Over the Edge * March 13th 2013

Get out there, Get Healthy

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Photo courtesy “half Leopold

CHARLES LEOPOLD

CONTRIBUTOR

It seems that spring is starting to show signs
of arrival. All this warm weather and snow
make this a perfect time to get outside and
enjoy what’s left of the winter. You might
be saying, “But I have waaayyyy too much
school work to do, I can’t even think about
anything else!” Well, Attention Restoration
Theory tells us that spending time outside in

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nature can help us to become more focused
and productive! Researchers tell us that
prolonged directed attention, like staring at
your computer screen or TV, causes ‘directed
attention fatigue’. This makes us distracted,
irritable, impatient, and less productive. After
spending few minutes of ‘effortless attention’
in nature, you will feel refreshed and ready to
get down to work. And you never know, the
‘restorative’ benefits of a nature break just

might show up on your transcripts! But let’s
face it, you probably spend most of your time
staring at a blinking cursor on a blank page
or watching episodes of The Walking Dead
anyway, so here are some ideas of things you
can do that won’t cost you anything:

1. Go for a walk in the Forests for the World!
It’s beautiful back there right now and it’s
minutes away from the campus. Just follow

Spending time outside in nature can help us to
become mote focused and productive!

the road past the Daycare and up the hill. Lots
of people walk their dogs there so you don’t
even need skis or snowshoes, it’s usually
packed trail.

2. Bomb around anywhere you want on
snowshoes or cross-country skis, available to
borrow (or by donation) from the Outdoors
Club.

3. Build a snow sculpture! The snow is perfect
right now; go build a Viking or a mermaid or
something else awesome.

4. Have a snowball fight; there is no better
past time than throwing things at your friends.

5. Build a snow cave!
Now, if you have a couple bucks to spare
here are a few options:

1. Powder King is just over 2 hours away,
head here if you are a somewhat experienced
rider and love the pow.

$58 lift pass, $30 Bus, $35 Rentals= ~$123

2. Purden Ski Resort is about an hour away
and has a surprising amount of terrain. Nice
groomers and tree runs.

$39 lift pass, $39 shuttle (check availability),
$30-40 rentals= ~$113

3. Tabor Mountain is only 20 minutes out!
They have one triple chair and night skiing!
$34 lift pass, no bus, $20-35 rentals= ~$60
4. Hart Highlands Ski is great for beginners

and jibbers, and it’s on the Prince George
Transit bus route, go for a half day, it’s a lot
of fun.

$9.50 lift pass, on bus route $12 rentals=
~$23

5. Otway Cross-Country Ski Center. If you
have never been cross-country skiing I highly
recommend it. It may sound a little boring
compared to downhill but let me tell ya, with
the right friends on a nice day, it’s a blast.

$10.72 lift pass, no bus, $15.20 rentals= ~$25

This is by no means a comprehensive list;
there are at least a dozen more things to
do in the winter in Prince George. I know
it can be hard to get off your comfy couch
in your warm house when it’s windy and
snowing, but I challenge you to give it a
shot. I guarantee you will not regret it! For
those of you that are new to the north...don’t
fret, warm weather and green grass is not far
away, enjoy the snow while you can. For the
locals, no complaining! You were born for
this!

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA'S FOODS WEEK

ALVARO PALAZUELOS
UNBC SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER

The University of Northern British Columbia’s
Food Week will run from March 18 — 22, 2013.
The weeklong series of events will include
several opportunities for UNBC students, faculty
and staff to participate in discussions and actions
relevant to the satisfaction and sustainability of
the campus food system.

UNBC’s Food Week will involve several ‘food’
events developed in a collaborative effort by
the Northern Undergraduate Students Society

(NUGSS), UNBC’s Campus Food Strategy
Group (CFSG), Prince George Public Research
Interest Group (PGPIRG) and UNBC’s campus
food service provider, Eurest.

On Thursday and Friday March 21 & 22,
Eurest Dining Services’ Head Chef Rodney
Mansbridge will be preparing a delicious menu
featuring locally and provincially sourced
ingredients in the UNBC Cafeteria. This menu
will feature vegetarian and meat dishes inspired
by seasonally available products. This feature
menu will be in addition to the Cafeteria’s local

menu options now available on a regular basis,
including a local burger.

Top Chef UNBC will return on Thursday March
21, with cash and gift certificate prizes for
UNBC’s top chefs. Chefs from some of Prince
George’s top dinning establishments will be on
hand to participate as guest judges.

There will be a screening of the food
documentary Fresh on Tuesday March 19.
Special guest speaker Dave Abernethy will open
up the screening session. As owner and operator
of Summerfield Farms, a local grass-fed beef
farm, Dave will speak to the audience on the
opportunities and challenges of sustainable food
production in the region.

The Thirsty Moose Pub will be offering BC
Beers Week. The Moose will be bringing in a
wide range of beers sourced from some of BC’s
finest microbreweries. These additional varieties
will compliment the broad selection of local and
provincially brewed beers permanently available
at the pub. There will be a BC beer-tasting event
at the pub on Tuesday March 19 and BC beer
specials throughout the week.

The University Farmers Market will be open
for business as per usual on Tuesday March 19,
you can find a vender list at http://ufm-unbc.org.

PGPIRG will be delivering their monthly Good
Food Box, featuring as many locally sourced
products as possible, on Wednesday March 20.

NUGSS VP Sustainability Cam Bell stated,
“UNBC’s Food Week is an excellent example of
a several campus organizations coming together
to display the possibilities of a more sustainable
campus food system. It also provides everyone
the opportunity to celebrate the strengths in our
present campus food system.”

CFSG coordinator Nitha Karanja said, “This is a
very timely event. UNBC is currently developing
and will be releasing a request for proposal
(RFP) for a campus food service provider in
the near future. The more involvement and
awareness we can build around the campus food
system, the more information we will have to
develop a RFP that accurately reflects the needs
and desires of everyone at UNBC.”

For more information or specific details on
any of these events keep you eyes peeled for
UNBC’s Food Week posters around campus,
or contact the CFSG Coordinators at unbc@
studentfood.ca. Remember, together we can
build a more satisfactory and sustainable campus
food system.