Audrey's Local Living Centre
13401 McCowan Road L4A 7X5 Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON, Canada

It has been a VERY long time since I posted on this page. Thanks to anyone who is still following for your patience! Life has take a wonderful turn of events and I now have the time to work on my beloved barn/studio once again. I am researching all the aspects of building that will bring the interior to life in a NET ZERO capacity. It has been 8 years since I was able to focus on this through the Living Building Institute. Lots of fun discoveries about building materials and... installations that are being used now. Follow along as I share what I find out in this journey :) FYI... I am looking for local Builders / Contractors who are passionate about the latest technology for Net Zero building. If you know of anyone that might be interested please send their contact info my way :)

INTRODUCING JEREMY DUTCHER You may not have heard of Jeremy Dutcher. ... He is a member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, a performer, composer, activist, musicologist - these roles are all infused into his art and way of life. His work is extremely important to preserve the Wolastoqey language. Now you have a chance to attend a live concert at St. Paul's Centre on Friday, June 8. "I'm doing this work because there's only about a hundred Wolastoqey speakers left," he says. "It's crucial for us to make sure that we're using our language and passing it on to the next generation. If you lose the language, you're not just losing words; you're losing an entire way of seeing and experiencing the world from a distinctly indigenous perspective." Jeremy first did music studies in Halifax before taking a chance to work in the archives at the Canadian Museum of History, painstakingly transcribing Wolastoq songs from 1907 wax cylinders. "Many ofthe songs I'd never heard before, because our musical tradition on the East Coast was suppressed by the Canadian Government's Indian Act." Jeremy heard ancestral voices singing forgotten songs and stories that had been taken from the Wolastoqiyikgenerations ago. As he listened to each recording, he felt his own musical impulses stirring from deep within. Long days at the archives turned into long nights at the piano, feeling out melodies and phrases, deep in dialogue with the voices of his ancestors. These "collaborative" compositions, collected together on his debut LP Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, are like nothing you've ever heard. Delicate, sublime vocal melodies ring out atop piano lines that cascade through a vibrant range of emotions. The anguish and joy of the past eruptfervently into the present through Jeremy's bold approach to composition and raw, affective performances enhanced by his outstanding tenor techniques. This is a unique opportunity. See the link below to join us to hear Jeremy live at St. Paul's Centre on Fri, June 8th.

Lemonville homestead is looking for new farmers... Pass on this post if you know of like-minded people looking for an opportunity to use their green thumb :) It will be hard to say goodbye to Jason and Tarsila Jason but very happy for them to have landed wonderful farm management positions at a farm in Uxbridge. They have brought so much beauty to the "farm" space with their colourful vegetables and market garden flowers. I am advertising for new tenants for January 1st in t...he upper floor 1 bedroom apartment and offering the garden space and use of the greenhouse for the 2018 season. The two offers can be seen as independent if you know of someone only interested in one aspect. If you know of a family - that needs a larger home - that would like the garden space - the 3 bedroom main house apartment will be available in May 2018 as well. Since you follow me and know of someone who is like-minded, please pass on this posting so we can connect :) For more information contact: Audrey Bayens [email protected] Farm is located at 13401 McCowan Road, Stouffville, Ontario

Very excited to visit this inspiring cafe tomorrow :)

Facebook reminded me that a year ago I wrote this post. Very timely with us all sitting on the edge of our seat waiting for news today of how they will be reducing our hydro bills in Ontario.... _____________________________________ I am so thankful that people are starting to realize that there is a way to offset your high energy costs. Become more self-sufficient with solar panels.... My MicroFIT is tied into the grid because that is the trend in Ontario. Ontario’s grid-tied solar includes 20,000 small household systems, totaling 167 MW. But Vancouver is doing it differently. Their homeowners use net-metering for solar systems up to 100 kw. If you have produced more electricity than you have consumed over the year they will pay you 9.99 cents kWh. BC Hydro’s net metering policy has been described as the best in Canada by a major Canadian installer, both technically and for ease-of-operation. Better still the City of Vancouver looks to cut red tape for green energy. There has been an explosion of interest in solar technology. Last year,Vancouver residents have installed more solar energy systems than they installed in the previous 10 years combined. The BC Sustainable Energy Association, said homeowners are already looking at solar power because of the continued rise in electricity rates. Seeing your neighbours with solar on their roofs, is an incentive to get it done as well. See more