Earth Matters has a small resource library on a wide range of sustainability issues. Our resource library is available to the public if you call ahead, at our office, and contains materials on topics such as: organic gardening, native plants, experiential education and social action. Educational materials produced by Earth Matters are also available by request.

We've written lots of stuff down, so check out our resources below, and we can work out how to get you a copy. Finally don't forget our flesh and bone persons, we are ready, willing, and excited to come right to you and provide workshops.

Fruit Tree Project Stewardship Manual

A 32-page manual on how to create a community stewardship program to locate, pick and distribute unused fruit in your community, and to reduce human-bear conflicts in urban areas. It is complete with information about timelines, workshops and training, safety and WCB requirements, supplies needed, and colour graphics. This manual is available for download as a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to open the file; if you don't already have it, you can download Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website at no cost.

Seeds of History: Giving Our Past a Future

This 70 page book is a new resource available from Earth Matters. It is comprised of documentation on the approximately 1000 local seeds recorded during the Seeds of History Project. It includes information on food security, West Kootenay seed savers contact information, Kootenay agricultural history, and a recommended reading list.

This is an extensive document that would be of value to anyone interested in learning about seed saving, organic gardening, and food security. The cost of the booklet is $5 to cover the costs of production. Please contact our office or drop by if you wish to purchase a copy.

Nelson Food Guide: Where to find cheap healthy food in Nelson

This 18 page guide was written in 1998 by Earth Matters participants and volunteers from the Nelson Food Coalition. It contains lots of helpful information about how to access cheap or free food in the Nelson area. We ask for a donation of $2 to help cover the cost of updating and photocopying this publication. Key topics include: purchasing food from buying clubs, through community supported agriculture, and by bartering harvesting and preparing food cheaply through wild edible plants, freezing, canning, drying growing your own food cheaply and easily by sprouting, container gardening, or using cooperative/community gardens Also included are a number of healthy tasty vegetarian recipes, and a list of local people and organizations who can be contacted for more information.

Earth Matters: An introduction to companion planting and organic pest control

A short pamphlet containing specific information about the purpose of companion planting and suggested basic planting combinations. A list of common garden pests and recommended organic methods to control each pest are also provided.

Earth Matters: Sustainable Development A pamphlet about sustainable development: what it is, why it's important, what people in the community can do to acquire produce grown using sustainable practices. Also included is a historical account of farming and how it has been affected by hybridization, fertilizers and pesticides, and globalization of the food market. Diagrams of space saving gardening techniques are also provided.

Earth Matters: Working Towards Food Security

A pamphlet about food security concerns, and the effects of corporate control of our food supply. Topics relating to food security include extinction of cultivated crops, effects of chemical use, patenting of crops, genetic engineering of crops, and reasons for increased pesticide use. A list of proposed solutions provides information about community shared agriculture and the Heritage Seed Program, as well as suggestions to buy locally produced and organic food, and to grow your own food using your own garden, a community garden or space saving indoor/patio gardening techniques.

Earth Matters: The Kootenay Environment

A 50 page coil-bound book about the Kootenay environment. Earth Matters participants from the Spring 1996 program extensively researched locally important environmental issues. Sections are included on the following topics:

# food: politics, energy, corporate control, biodiversity, irradiation, sprouting, preserving, organics

# waste: landfills, recycling, reducing, composting

# energy: damming, fossil fuels and associated pollutants, energy saving solutions

# Hanford: environmental and health impacts of the nuclear power plant in northern Washington

# cars: resource use, impacts on life, impacts in our community

# forestry: control, watersheds, effects of clearcutting (erosion, slides), sustainable practices, eco- certification

# education: alternative practices, e.g. popular education, the outdoor classroom, games.

Workshops

Earth Matters has held several public workshops on various issues, and for different groups of people. The subjects we have addressed in the past include, but are not limited to:

# Women in Globalization

# Bulk Water Sales

# Local Community issues

# Proper Composting

# Canning

# Global Issues

All of our workshops have been youth facilitated, and take a hands on, energetic approach to delivering information. We are currently putting together list of template workshops that we will offer on an ongoing basis. Check this web site or our office for updates. We also offer specialized workshops for other groups or organizations on the following topics:

# Consensus decision making

# Conflict resolution

# Youth involving youth

# Experiential education

# Effective meeting skills

# Youth leadership

# Environmental issues

# Building community

# Sustainability issues

Contact us if you would like more information, or for a specialized workshop for your organization. Employees and volunteers of Earth Matters welcome inquiry weather they are about our programs, projects, or specific issues that we deal with on a daily basis. We like to make ourselves available to share the information that we have at our fingertips.

Harvest Rescue Downloads - 2007 New!

1. Fruit Picker Waiver

2. Fruit Picker Orientation

3. How to Pick Fruit

4. Drop off Locations

5. Harvest Rescue Registration

Food to Table One Tonne Challenge Downloads - 2006

1. 2006 Introductory letter for teachers

2. Example Store Letter

3. Food and Climate Change Quiz

4. Climate Change Quiz

5. Debate Topics

6. General Pledge

7. Hands-on learning

8. Weekly Food Consumption Chart

9. Charting your food consumption follow up

10. What to put in Your Store Letter

11. Write a Letter Activity

One Tonne Eater's Challenge Downloads - 2005

1. These were model debates we created for students to use after presentation. [ 1 ][ 2 ]

2. This is a power point presentation, the first half on climate change, and the second on food and climate change

3. These are notes for the first half of the presentation

4. This is a follow up quiz for students

5. This was a sheet we sent home with students for them to record their week's food consumption

6. This was an introductory letter to teachers about the program

7. These are some notes for the supermarket tour

8. This is a letter we gave to our local grocery store

9. Here is pledge sheet we had students sign after finishing program

Fruit Tree Project Downloads - 2006

1. Fruit Picker Waiver

2. Fruit Picker Orientation

3. How to Pick Fruit

4. Fruit Drop off Locations

5. Fruit Tree Registration

Fruit Tree Project Stewardship Downloads - 2005

1. Fruit Tree Project Stewardship Manual