tidy, hydrated, and grateful.

If you are not into No Dig thing, please notice that any digging happens after calling 811 to locate the possible lines below ground level.

But if you care to see the promoter and teacher of NO DIG way (youtube channel) Charles Dowding, I am positive you will be hooked.

Other news worth mentioning:

Pest Control products are located in the - newly remodeled – shed. Hope you will do not need it, but, wasp spray is in there. If you are afraid or not sure how to use it please email Grounds.

One wheelbarrow is broken. Will purchase a replacement, most likely a lighter model using fiberglass.

Please join the Garden Club.

Next Grounds Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 15 in the Playground area. Please join us and maybe share an idea or two. Or just listen first hand.

Plants are our babies from Mother Nature. Family, eh?

From Grounds, Cristian

Confidentiality, Privacy & New Technology

Submitted by Belle Auld on behalf of the Education Committee

Confidentiality, Privacy & New Technology workshop presented by Blair Hamilton, Canada Housing Federation (CHF) Canada

I attended a Southern Alberta Co-op Housing Association (SACHA) workshop about confidentiality and privacy especially as it relates to the new technologies co-ops are using these days.  Here are some brief notes. 

Confidentiality:

  • There are three types of confidential info:
    -business info – e.g. HR
    -board discussions and votes
    -private info about members

  • Personal/private info includes any identifying info about a specific person

  • Directors are bound by confidentiality while on the board and after leaving the board 

Privacy and new technology:

  • Coop meetings should not be recorded without
    -a) a good reason (minute taking is a good reason)  and 
    -b) consent of those involved 

  • Minutes record decisions, not debates 

  • Taking photos at co-op events should have an opt-out notice

Resources:

More detailed notes that might be of interest to Board members are with the office.

Grounds Committee Notice: Opportunity to Green Your Garden!

Submitted by Debbie Willis on behalf of the Grounds Committee

Grounds Committee Notice: Opportunity to green your garden!

The Grounds Committee has secured a Greener Co-op Micro-grant to increase food self-sufficiency and reduce water use at Sunnyhill Housing Co-op. This micro-grant will be used for installing rain barrels and creating pallet vertical gardens for our members. We received funds to cover the partial cost of 10 rain barrels and material to build 15 pallet vertical gardens; the remaining costs will be covered by the Grounds Committee budget. This is a proof-of-concept endeavor: we will distribute these resources to selected households (chosen on a first-requested-first-served basis), to encourage other members to adopt these greener practices in future years.

Water barrels:

We will purchase the water barrels from Green Calgary and help co-op members to install them, if required. A water barrel for your garden will allow you to use natural, chlorine-free rain water on your plants and will save the co-op gallons of water each year. It also helps keep our watersheds clean by diverting water that usually collects fertilizers and other contaminants from storm drains. Your water barrel will come with the necessary hose attachment.

Pallet gardens:

We are also excited to offer the possibility of inexpensive, simple, and beautiful vertical gardens to interested members. We chose pallet gardens because of their affordability and accessibility. We also feel that vertical gardens are an excellent choice for our inner-city community, where yards are small and many gardeners hope to produce more food on their balconies. We are also excited by the idea of building our own, Instagram-worthy vertical gardens! The Grounds Committee will host an outdoor day of teaching and learning how to construct these simple, DIY, upcycled pallet gardens. The construction would occur outside, following Covid-safe protocols, in early June (date TBD). See below for an example of a pallet garden: 

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If you are interested in a water barrel, a pallet garden, or both, please email the Grounds Committee at SHCGrounds@shaw.ca and please CC Debbie Willis at debmwillis@gmail.com

Grounds Committee Update

Submitted by Yvonne Sabraw on behalf of the Grounds Committee

The Grounds Committee has met monthly by Zoom over the winter, but we will be back to physically-distanced meetings in the playground over the summer. The next meeting is Monday, May 17th, 6:00 -7:30 pm. Anyone is welcome to attend. And don’t forget we can be reached at shcgrounds@shaw.ca anytime!

The big items this month:

1. PLAYGROUND inspections will be happening monthly. Regular inspections are a legal requirement, and we paid for a professional inspection in the fall, but we will do this ourselves on a regular basis now. If you have any concerns about the state of the playground, please let us know. T

2. VERTICAL GARDENING: We applied for a CHF Greener Co-ops Micro-grant to do a pallet vertical gardening project and rain barrel installation. At the moment we are waiting to hear if we got the grant, however we would still like to do the vertical gardening project on a small scale even if we don’t get the grant. We plan to do a few pallets one weekend in May. If you would like to be part of this, please email us and we will be in touch.

3. MULCHING! Mark your calendars for the weekend of June 5th/6th. A few members of our committee attended City of Calgary education sessions on pruning, pest management, and general care of trees and they reinforced how important mulch is for the health of our trees. Spreading mulch is a big job, so we will need involvement of many co-op members. Community work projects may look different this summer depending on physically distancing rules, possibly having members sign up for a specific time/area to work during the weekend.

4. COTONEASTER replacement: We did not ask the membership for a budget for wholesale removal and replacement of diseased cotoneasters for this year. But we have budgeted for 10 individual units to replace their hedges if they would like to. This will involve member digging out the existing shrubs themselves (we have a resident expert in Sarah Reimer who took on this project in her yard last year and can share her experience!). You can then choose from a list of approved shrubs that we have created as replacement options. At this time, we are favouring berry-producing bushes and some hardy flowering species. We also want to ensure that members are aware that infected branches must not be put in the compost, they must be disposed of sealed in a plastic bag, in the black garbage bin.

5. WASPS: Fake wasps nests (see you tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjNRZGB_vfQ ) Though it is controversial whether this works or not, some people swear by it and the cost is minimal compared to the potential benefit. The idea is that wasps will not build their nest in an area where they believe other nests already exist. They apparently can be fooled by brown paper bags that are scrunched into the shape of a wasps nest and hung in an area where wasps would typically build. Under our decks, under balconies, and under the balcony roofs are areas to put these fake nests. Perhaps we can do a mini-experiment this summer and see if wasps do avoid the places where there are fake nests!

6. MUSHROOMS: SHC Member Mia Rushton has taken a course on growing edible mushrooms, and we are excited about piloting a mushroom growing project this year. We will let members know what areas of our common space will be dedicated to this project.

7. SPRING DUMPSTER: We plan to have the large dumpster on site the week of May 17-24th. An announcement will go out once the exact date is confirmed. The large dumpster is meant for items that are too big to fit in our normal garbage bins: broken household items in particular.

Lastly, if you have a concern with any trees that need attention or pruning, please send an email letting us know so we can add it to the schedule this year.

Permaculture Potential: Natural Solutions for Spring/Summer

Submitted by Debbie Willis on behalf of the Grounds Committee

This week, as we all start to look forward to more time in our gardens, I wanted to include some easy ways to support urban biodiversity. Though these tips aren't considered 'permaculture' per se, they do help build strong soil, bird and insect health, and so are part of a regenerative practice. We won't be able to do big permaculture projects at our co-op until our retrofit is well under way, but in the meantime, we can all prioritize environmental health in our own spaces.

How to Support Urban Biodiversity: (Most of these tips are thanks to Sandra from Calgary's Climate Hub. Thank you, Climate Hub!)

Birds:

  • Lights out: Residences and low profile buildings pose a threat to migrating birds who travel at night (like songbirds), so turn off all non-essential lights (especially between 11 pm and 6 am) to help birds migrating north from colliding with buildings.

  • Mark it: Daytime window strikes are also a problem. If your windows reflect vegetation, birds may try to fly through them. You can mark your windows with soap or tempera paint, and there are many commercial products on the market. Ensure decals or markings are vertical in nature as horizontal markings may be perceived as branches.

  • Leave it alone: Got an active nest in your yard? Leave it alone. Under the International Migratory Bird Act, it’s prohibited to interfere with the nest or eggs of most migratory species. Apart from the legal issue, birds such as robins would likely abandon a nest that was moved. Incubation periods are pretty short though, so it won’t be long before the babies leave the nest.

Bees:

  • When it’s 10 degrees, you can wake the bees: If possible, avoid yard cleanup until it is consistently 10 degrees above zero. Mulch, dead leaves, etc provide wintering opportunities for bees and other beneficial insects so waiting until it’s warm enough for them to emerge naturally will keep them safe.

  • Dandelions - a bee’s best friend: these “weeds” represent one of the earliest and most significant sources of pollen for bees, as they bloom at a time when queens are feeding in order to begin laying eggs. So if possible, leave some dandelions for the bees.

  • Clover is another plant that bees love so if you have some in your yard, leave it alone. It's also a stabilizing plant, like dandelion, so if you see it in your grass it's because a monoculture (like grass) is an inherently unstable/unhealthy environmental situation, so clover has been sent in to save the day!

  • Native plants for native bees. Southern Alberta is home to a variety of bees and one of the best ways to support them is with native plants such as willow, milkvetch, cane raspberries and clover.

Water:

  • Water is a precious resource. In your garden, consider plants that have lower water requirements and that are conditioned to our dry, high altitude climate. There are many online resources that will help you determine what is geographically appropriate - just remember that Calgary is considered Zone 4a.

  • Avoid watering in the heat of the day. The water just evaporates and burns your lawn/plants. Best times to water are before 10 am and after 4 pm. If slugs are an issue for you, only water in the morning. Watering in the cool evening traps moisture and creates a perfect habitat for slugs.

  • Leave water out for birds and bees. Remember to clean any dishes or trays to reduce the chances of parasites and disease. If cats are an issue in your neighborhood, keep the water 3 to 4 feet off the ground. Bees can’t swim so if your intention is to provide them with water, be sure to include rocks, marbles or sticks that they may reach to avoid falling in.

Soil:

  • We don't normally think of soil as alive in the way that bees or birds are alive, but healthy soil is full of billions of microorganisms. The biggest tip, for a garden that maintains its soil biodiversity and therefore produces healthy food, is to turn your soil as little as possible. When you plant your garden, try not to disturb the soil structure too much.

Member Feedback for Proposed Shed Widening Needed by April 24

Submitted by Yvonne Sabraw on behalf of the Grounds Committee

We would like member feedback on the following proposal, and if there are no major concerns we will organize a day for the project at the end of April/early May. Please provide feedback to the Grounds Committee at shcgrounds@shaw.ca as soon as possible. The deadline for input is Saturday April 24th.

Proposal to widen the shed space

The shed is used more often by members than the garage is, and for years the shed has been unsafe to access because of the clutter. Attempts have been made to organize the tools, some of them heavy and sharp, but there simply isn’t enough floor space for them all.

We propose to move the chain link partition separating the shed and the garage back toward the garage space by one ceiling beam, which would add 20 inches more depth to the shed.

This would decrease the garage space, however, so we need input from those who use the garage:

Social Committee storage: shelves on the north wall would be cut by 5 inches to accommodate the new partition position. There would still be more than adequate shelving space for storage bins, chairs and tables.

Office/Finance Committee: three filing cabinets and the bankers boxes on top of them would be moved forward (toward the garage door) but would otherwise not be affected. Of note - the files labelled “financial,” appear to date back to 2006, and at least one of the cabinets is presently not locked. Is a cull and shredding required?

Buildings Committee: the garage is used primarily as storage for items for our units and the common space.

Wood/baseboards stored on the rafters can stay where they are, but with an extra support to be built for the wood.

The extra stove and fridge, would stay where they are.

Gates stored in the rafters: to be left in rafters but moved toward the garage space.

Handyman space: the work table with vice could be moved toward the garage door side without affecting its utility

The heavy wooden storage unit on the south wall does not need to be moved

The white shelves on the southwest corner against the partition will be moved in but still be against the partition.

Other: access to electrical sockets would be maintained by making a small hole in the partition if they end up on the shed side because of the partition, or the outlets can be moved toward the garage side.

Lighting: we propose extending the present fixtures or adding one more to illuminate the back of the shed.

As we were assessing the feasibility of this change, we were struck by the mess the garage is in. Many things appear to have been put there and forgotten and are collecting layers of dust. There are inaccessible corners, and bins which one would assume should be on shelves that are on the ground.

Overall, it was our impression that the garage can still fulfill its function as a storage and workspace even if it loses 20 inches of depth. And because our proposal involves moving things this might be an opportunity for a much-needed spring cleaning and reorganization of the space. Items to be disposed of could be put aside to then be put in the big rented dumpster when it is brought on-site in the spring.

We suggest the following steps:

1. Get feedback from membership April 16-24th.

2. Buildings and Social Committees to cull/organize their stored items if they wish, April 16-30.

3. One-day work project the weekend of April 30 or May 7 to move items in the garage away from the partition and to move the partition. We welcome member volunteers to help out with the heavy lifting that day and will put out the call once we know if/when the project will move forward.

Covid precautions wise: we will keep the area well ventilated and provide new, medical-grade masks to anyone working in the shed; minimize the number of people in the space at any one time; and maintain physical distance except for brief periods when the work requires proximity to lift and move items.

50 Recipes for Reducing Food Waste

Submitted by Rose Ing on behalf of the Education Committee

Happy Earth Day on April 22, 2021!

In honour of Earth Day and in light of the food wastage that we all contribute to, the Education Committee would like to provide you with some food for thought in the form of an unusual cookbook that provides inspiration to use food scraps that most of us would usually throw away or compost.

This book was recently released by Ikea as part of their commitment to reducing waste so some of you may already have seen it. The book contains 50 recipes created by chefs across North America. It provides some interesting ideas for reducing food waste by using up food scraps that most of us never considered eating.

Here is the link to the book: https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/files/pdf/58/9f/589f2b5d/the-scrapsbook.pdf

Bon appetit and enjoy your food scraps!


Grounds Committee Updates

Submitted by Jennifer Peters on behalf of the Grounds Committee

Here are a few of the items that were discussed at the last grounds meeting.

We discussed the possibility of moving the partition about two feet to give more space in the shed which would make finding, putting away and keeping the shed organized much easier. It's in the early stages and still needs to be discussed further with other committees.

There is a broken swing at the playground that we have put on our list of items to fix as soon as possible. It is our goal to keep the playground safe and up to code for the kids in the co-op.

In Permaculture news we discussed a small project of using rain barrels and pallets for garden planters around the co-op, and finding out who would be interested and if this is something we could make into a bigger project depending on the interest from members.

We also discussed the ongoing issue of 3rd St with speeding cars and children's safety, especially with the weather hopefully getting warmer soon and summer around the corner and more kids out playing. We discussed some interim fixes of putting out more signs but the City could get involved if the need was there, so this is something that could take some more time and planning to get a proper solution, but the first steps have been made.

And lastly, the valve on 7 Ave in front of the sign has not been fixed as of yet and there have been no updates from the City.

Continuity Planning & Social Fabric Development

Think “Planning and Development” at Sunnyhill, and the image is likely filled with buildings and construction. That is accurate; the deep energy retrofit and exploration of a new building are certainly front and centre on the co-op agenda. One thing we are learning is that keeping the social fabric of Sunnyhill healthy is at least as important, if not more so, than the bricks and mortar that provide the shelter. 

The Planning and Development Committee would like to hear from you about how we as a community can prepare to undertake exploring Continuity Planning & Social Fabric Development of the Co-op. 

GOAL:  The goal of this work is to undertake a robust planning process that can re-invigorate and re-tool the social assets of Sunnyhill. By doing so, we can create deeper engagement within the community, retain members, and sustain the self-management model of our community as we work to secure the long-term future of the cooperative. 

STRATEGY: We are just at the very early stages of this work and would like to engage the co-op in developing priorities for this work. 

1.     Tell us what your top 3 priorities are through the simple anonymous online survey below (March)

2.     Then share with us a bit more through a quick conversation (April/May)

3.     Join a focus group where we can explore the top 3 priorities in greater depth (June-Oct)

OUTCOME: By the end of the year the results of this process will have shown us what the co-op’s top priorities are, as well as start the process of generating recommendations for how we can proceed with further developing this work.

We anticipate that this process will take many years, many conversations and much cooperation. We look forward to embarking on this process of discovery together and cooperatively determining how the process will unfold.

SURVEY DEFINITIONS

Engagement (how committees/board decide priorities & respond to needs)
Participation (what it means at Sunnyhill & how we make it happen) 
Defining Shared Values (what ethics/values drive us?) 
Education & Training of Co-op Members (how to participate in meetings, read budgets, volunteer, and governance etc.)
Education & Training of Volunteers (roles, responsibilities, processes for being successful on committees)
Succession Planning & Development (how do we ensure knowledge translation/transfer to new/younger members for long term continuity)
Relationships & Trust (maintaining & strengthening it broadly across the co-op)
Constructive Communication (how do we dialogue as neighbours, disagree & problem solve) 
Other (Please explain)

The survey is now closed. Thanks for your response.

Results will be shared with members in the near future.

Webinar Series: Board Governance for Not-or-Profit Organizations

Submitted by Brenda Willman

I offer this piece of information to the coop, noting that the full link is available at https://www.lesaonline.org/product/webinar-on-demand-board-governance-for-not-for-profit-organizations-4-day-series/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DMMar22_WOD

I believe one may need to be with a legal firm to access LESA material, but if so, that's something we could ask 'our lawyer' to set up for our Board (which they should be able to do for a minimal fee, if any at all). Perhaps the Day 1 and 3 webinars might prove most useful to an actual person serving on a Board (as opposed to being useful only to counsel serving a Not-for-Profit Organization).

Please consider this in the thoughtful and knowledgeable way in which it was intended. I have worked in the legal profession for 25+ years and know there are resources out there that lay people can understand without the benefit of a Law Degree. I shouldn't have to say so, but this is not a finger-pointing exercise. Many people took to these pages to opine on how/why we should move forward. I am suggesting that our Board could get a start on managing their own dysfunction, and that can dovetail into managing dysfunction within the coop at large. We have to start somewhere...

Webinar on Demand – Board Governance for Not-for-Profit Organizations 4-Day Seri.png

Permaculture Potential: Permaculture and Air Pollution

Submitted by Debbie Willis, on behalf of the Grounds Committee

I have been reading a hugely informative book called Breath, by James Nestor, about the importance of correct breathing for our mental, emotional and physical health. This book inspired me to investigate how our environment affects our ability to breathe in a healthy way, and the possibility that permaculture at the co-op might improve our air at Sunnyhill Co-op. This feels particularly relevant as Alberta is now on the precipice of a third wave of Covid-19 and we are all concerned about the health of our respiratory systems.

The effects of air pollution:

According to the World Health Organization, a reduction in air pollution – in particular, four key pollutants: particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide – would help cut rates of stroke, lung cancer, asthma, heart disease, and respiratory disease. Small particles get absorbed straight through the lungs into the blood and are responsible for chronic effects including cardiovascular disease, according to respiratory physician Louis Irving. He goes on to say that large particles lodge in the lung and can cause effects such as cancer, asthma, and chronic respiratory disease. (Source: permaculturenews.org)

Air pollution is particularly damaging to children and young people. The negative impacts of air pollution on a young person can affect everything from environmental allergies to breathing issues such as asthma, to a child’s body mass index, according to researchers at the University of Calgary. At least one study showed that cognitive development was less in children that went to schools in areas with high traffic-related pollution, said Stefania Bertazzon and Rizwan Shahid of the Geography of Health and GIS Analysis research group at the O’Brien Institute for Public Health in the Cumming School of Medicine. (Source: Global News, 2016.)

Pollution solution:

But here's the good news! Though we live near downtown and Memorial Drive, putting us at risk for air pollution, we can mitigate this effect by increasing the tree cover and diversity of our green space.

According to research into urban food forests developed in Peterboro Ontario, there are many advantages to permaculture and polyculture green spaces when it comes to air pollution. It is well documented that plants can take up gaseous pollutants, as well as reducing particulate matter suspended in the air, which sticks to plant surfaces (Currie and Bass, 2008). Some of the particulates are absorbed into the plant, although most of them just stick to the surface and are washed away by rainwater to the soil below (Currie and Bass, 2008). This prevents us from breathing them into our lungs.

Urban trees and other vegetation can also reduce contaminants making it to water bodies, such as rivers (Smith et al., 2013). Plants can prevent sediment, as well as other contaminant loading of rivers (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants) (Smith et al., 2013). As a community located close to the river that is also our drinking-water source, this could be a Calgary-wide advantage to permaculture development at our co-op.

One of the beautiful and most important aspects of permaculture is that, unlike typical agriculture, it embraces the planting and tending of trees—and trees are pollution-absorbing powerhouses! According to the USDA Forest Service, tree transpiration and tree canopies affect air temperature, radiation absorption, heat storage, wind speed and relative humidity, and these changes in local meteorology can alter pollution concentrations in urban areas. Reduced air temperature due to trees can also improve air quality because the emission of many pollutants and/or ozone-forming chemicals are temperature-dependent.

As a final note that I think is significant and exciting, here's an example of trees used on a large scale to decrease air pollution: in 1994, trees in New York City removed an estimated 1,821 metric tons of air pollution. This had an estimated value to society of $9.5 million, in reduced health care costs and other benefits. Perhaps, by decreasing our grass monoculture in favour of more plant diversity, we at the co-op could experience this type of well-being in our little community too!

Notes from the BluPlanet Recycling Presentation

Submitted on behalf of the Education Committee by Belle Auld

  • Foam food containers are NOT the same as food-soiled paper – foam containers always go in the garbage

  • Food-soiled paper such as cardboard pizza boxes go in the green compost bin

  • Plastic clamshell containers MUST be clean to be recycled 

  • Single use plastic bags and all stretchy plastic must be combined into one bag and TIED closed

  • Black plastic containers go in the garbage

  • Please do NOT use compostable bags for garbage – these and any organic/food waste create methane gas in the landfill (methane is much more harmful to the environment than carbon)

  • Please bag all garbage to keep it from flying out of the BluPlanet trucks

  • Tin foil can be recycled only if it is CLEAN

  • Small household items such as humidifiers do NOT go in the garbage – they go to electronic recycling (there is an electronic recycling bin at West Hillhurst Community Centre, inside by the ice rink)

  • Yard waste in large bags – let Yvonne Sabraw know when you have these. She takes them to the dump so we avoid the extra costs BluPlanet charges when these are outside the bins

All About Sourdough: Information and Recipes

Submitted by Belle Auld on behalf of the Education Committee

Better late than never…  For those of you baking (or thinking of trying to bake) with sourdough, here is some information about sourdough and links to some recipes.

Sourdough can be made with many different flours. Injera bread, traditional in Ethiopia, is made with gluten-free teff flour, though it is difficult to breed a successful starter with only teff flour. Most injera recipes call for the addition of either wheat or rye flour – which then makes it not gluten-free. Some injera recipes suggest substituting millet flour for teff. There are also basic sourdough starters made with gluten-free flours (see recipes below).

The starter can also vary – some recipes call for water to be added to the flour; some call for milk. You would think that adding milk and keeping it for years or decades might not be a good idea, but it seems to work without poisoning those who eat the products made with it. I used milk in my sourdough in my pre-gluten-free days when I lived in the country and never poisoned anyone (that I know of).  

A side advantage of having sourdough around is that it is then easier to make wine without having to add yeast. The sourdough produces yeast spores that hang around ready to turn zinfandel grape juice into wine. (I also did that successfully when living in the country – also without poisoning anyone – that I know of…).

Recipes:

Sourdough starters:

Sourdough recipes:

Anyone have a favourite sourdough recipe (or sourdough starter) they would like to share?

Free Online Tree Workshops via The City of Calgary

Submitted by Mahlah Hansen on behalf of the Grounds Committee

Coming up this week! Free Online Tree Workshops via The City of Calgary:

Our annual tree workshops are moving from in-person events to free, online live events due to COVID restrictions.

The workshops will be approximately 1.5 hours in length and will feature a live Q&A session at the end with a City of Calgary Urban Forestry Technician to offer advice and answer any tree-related questions or concerns.

Pre-registration is required for all of the workshops, if you would like to attend, please register below. The link to the workshop will be emailed to participants two days prior to the program date.

All materials will be available for downloaded prior to the start of the workshop. The workshops will also be recorded and available to view on Calgary.ca at a later date.

Pruning Basics Workshop, March 2021

Not sure how to prune your trees? Afraid that you will do more harm than good?

In this workshop you will learn why you need to prune your trees, the best time of year to do your pruning and the best tools to use to keep your tree happy and healthy for many years to come.

Workshops available:

March 16, 7 - 8:30 p.m.: FULL

March 18, 7 - 8:30 p.m.: Register here

March 24, 7 - 8:30 p.m.: Register here

Pests & Disease Workshop, April 2021

Have you looked at your trees and noticed they aren’t as healthy as they use to be and wondered what could be happening to them? Do you think you could improve your knowledge about tree health? In this workshop we will cover the common tree diseases are in Calgary, what they look like, what treatments can be used and where to go for more information. This is a beginner course, with an opportunity to ask a Calgary Parks Urban Forest Technician questions about your trees.

Workshops available:

April 20, 7 - 8:30 p.m.: Register here

April 22, 7 - 8:30 p.m.: Register here

April 28, 7 - 8:30 p.m.: Register here

Sunnyhill Easter Sunday Egg Hunt!

Submitted by James Jordan on behalf of the Social Committee

Dear SunnyhIll,

The Social Committee has designed an idea for this year's Easter Sunday Egg Hunt and we would like to invite you to participate.

Place an Easter decoration in your window. A large decoration that can be seen from the ground.

Our kids are tasked with drawing the decorations in exchange for a basket of Easter treats.

Please join us. Register your home as “hunters” or “decorators” at the link below.

https://forms.gle/K6MnKCbuzkRLhvn27

The Social Committee

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