It was Earth Hour last night, and the organizers estimated that 126 countries and territories, 4,000 municipalities and 100’s of millions of people across the globe took part.   Even the most hardened cynic would have to admit that each of us in our small way can help create a better planet and a better living environment for our fragile species.

Here at The Good Planet Company, we opened our February electricity bill yesterday… always something we do with trepidation … and were happy to see that our own efforts at saving energy are paying off.   By removing some light fixtures, reducing our heating and cooling, keeping our computers and other business equipment turned off when not in use, we have cut  electricity usage by 38% compared with February 2009!

Our challenge for 2010 is to gradually begin replacing our CFL light fixtures with LED’s and to find a dozen other ways to move our business through carbon neutral, and towards carbon negative!

Kudo’s to The Good Planet Company’s staff for always doing their part to ensure that EVERY DAY IS EARTH DAY and EVERY HOUR IS EARTH HOUR!

This week marks a new section in our blog postings: The Good Planet Company Perspective. Staff will be taking the opportunity to lend their voices to all things sustainable, local, and green. Christie will be taking the lead with her initial posting about local produce in Victoria.

The farms around Victoria have fresh produce all year round!

Last week I took orders from my friends and headed out on a circle route starting at Madrona Farm on Blenkinsop Road.  Madrona has been a family farm for generations. They have fresh produce all winter, and this week I got braising and spicy salad greens, kale, carrots, parsnips and two kinds of cabbage  (The Land Conservancy is raising funds to keep Madrona Farm as farmland forever).

I continued up the peninsula to Michell Bros. Farm at the corner of the Pat Bay and Island View Road. Here I was able to find sweet baby cabbage greens to add to my salads, as well as easy to store local beets, onions, potatoes, cabbage and squash.

I stopped at Mar Farms on Veyaness near Keating Cross Rd, because I have heard that they sometimes have cauliflower. Not this week, but their carrots have always been the sweetest and best keepers.

I could have picked up eggs at a number of places along the way, but wanted to see what was fresh at Dan’s Farm on Oldfield Road. They grow a lot of apples many of which are keepers, kiwis, pears and of course all the storage veggies I saw at Michell’s.

Take my advice and skip the supermarket this week!  Even in the middle of winter, there’s a great array of fresh and flavourful foods available from our vibrant local farms, all the way up and down Vancouver Island, and in your community too!  Check out the Farm Fresh guide for details.