NDG shows off green cred with zero waste fair

Harvest fair flaunts local corn, head-bobbing music and sustainability discussions

by ELIZABETH FAURE

View Image Details]" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; ">
Matt Trowell throws NDG-grown wheat chaff into the air, The wheat will be used to produce local beer PHOTO ION ETXEBARRIA

Notre-Dame-de-Grâce residents turned out to celebrate sustainable development and listen to live music on Sunday at the third annual Country en Ville/Harvest Fair, held in Girouard Park. The event was organized by local groups Éco-Vélo and the Montreal Permaculture Guild.
“We are proud that this is the first public event in Montreal with zero waste,” said Roger Haughey, president of Éco-Vélo. “We were inspired by Sunday in the Park,” Haughey said, referring to the annual summer festival that stopped running several years ago. “We wanted to have an event like that with music and local community groups.”

Marion Dulude, of the Montreal Permaculture Guild, also saw a lot of enthusiasm from people attending the festival. “We’re promoting different ways of becoming self-sufficient in Montreal, of creating communities,” she said of her group’s participation at the Fair. Dulude was the image of fun in a clown costume, complete with red nose.

Anna Berlyn, a young NDG resident, was using the occasion to promote a new initiative being undertaken by the Unity Church, located across the street from the park.

“We are getting a youth group underway,” she said. “The project is Saturday evening socials for 18-25-year olds.” The evenings will be drug and alcohol free. “This age group needs attention, and we have the ideal space,” said Berlyn.

Local candidates for Vision Montreal and Project Montréal were in attendance, stumping and shaking hands. Michael Applebaum, borough mayor and candidate for current mayor Gérald Tremblay’s Union Montreal party, was invited but did not attend the event. Fixing the bike path on de Maisonneuve Blvd. was of concern to both candidates. “It’s a piece of shit,” noted musician Eric Hanson, who performed.

“It’s full of potholes,” agreed Vision Montreal candidate David Hanna, a UAQM urbanism teacher. “The posts separating you from the cars are all knocked down, and tree branches are hanging down everywhere, hitting you in the face while you’re biking.” Hanna also took issue with the poor planning of the path when it crosses the busy Décarie intersection, and says that his party wants to install a steel flyover to fix it.

Peter McQueen of Project Montreal, also wants to see bike paths improved in NDG, along with other changes to reduce car traffic in NDG. “We need to slow down traffic on all the side streets in NDG,” McQueen said.

As the afternoon wore on, scattered showers threatened the crowd, but NDG residents remained upbeat, and excited about the festival.

“Local economy is the way to go, and this is a great neighbourhood for keeping it local,” said Maica Mia, a musical performer who also works at Coop La maison verte, which sells environmentally-friendly products. Pointing out such initiatives as Community Sustainable Agriculture, she sees NDG as a green community with engaged residents.

“We really just want to help NDGers,” said Haughey, adding that organizers are already looking forward to next year’s festival.