Edmonton

Lifestyle

Edmonton is sufficiently enlightened a city, that it has a wide range of services and businesses that gear themselves towards the vegetarian, or at the very least are very vegetarian friendly. Since they don’t necessarily fit into any other area of the book, they have come to be placed here. Feel free to visit them, explore what they have to offer, and to support them as they in turn, support you.

BALANCED WELLNESS

After having had to deal with health issues of her own, Victoria sought to alleviate them and, in so doing, came to learn much with respect to nutrition and the role it plays on one’s wellness. Through her own personal journey towards better health she became further interested in the dietary needs of the body, including the important roles various herbs perform on our health, along with other forms of discipline, including yoga. She came to view health as being more than the mere absence of disease, and in so doing made the decision to go to school, graduating in 2001 from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, becoming a member of the International Organisation of Nutritional Consultants. Over time she also became a YAA Cetified Yoga Instructor.

Experienced in being a whole foods chef and health foods employee, Victoria has taught classes in Wholefoods Cooking, 6 Weeks to Healthier Eating and Nutrition for Everyone, as well as classes in Yoga on a weekly basis. Victoria offers one-on-one instruction in Yoga, as well as group sessions on maintaining their health and disease prevention. She also teaches Healthy Eating, Naturally, at NAIT, Edmonton.

Currently, Victoria has embarked upon writing a series of books, the first due for release in October 2007, entitled Health by Chocolate: Radical New Recipes and Nutritional Know-How. For more information on either Victoria’s classes on Yoga, her courses on healthy eating, and workshops on nutrition, herbs and health, and more, please contact her through her website, email or by phone. Some courses offered include, Immune System Nutrition, Weight Regulation Made Easy, Treasure Chest of Nutrition for Families, Digestion: The Key to Health and Vitality.

COMMUNITY GARDENING NETWORK (CGN)

The CGN is a not-for-profit society that was started to promote and increase the concept of community gardens in Edmonton and area. In 1998 there were 11 such gardens and today there are close to 30, not including one project that alone has 24 community gardens, bringing the total to over 50. This network was formed in 2002, to facilitate the smooth operation for these gardens, coordinating the discussions between the city, the participating bodies and partners, as well as the garden members. Planning and implementing are two major issues with respect to concepts such as this, so this network is an effective forum for communication and organizing. There are always opportunities to get involved within the network, either as a volunteer, or as a member of the Board.

GOLDEN LENTILS LODGE - Assiniboia Community Housing Co-Operative

Looking for vegetarian/vegan friendly housing and unable to afford your own space? Look no further than the Golden Lentils Lodge, at 10554 83rd Avenue, Edmonton, just one block behind Whyte Avenue. It is one of three houses owned by the Assiniboia Community Housing Co-Operative, a concept created to provide affordable community living to people who enjoy co-operative living with like-minded people. Of the three houses, this one has become established as the vegetarian/vegan co-op, where all the people there are at worst, vegetarian.

Living together with others requires certain ground rules as well as the ability to run the operations by consensus. Arriving at turning this house into a vegetarian house was through the exchange of ideas among the people living there, where they also decided that the pursuit of organic goods was also an important requirement for them all. And so it came to pass.

The basic requirements for anyone wanting to join this co-op, is to purchase a share at three hundred dollars, and to commit to volunteering three hours to the operations per month. Beyond that, each house decides among their people the specifics to living there, food purchases, etc.

Specifically, Golden Lentils has seven bedrooms, a shared kitchen, bathroom and common area, and is semi-furnished. There is a workspace/garage in the backyard, and washer and dryer availability too. Rent ranges between $185 to $220 a month, depending on the room, with a month’s rent for a security deposit. Utility costs are shared between all tenants as well.

Keep in mind that there is a waiting list to move in, people who are interested can call the Golden Lentils Lodge at (780)431-1766 for information and availability.

ROWENA UNIQUE CLOTHING AND ACCESSORY

Rowena

Every time I go to Edmonton one place I always make sure to stop in at, is Rowena. It is a store I am fascinated with, due to all the edgy giftware and wall decorative, the Celtic pendants and jewelry, and the gothic artisanery to be found here. Being that I have found countless items here as gifts for others, along with myself, it is easy to forget that Rowena is a store that sells veggie accessories as well as cruelty free vegan make up and such.

Rowena has been a staple in Edmonton, though for years they were known as a great source for all things Celtic, clothing, giftware and such. Slowly, the influences of one co-owner started to weave their magic and the store gradually started to transform itself into a more alternative place to shop, with the resultant change of clientele becoming a noticeable growth in the client base. Today, the Celtic influence is still there, by way of much of the relics and crosses appearing in jewelry form, gothic stonework and other sundry items, all of them excellently crafted, by the way.

This is what is presented to the shopper immediately upon entering Rowena, though just beyond this is the section where one can buy vegetarian footware. While admittedly not all of them are leather free, there is a great selection of leather free and canvas shoes here, along with a variety of accessories, bags and purses and such, to make this a definite place to shop for vegetarian non-food items.

Lux DeVille bags and purses are sold here, either cloth or ‘pleather’ ones, with the stylings and artwork that they are known for, skulls and things retro. Shoes by Draven and Demonia are sold here, and one can order a veggie suede shoe from Demonia as well. Other shoe companies for women, TUK, and Underground for their canvas shoes, are also sold here. There are pleather/vinyl boots available, with knee high styles, all nice in their buckles and glistening form-fitting designs, for those looking for the edge…

The clothes here is also predominantly cotton and non-animal as well; in my experience many clothes designers that produce clothing for the alternate perspective tend to share similar politics, so the clothes lines are generally going to be equally cruelty free. The fashions range from a gothic style, to the alt-rockabilly and other unclassified designs, as well as medieval clothing styles, and variations on that theme.

They sell hair dye and make up by Manic Panic, a company committed to being cruelty free. They also have some of the better colours for hair that I have seen, clearly a cut above so many others. If perchance one does not see a line of veg ware do let the staff know; chance are they can order it in for you.

In the meantime, happy browsing-this is the place to get Gorey paraphernalia too, as well as various faeries, mirrors and more. I never leave the store without having found yet another treasure!