Get Ready for August!

What great weather we've been having. You may not like the rain, but my garden loves it, and the bees love my garden, and I love the bees. With so many dying every year (colony collapse disorder), I'm happy to welcome them into my yard and give them food.

On Sunday (the 20th), Tad and I we're out at the Devonian Botanical Gardens for the >1st annual green festival. It was a great day to be outside and there was a good crowd there that grew with each presentation. There were talks on Green investing, the sage group and local economies, alternative power sources, composting, carbon busting and more. We are looking forward to seeing it grow next year.

We've wrapped up all the July meetings, but August is coming fast and is sure to be interesting. We've got 3 meetings next month because there are so many exciting things happening we need more time to tell you about them.

Special Interest Community Meeting

Who cares about Local Food?

August 6, 2008 - 7pm @ the Village Lifestyles (10429-79 Ave)

Guest presenter - Jessie Radies of Original Fare

Have you ever wondered why it costs more to buy eggs at the farmers market, or whether you could do a 100 mile diet? Are you concerned about the distance food travels to get to our tables? Have you noticed that the good farmland surrounding Edmonton is being sold to develpers? Did you know that we only have 3 days worth of food on the grocery store shelves? What does all this mean to you and your family?

These are questions some of us are thinking about as we become more aware of the role food plays in the health of our bodies, and our communities at large. And we'll answer them at this meeting.

Remember at the very start of SAGE you told us that you wanted 3 things out of this group: networking, information, and ACTION. This is your chance to take action and make a difference!

SAGE has become a supporter of GEA's (Greater Edmonton Alliance) Shake the Hand that Feeds You local food action. We invite you to find out more about this simple plan to participate in improving the fabric of our community. If you aren't able to attend the meeting, you can still find out what is happening and take part by reading this document.

Business Meeting

Creating a local living economy in Edmonton

August 18, 2008 - 7 pm @ the Village Lifestyles (10429-79 Ave)

PLEASE NOTE THE TIME FOR THIS MEETING IS THE EVENING!!!

Usually we have the business meetings in the morning, but we needed to accommodate the schedule for our special guest presenter, Jessie Radies.

This is a special meeting. When we first started SAGE, we wanted to create a movement in Edmonton like the BALLE networks in the US. We weren't really sure how to do that, so our past few meetings have focused on entreprenuer experiences and networking. Now we have a plan for action, and we aim to put local business on the map in Edmonton.

We have invited Jessie Radies from Keep Edmonton Original, and also the owner of the Blue Pear will be speaking about the importance of local business to the economy and community where they operate. Our goal from this meeting is to gather together local Edmonton business to find out what kind of support they need from the community and the government to sustain their business and make it thrive. From there we can formulate the steps to make it happen.

Community Meeting

The fun of economics!

August 19, 2008 - 7pm @ the Village Lifestyles (10429-79 Ave)

I know, 2 meetings in a row, what was I thinking? But I am really excited about this month's meetings because they are all inter-related and they are being led mostly by members of the SAGE steering committee.

You are in for a treat tonight because Mark Anielski (author of the Economics of Happiness) and Joey Hundert (entrepreneur extrodinaire and super smart too) will be presenting together on the in and outs of economics, our economy and how we fit into the whole world banking system. What are the alternatives to the status quo? Are there other ways to do banking? What about alternative currencies like Calgary Dollars, or LETS? You will learn about all this and more, plus an exciting announcement about new ethical investment opportunites in our city.