As concerns about falling oil prices and increased food prices continue to manifest, many consumers are turning to sustainable agriculture and do-it-yourself endeavours to make ends meet.
One couple, Ingrid and Carlson Teloka, who own La Souce Environmental Designs, a landscaping and gardening business, are empowering amateur enthusiasts to do it themselves. On May 1, they will be hosting a networking event called Green Thumb for members of the public to meet with local vendors and suppliers who can provide the necessary resources to help them reach their goals.
Ingrid said the event grew out of the idea of a reunion for people who had done landscaping workshops with the couple over the previous year.
"I observed that they formed a friendship and a camaraderie by attending the workshops month after month after month, and then they would enquire about how the other people in the group were doing and how they were progressing with their backyards and front yards and where they were getting their materials and so on. So I decided to have a lime for them."
She said it then ballooned into a networking event when vendors asked if they could attend and show their products. The couple is very emphatic that it is not a plant show, a flower show, or a tea party.
"If you are a person who sells plants, supplies manure, or supplies chemicals used in the gardening industry, this is a good event to attend because then you can sell yourself and your business. If you're a landscaper this is a good event for you to attend. Also, if you are in or you would like to start gardening, you should attend this event because you can gather information and ask questions and find out about things."
Guest speaker at the event will be Gillian Goddard, who is well known for her emphasis on sustainable living and growing local products.
"We want to talk about how very possible it is to grow sustainable produce that you yourself can use constantly, and therefore cut back on your costs per month when you have to go to the grocery and the market, etc. We are also all about supporting small businesses and helping them to grow, so the more we build a network and there's a connection where people produce and people buy from each other, the small companies will grow much faster, and we can get the word out there that growing your own food is possible.
The couple chose the name Green Thumb because they wanted to encourage people to think they can be successful at gardening and landscaping, especially if they are living in places that do not necessarily have a lot of yard space.
"People always use the phrase 'green thumb' to signify that they are good at growing things, but a lot of people think they have brown or black thumbs because they can't keep things alive. We want to take those people to another level during the event and have them become more comfortable with growing things, or even gathering better information and ideas in how to go about being a gardener."
In terms of the landscaping aspect of their business, the couple said they teach their course participants how to do their own landscaping, because "in these recession times, not everyone can afford a landscaper. Some of our students have gone on to for their own landscaping businesses, while others use the knowledge to make sure they aren't shortchanged by the people they hire."
The event is also focused on local suppliers and vendors, in accordance to the push to go local.
"We wanted to push the small entrepreneur, so the only big brand-name company we have there is Oscar Francois. A lot of the vendors are very unknown people and they are now starting off in the industry, so it's a way of giving them an opportunity to market their products as well."
The vendors present will be Angie's Orchids (orchids); Yardie Decor (garden accessories); CAS Agricultural Supplies; Market Movers; Matthew Pascal (cacti); Callelujah (catering); Brew 2 U Cafe (coffee, teas and smoothies); The Cocoa Pod (chocolate and chocolate based products); Tropical Fruit Wines and Oscar Francois Agricultural Division, which sells bio-friendly chemicals.
�2 Green Thumb will take place at Blue Range Avenue, Diego Martin on May 1, from 3 to 5 pm. Tickets cost $200. For more information find La Souce Environmental Designs on Facebook, go to lasoucett.com or call 685-3018 or 303-1423.