Article, Nature & Conservation
In this series of columns, I am exploring the UN’s call for humanity to make peace with nature. Last week, I noted that B.C.’s government is failing to act, or is taking inadequate action, on climate change. This week, I look at B.C.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Podcast
I found this an inspiring commentary by a wise storyteller, especially the difference he sees between becoming ‘older’ vs becoming an ‘elder’. We are all in that transition. This consciousness is so needed in the world right now. This is only 30 minutes:... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Want to help shape Victoria’s future? We’re accepting applications from individuals to serve on the following committees to provide advice to City Council on a variety of arts and culture, design, planning and development projects,... Read more
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
This week’s Elders for Ancient Trees Newsletter
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Article, Nature & Conservation
By recognizing that “humanity is waging war on nature,” the United Nations arrived at the idea of making peace with nature. Regrettably, the B.C. government pays little heed to calls to make peace with nature, whether from the UN or its own citizens.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
I am so excited to share that my first novel, The Voyage of Freydis, has been on the Canadian bestseller list for two weeks this October. The Voyage of Freydisa is a work of historical fiction that is a revisionist retelling of the life of Freydis Eiriksdottir, the... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO) – www.rpbo.org – is based in Victoria B.C. and is the only Pacific coastal station in the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network. RPBO is a unique and important contributor to bird conservation; regionally, nationally and... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
Weekly blog with the latest news and upcoming events from the Elders for Ancients Newsletter.
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Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
Elders for Ancient Trees needs your help, your donations, to sustain their legal challenge against the injunction at Fairy Creek in the BC Supreme Court.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo: Amazon opened its first general store outside the United States in a mall near London this week, selling the online retail giant’s most popular products, including books, toys, games and consumer electronics. A UN report... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
The Elders for Ancient Trees are engaged in a tough legal battle with the logging industry to save the embattled forests around Fairy Creek. Please support them with a donation to their legal fund.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
Wednesday Rally for Ancient Forests+Forest Protectors October 13, 4-6 pm (Next week we will start winter hours 3-5 pm) 4 pm start at BCLeg Government+Belleville corner ~5 pm go for a walk to BellMedia building, home of CFAX, 1420 Broad St ~5:15 circle up for community... Read more
Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
This is an excellent statement from Dr. Suzanne Simard* re: Judge’s ruling opens window to save Fairy Creek as well as remaining old growth forests in British Columbia. Simard discusses the economic and ecological reasons, to which we might add eco-humanist values... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
October is Women’s History Month, and the history of women’s activism in tree conservation (in wilderness & in cities) is particularly interesting, and a matter of ongoing urgency in the present. Women like Octavia Hill & Ada Salter still inspire us.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
The 5-year permits for various helicopter wolf slaughters around caribou herds have expired and need to be renewed. Renewed permits are proposed for 12 caribou herds, along with one new permit for a 13th herd. In addition, there is a space for respondents
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Article, Nature & Conservation
I find myself increasingly drawn to the United Nations’ framing of our current situation as being at war with nature, as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres put it in a landmark speech at Columbia University in December 2020. For an organization that is, after all, intended to be the world’s peacekeeper, the response was obvious: “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century,” Guterres said.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
In a climate emergency our elected representatives must adopt these 5 actions immediately to make real the protection of nature and the conservation of biodiversity in our parks as the top priority promised.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Creativity
The western screech owl joins in a moment of celebration.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
When I logged onto Suzanne Simard’s presentation last Wednesday, my picture of old-growth forest was of huge, towering trees, draped in lichen and moss, sheltering birds and animals – a beautiful picture from the ground up. At the end of Suzanne’s one-and-a-half hour... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Creativity
SPIRTS MUST BE SEEN & HEARD In recognition, these Native baby spirits must be seen and heard. Most of us have evolved enough to see their face and hear their name, now. Some of us were not awake to get involved, we let their deaths go by. Some who knew better, Dr.... Read more
Article, Food & Health, Nature & Conservation
Something extraordinary happened in mid-September: 231 medical journals around the world all published the same editorial, titled “Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health.” Led by a group of chief editors from world-leading journals…
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
Here are some resources to help settlers understand and advance Indigenous Reconciliation: 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Creativity
Fossil Fool When our Fossil Fool went to school, profit was the Golden Rule. I wish that he had stopped to think that it would lead us to the brink of climate change, and fire and drought. Let’s help him see there is a way out of unrelenting growth and industry greed.... Read more
Article, Food & Health
It can be easy to simultaneously upgrade your internet and improve indoor air quality by switching any “wireless” connectivity at home to a “wireline” connectivity. Here are some simple videos and information: Simple 2-minute video How to reduce radiation from your... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Students will walk out of class late morning and arrive at the Legislature at about noon. Speakers, music and more. Let’s get out and support the students as they struggle for a sustainable future. Organized by Our Earth Our Future. Details Date: Friday, September 24... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
For the 30 days of September, I have been sending a tree poem a day, written by myself and others, to protect our ancient forest ecosystems to the Premier, Prime Minister, select ministers, MLAs and party leaders. Here is my letter, followed by a poem I sent on day... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Food & Health, Transportation
Capital Bike and Victoria Orange Shirt Day are proud to announce the first-ever National Reconciliation Day Ride on September 30th in Victoria, BC, as part of Go By Bike Week, in recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Everyone is invited to wear... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Creativity
My poem, “The Girl Who Ate Dirt”, is inspired by an intriguing autobiographical detail that Suzanne Simard shares in her book “Finding The Mother Tree”.
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Article, Food & Health
The AccessBC Campaign for free prescription contraception is once again running a letter writing campaign, calling on the provincial government to fulfil their election promise to make all prescription contraception free.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
I have learned in a visceral way—through relentless confrontation of comfort and exposure to vulnerability—that my culture, and its systems and structures, all derived from patriarchy, is the downfall of humanity.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Trees, Nature & Conservation
Join the Trees in Cities Challenge The City of Victoria is working with the community to plant 5,000 trees on public and private land in the United Nations Trees in Cities Challenge. In 2020, the City increased tree planting by 40 per cent and planted 500 new trees in... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
It has been a pretty dispiriting election all round. It was called in the midst of a pandemic for no better reason than that the Liberals want to hang on to power. The campaign has been lacklustre, the debates uninspiring and badly organised and, at the end of it all, it seems to me we may well be right back where we started: a minority government.
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Article, Community Trees, Nature & Conservation
As human beings we are an inseparable part of the natural world. Our existence depends on a good relationship with our non-human relatives. Unfortunately, the current model of forestry practiced in this province breaks the relationships between ourselves and nature.... Read more
Article, Food & Health, Transportation
Fall Go By Bike Week is returning September 27th to October 3rd and, after a spring hiatus, the always-popular Celebration Stations are back! “Community is incredibly important, so I’m thrilled that we can bring our community of riders and local supporters... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
Just a quick reminder – before heading out to vote on Monday, September 20th – please check if any of your candidates signed on to the list on our “Candidates Who Care About Canadians’ Health” webpage: https://c4st.org/candidateswhocare/... Read more
Article, Food & Health
1) Less than 10 days until the election, but still time to try to get MPs elected who are supportive of reducing EMF in our environment and helping to protect the health of Canadians. A simple ask of those running — if they will support implementation of the... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Last week, I noted that none of the main parties — those likely to form the next government — have yet recognized and accepted the scale of the global ecological crises we face, to which Canada contributes disproportionately. Nor have they recognized the implications for Canadians and the rest of humanity, including the threat these crises pose to our human rights.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
In a December 2020 speech at Columbia University, the UN secretary general said: “The state of the planet is broken. Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal,” adding: “Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.”
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
Do you want a lovely Protect Old Growth sign for your lawn? Of course you do! Sign up today for an Old Growth Lawn Sign / Window Sign! We are focusing right now on distribution of signs to households in Greater Victoria, to get the message out to the Premier and his... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
As anyone who has ever Googled my name could tell you, I was the first leader of the Green Party of Canada in the mid-1980s. That was in part because I had deep roots in green or ecological political thinking, dating back a decade before that.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Nature & Conservation
Urgent, before September 7th: FortisBC, the province’s gas utility, tried to sneak one by us From The Wilderness Committee: It split the expansion project at its Tilbury LNG plant in Delta into two. We’ve got until Sept. 7 to tell the province to reject a key part of... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity, Community Creativity, Fairy Creek
Feeling a deep gratitude for the united Fairy Creek front line forest defenders.
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Article, Fairy Creek, Nature & Conservation
Many endangered species inhabit the remaining old-growth forests that lie within and just outside Fairy Creek on the southern end of BC’s Vancouver Island, as well as nearby in areas like Eden, the Walbran, Bugaboo and Caycuse, say a group of scientists. The... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
A Timely Reminder. I’m a Delta, BC resident who writes poetry as a way to explore and understand myself and the wider world. My love of trees, the environment, poetry and the written word continue to inspire me.
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Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
Are you concerned about the global climate emergency? Do you want to do something about it? Are you looking for a paid contract? If so, read on. Community Climate Circles is a project of the Nanaimo Climate Action Hub. We are working to form Community Climate Circles... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
Guide to a Strong Election Climate Plan, for your websites From Environmental Defence: Let candidates know that if they want your vote, they need to be serious about climate action. We’ve created a guide of key policies to watch for when you’re reading party platforms... Read more
Article, Nature & Conservation
Did you know that nestled between Goldstream and Gowlland Tod Provincial Parks on W̱SÁNEĆ Traditional Territory there is a parcel of land for sale? It consists of 101 acres of mature forest with blankets of wildflowers, intact ecology, stunning waterfront on the... Read more
Article, Arts, Community, & Inclusivity
STOP! I have been thinking about Fairy Creek for some time, about the issues and the folks involved. These poems are a token of my appreciation to the folk who are out there being visibly committed to the cause of the wellness of trees, our planet and all of us as a whole.
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Article, Nature & Conservation
This recent article in Yes! Magazine is very timely, as is the invitation to the event on Sept 9th. Stan Cox’s proposal for achieving fair shares for all through rationing managed by local governance is, to say the least, provocative in our current society... Read more
Article, Community Trees, Nature & Conservation
Support Nature in Your Neighbourhood Naturescape is a program and concept to protect, maintain and enhance wildlife habitat and native biodiversity. It encourages creating diversity, layers and edges and using native plants on your property and in the re-design of... Read more
