Camp Pringle, Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia

Before British Columbia

We met with MPs Mike Morrice (Green party Kitchener Centre), Jenica Atwin (Liberal Party for Fredrickton), and Heather MacPherson (NDP for Edmonton Strathcona).

While at Camp Pringle, we had UCC Moderator Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne joined us for our second week and we discussed our projects and our visions for climate justice within the UCC.

This past week we had 2 meetings, one with UCC General Secretary Rev. Michael Blair and another with Canadian-based policy advisor, social entrepreneur, and climate activist Miguel Rozo. 

This week is my final week as we wrap up the summer program. Myself and others have meetings almost everyday this week before I go back to Waterloo, Ontario on Monday (August 28th, 2023) for University.

A Visit to lockwood Farms

On Friday (July 28th,2023), we went to Lockwood Farms. We learned about why it’s important to support your local farms and small businesses. We learned about the process and the security measures needed to keep the farm healthy. 

At Lockwood Farms, they are currently working on what they call EcoEggs. They are collaborating with Enterra to feed Black Soldier Fly Larvae to their chickens. Insect agriculture has enormous potential to transform our food systems and feed the world's population. Soy crops can provide 356 pounds of food protein per acre, whereas insect protein can produce up to 100,000 lbs of edible protein per acre. This keeps rubbish out of the landfill. The larvae of the Black Soldier Fly are raised on this slurry until they pupate. The plump larvae are wrapped after being dried. Our order is sent to our feed supplier, who incorporates it into our feed.

Although insects are a natural element of a hen's diet, standard feed does not include insect protein in its regular ration. Instead, the industry has focused on soy. Soy crops grown for animal feed are mostly to blame for the Amazon basin's devastation. This concern for the environment has influenced our feed, and we have not used soy in our feed since we began farming. Brazil may be a world away, but the Amazon's trees keep our air clean.

Lockwood Farms are doing a bunch more to keep their farming habits as sustainable as possible. You can check them out at https://lockwoodfarms.ca/.