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Friday, January 18, 2013
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Everything, including the kitchen sink Saanich family donates house to charity groups in attempt to reuse and recycle every scrap Edward Hill News staff
The sun was out last Saturday when a small army of volunteers swarmed through Rishi Sharma’s Saanich house, and stripped it to the bone. Door frames, cabinets, wood trim, cupboards, appliances, doors and lights fixtures – everything including the kitchen sink went into a Habitat for Humanity truck. It’s the first time the Victoria arm of the charity organized the wholesale deconstruction of a house, and it will be a test case for the future. For Sharma, a 37-year-old provinical government employee who has subdivided his Mount Douglas Cross Road lot, this is the first step in his attempt to reuse and recycle his entire home. “I knew I’d have to deconstruct this house. I thought I’d do one better and instead of just recycling, I wanted to donate the entire house for reuse,” Sharma said. “It was a vision I had that really no one has done before. It was a vision that became a mission.” The dozen volunteers, most military members from CFB Esquimalt, spent Saturday crow-baring and unscrewing every removable piece of the house that could be sold at Habitat’s ReStore store in Langford. In turn, that money will flow into the pool of funds Habitat uses to build affordable homes across Greater Victoria, 18 to date, and another four slated in Saanich for 2014. Yolanda Meijer, the executive director for Habitat for Humanity in Victoria, said it’s unusual, but not unheard ofm for people to offer entire homes, although this was their largest salvage operation to date. PLEASE SEE: Volunteers learn about demolition, Page A3
Charla Huber/News staff
Metchosin farmer Dieter Eisenhawer is surprised to find that slugs have gotten into his organically grown strawberries. Eisenhawer has been growing organic produce for more than 20 years and is pleased that Metchosin has banned the growing of all genetically modified organisms.
Metchosin envisions GMO-free Island District encouraging coastal ban on genetically modified organisms Charla Huber News staff
Metchosin is spearheading a plan for Island and coastal communities to be free of genetically engineered organisms (GMOs). The district banned the growing or selling of GMOs in November and this month prepared a similar motion to be brought to the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities meeting in April. The annual AVICC convention will be held in Sooke this year. “I think there is too much uncertainty (around) GMOs and what they do to the environment,” said Metcho-
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sin Coun. Moralea Milne. “All of this takes a lot of time to find out. Think about how long it took for people to realize cigarettes were bad for us and caused cancer.” Some key concerns Milne listed include the proliferation of “superweeds,” increased use of pesticides and the transfer of pollen from GMO plants to those that aren’t. A certified organic farmer could lose status if their crops are tainted by GMO plants, she said. “Vancouver Island and coastal communities are isolated from the rest of B.C.,” Milne said. Given the environment and wind patterns on the coast, it is possible to be a genetically engi-
neered-free zone, she added. A related motion – from the Okanagan-Similkameen regional district – passed at the Union of B.C. municipalities last year regarding organic tree fruits. “A number of countries won’t accept genetically engineered crops,” said Milne, addressing organic farmers’ concerns. Last year Metchosin brought a motion to decriminalize marijuana to the AVICC convention. It passed, was forwarded to the Union of B.C. Municipalities’ convention and passed there as well. Milne hopes to see this motion have the same success. charla@goldstreamgazette.com