Four Winds Music Fest is a boutique music festival with some of your favourite bands and artists, camping, food trucks and an artisan vendor village! It all happens July 12-14 at the gorgeous Riverstone Retreat in the town of Durham. There is no better location for a music festival!
Riverstone-Retreat is located near the Town of Durham, Ontario on 136 acres of historic farmstead with diverse forests and the majestic Saugeen River running through it. The property is home to extensive wildlife. Riverstone is designed to accommodate persons with allergies or respiratory problems. All buildings are also accessible for persons using walking aids and/or wheelchairs.
Hemp has been promoted as a solution to a wide range of environmental issues — as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics, resource-depleting cotton, polluting fossil fuels, energy-intensive building materials, forest-destroying paper products and more. It’s even considered a healthy food source for people and animals and can be used to make cosmetics.
Should the hemp hype give us hope?
Hemp has been used for fibre, food and medicine for tens of thousands of years and is thought to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Today, “hemp” usually refers to cannabis plants that are low in the psychoactive ingredients tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (THC and CBD), but any cannabis plant can be used for its fibre.
Much of the hype is true — although whether cannabis is a medicinal cure-all is a topic we don’t have space to cover here.
Hemp fibre has numerous advantages over other materials, including cotton. It can also be used to make packaging and building materials that are more environmentally friendly than petroleum-based plastics and other materials, and it can be converted to fuel.
Many of hemp’s advantages are in how it grows — a reason it’s often called “weed.” It’s fast-growing and doesn’t require a lot of water or space, and has properties that can reduce the need for chemical herbicides and pesticides. Its deep root systems store carbon from the atmosphere, prevent erosion and replenish soil nutrients after harvesting. It can also be used for cover crop as it can remediate contaminated soils and prevent weeds, nematodes and harmful fungi.
Cotton uses about 50 per cent more water than hemp to grow, and about four times as much when processing is included. Hemp can also produce about twice as much fibre per hectare as cotton. According to a study by researchers in Bangladesh, “Hemp fiber cultivation requires about 77.63 percent less cost in fertilization, seeds, field operation, and irrigation costs than cotton, the most recognized natural fiber.”
Cotton has a few advantages over hemp, but they’re not major. Cotton is softer and easier to process, although that means hemp is more durable. Hemp fabrics are also less colour-fast, wrinkle more easily and are more difficult to recycle. Hemp is also more expensive and requires a bit more energy to process, but its costs could come down as more enters the market.
Cost is also the main disadvantage to hemp bioplastic, but that’s partly because plastic made from fossil fuels is priced artificially low because the damage the industry causes isn’t factored in. Bioplastic made from hemp is biodegradable and much stronger and lighter than oil-based plastic, which doesn’t break down completely and is fouling our lands, waters and even our bodies. Hemp bioplastic has already been used for everything from packaging to car parts.
As for biofuels made from hemp, again, they’re far more environmentally friendly than fossil fuels — but also more expensive, for some of the same reasons. Hemp biofuels are mainly derived from oils in the seeds but can also be made from other plant parts and biochar. Hemp fuel is renewable, unlike fossil fuels, and is carbon-neutral because the emissions it creates are offset by the carbon it sequesters when it’s growing.
An added bonus: increasing decriminalization and legalization of psychoactive cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes means a lot more cannabis hemp is being grown. Because the psychoactive cannabis industry mainly uses the buds, flowers and leaves, the fibre-containing stems and stalks can be used for other purposes, reducing waste. A win-win!
Overall, whether it’s used for fabrics, bioplastics, fuels, paper products or building materials, hemp has many advantages and few disadvantages. The biggest drawback, cost, will surely be reduced as more hemp is grown and more facilities are built to process it. It’s also far better for the environment than cotton, fossil fuels and tree-based paper products.
David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.
In today’s video titled “The Real Reason Dogs STARE at You Is Surprising,” we delve into the intriguing world of dog behavior to uncover the truth behind their persistent gazes.
Have you ever caught your dog staring at you and wondered, “What are they thinking?” or “Are they trying to tell me something?” You’re in the perfect spot! You’re in the perfect spot! We guide you through the reasons behind your dog’s stares, from seeking attention and expressing love to showing curiosity about your actions. By the end of this video, you’ll understand the silent messages your dog is sending you and how to respond to them with empathy and love. Whether it’s deciphering their looks of affection or recognizing when they need guidance, we equip you with the knowledge to strengthen the bond between you and your loyal companion.
We will be transforming the Side Launch parking lot into a concert venue for the night thanks to the incredible team at Cass Audio. We have limited seating in the beer garden, so please bring your own chair if you can!
Don’t miss out on this epic evening of free live music, on Saturday, May 25th starting at 4:30 p.m.
Collingwood, ON – Sunset Sessions, a concert like no other is presented as part of the Collingwood Live & Original Music Initiative. Experience the incredible musical talent of artists under 18 as they take over Sunset Point’s outdoor stage at 35 St. Lawrence St. in Collingwood.
We invite you to help us promote this unique event by encouraging youth of all ages who are interested in the performing arts as participants share original music and cover tunes with an emphasis on showcasing original material.
Come out and enjoy performances by:
Kendall Lily
Emilia Redman
Morgan Lee
Men Without Pants
Ocean Camplin
Nora Stephens
Charlie Taylor-Gillespie, and
Bryson Cleland
Sunset Sessions is also a great opportunity to support Project Butterfly, a food pantry initiative, by bringing a donation of shelf-stable food and/or personal hygiene products. The Collingwood Youth Centre will be there to collect any generous donations.
Sunset Sessions showcases the musical talent of youth from across the region, providing a valuable performance opportunity while also offering a chance for residents and visitors to explore the exciting features of Sunset Point Park.
Generously supported by Envision-Tatham and Tatham Engineering.
For more information about Sunset Sessions please contact Rosemarie O’Brien, Coordinator, Festivals at [email protected].
About Collingwood
The Town of Collingwood is a progressive community located in the heart of a four-season recreation area on the southern shore of Georgian Bay. The area is well known for its many natural amenities and its rich heritage. Collingwood is a destination for tourism and many business, sporting, and cultural events Collingwood acts as gateway to the South Georgian Bay region, with stunning landscapes that encourage an active lifestyle, and inspire the local arts and culture community. Downtown Collingwood might just surprise you with 30 plus restaurants, 60 plus boutique shops, spas for relaxing, live music for grooving…all in the only downtown core recognized in Canada’s Registrar of Historic Places! More recently, the harbourfront area is emerging as an extension to the downtown district. Plans for expanding the amenities and events in the harbourfront area promise to make this a much more prominent tourism destination.
In this video I will share seven common raised bed garden mistakes. Gardening in raised beds is easier because you have control over more variable and can grow more in less space, unless you make these mistakes. So watch this video and avoid all 7 of these raised bed gardening mistakes.
Hey Guys, I’m Brian from Next Level Gardening Welcome to our online community! A place to be educated, inspired and hopefully entertained at the same time! A place where you can learn to grow your own food and become a better organic gardener. At the same time, a place to grow the beauty around you and stretch that imagination (that sometimes lies dormant, deep inside) through gardening. I’m so glad you’re here! WHERE TO FIND ME (Some of the links here are affiliate links. If you purchase through our links we’ll receive a small commission that helps support our channel, but the price remains the same, or better for you!)
John Prine is widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as his serious songs with social commentary and songs that recollect sometimes melancholy tales from his life.
According to songwriter Bob Dylan, “Prine’s stuff is pure Proustian existentialism, Midwestern mind trips to the nth degree… And he writes beautiful songs. . . .
Join us as we celebrate, elaborate the beautiful songs of one of the finest songwriters of our generation. ‘In Spite of Ourselves’ brings together some fine Canadian songwriters & friends to enjoy stories and songs about the fabulous John Prine with Blair Packham (The Jitters), Bill Craig (The Irish Rovers) Kirsten Jones & 2 X JUNO nominee Johnny Max.
Enjoy this incredible evening as they perform and present their favourite and quirky John Prine Songs.
