In his daily briefing on April 9, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “Our country will come roaring back.” I understand why he might want to reassure people that everything would be fine, that this is just a temporary, if large, disruption to business-as-usual. But it’s much more than that.
We face not one but three simultaneous inter-connected crises: the COVID-19 Emergency, the Climate and Biodiversity Emergency, and the Crisis of Capitalism. We urgently need connected constructive responses. When you recall the movie When Harry Met Sally, your horny... Read more
You can join with others who are eager to get into action on projects to reverse global warming! Go to bcdrawdown.org to learn more about the book Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.
The Township of Esquimalt is doing Earth Day a little differently this year. Typically the day is marked with a celebration at Highrock Park with a focus on children’s educational activities around sustainability and the natural environment. The traditional format was... Read more
The Township is looking for enthusiastic individuals interested in serving the community as a member of the Advisory Planning Commission, Design Review Committee, Environmental Advisory Committee, or Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee are encouraged to apply.... Read more
The City of Victoria’s Business Hub staff have compiled a comprehensive list of resources for businesses at victoria.ca/bizresources. Donate to Boxes of Hope. Every $10 donated provides a warm, healthy meal to someone in need and supports the local restaurant... Read more
Because of Covid-19 we stand yet again at a crossroads of history. Too often in my lifetime we have stood at this same crossroads, and each time we have taken the wrong path. Will we get it right this time?
Take a breather and connect with nature! Check out the Sierra Club’s Google Classroom (code XULWFC2) and website for tons of fun nature-based activities for the whole family! These new resources are not only helpful for parents, but for caregivers and educators... Read more
‘Cabin fever’ is a common expression referring to negative emotions and distress related to confinement and isolation, such as irritability, hopelessness, lack of focus, and even simple boredom. It is not a disease and not dangerous in and of itself, but our mental... Read more
Can we call city parks, even large uncultivated ones, “natural”? Given that over half of humanity now lives in cities, and that by 2050 an estimated 68% will, preservation of large urban green spaces is the only way most kids will grow up without “NDD”
In this article I share some tools and strategies to support you to embrace change during times of chaos and uncertainty that are underpinned by the belief that “embracing change is a creative process that opens us up to new possibilities”.
This concern with the need to protect and restore the economy plays into a narrative about resilience, usually framed as the ability of people and communities to recover, to bounce back to where they were before the event ever happened.
Our food chain in BC is hugely dependent on imports, making it extremely vulnerable. On Vancouver Island, 95% of our food arrives on the ferry. BC has tens of thousands of acres of farmland that are lying fallow, or growing hay for horses that serve no agricultural... Read more
It seems amazing that medical and political officials obsess about social distancing but have NOTHING to say about the cause of the pandemic – i.e. nothing about addiction to animal products. (Telling us don’t go outside, but keep buying meat?!?)
Shelter Farm, a social enterprise operated by The Port Alberni Shelter Society. The farm grows vegetables that provide a source of nutrition for our clients and are sold to local markets. Shelter Farm is also home to the Market Gardener Program.
The Compost Education Centre has moved all their gardening workshops online. Many of them are free! Check them out here: https://www.compost.bc.ca/education/workshop-series/ Linda Gilkenson’s Gardening Tips! You can receive tips by email from this west coast... Read more
The Government of BC has confirmed a list of essential services, and some non profits are included in this list. “Essential services are those daily services essential to preserving life, health, public safety and basic societal functioning. They are the... Read more
We are reaching out in hopes that you can help us. We are trying to identify community partners to help us coordinate meal distribution sites to feed our community members most in need. The Downtown Victoria Business Association (DVBA) is working with the Coalition to... Read more
There is no question COVID-19 is a serious issue. If we did nothing, hundreds of thousands of Canadians, especially older people, might die and the health care system would be overwhelmed, jeopardizing the health of many other people with other health problems.
This is a video I created out of a PowerPoint presentation created by a social change movement that I’m part of. I invite you to take the time to watch it. I hope it sheds light on my state of agitation, and why you too might be frustrated with the widespread inertia... Read more
The coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, and while many despair and are living in fear, we attempt to ease their burden by bringing a little hope and peace in providing free produce and groceries.
The Highlands District Community Association (HDCA) has learned that the BC Government had Permitted a proposed strip mine in the District of the Highlands. This approval came three years after the application, yet only a few hours after the Government had declared a... Read more
After mandated restaurant closures today (now take out and delivery only) we know there will be more people looking for work. Pharmacies, grocery stores, island health and others are hiring right now. At time of this writing there are 37 jobs listed on the Jobs Board... Read more
This short report describes the special problems that contagious diseases such as COVID-19 present to people experiencing homelessness, and the organizations that serve them. Homeless people tend to be vulnerable to infections due to a combination daily stress, poor... Read more
I have been reading the news more than I ever have in my entire lifetime for the past couple of months. When the virus first erupted in Wuhan, I was away on Orcas Island with friends. We were all sitting around discussing what was happening and the initial numbers-... Read more
How can we stay strong during this crisis? With love, careful planning, and care for others – and total lockdown. When we emerge, huge numbers of people will hopefully want a more caring, cooperative approach to life, and a new kind of economy, based less on greed, selfishness and the destruction of Nature, and more on the economics of kindness.
Forty three years ago now I felt called to take a month off in the summer where I could be alone and write. What happened almost instantly was that I began seeing for the first time visions on paper and as soon as each vision came there was a poem to accompany it. By... Read more
The Victoria Electric Vehicle Association (VEVC) is an Electric Vehicle (and solar) advocacy group with over 900 members across Vancouver Island and Canada. The group conducts twice monthly information/presentation sessions to both members and the public on EV news,... Read more
Forest-Bathing! Confused or mystified about this trendy new panacea for all that ails us? Sara Ivens’ book is a good book for beginners and experienced tree lovers alike. Forest Therapy has many virtues. It’s an easy read. Ivens captures the reader on the... Read more
Hi everyone! I am writing you today in the hopes to bring you some comfort during this time of madness. My love of gardening brought me to watching a lot of rural Chinese people (on YouTube). Their vast knowledge of gardening and the wild veggies/fruits/herbs around... Read more
I work from the experience of place in a specific time to paint natural and urban landscapes. From Antarctica to Mexico City, Iceland to the West Coast of North America, I am interested in experiencing places that are in continuous transformation.
With respect to poverty, the commission states: “The evidence is clear: early investments in children’s health, education and development have benefits that compound throughout the child’s lifetime.” But they note that many children live in poverty and there is a gap between what we know children need and what they get.
Being a bridge between 2 cultures I feel the most important thing I can do is, bring awareness to our climate crisis not just environmentally but also through indigenous cultures. The world needs to come together in this time of need and the avenue Is art.
These great ethical issues are made urgent by the Anthropocene: the massive and rapid human-created changes in the earth’s natural systems that threaten the viability of our society in the not-too-distant future.
This 96 minute documentary will expose the truth behind the global “Race to 5G”, the health, privacy, and local power concerns, and the corruption between the Big Wireless industry and the U.S. government.” The 5G Trojan Horse (Documentary) Marg Friesen’s... Read more
The third-largest component of our ecological footprint consists of buildings, and almost two-thirds of that is the operating energy used for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, cooking and powering electronics. Most of the rest is the embodied energy in the materials used to construct the buildings.
BC Housing and its partners are currently accepting expressions of interest for the LEEP Field Trial Homes and would like to invite you to participate! If you are planning the design and construction of a high-performance home or building, your project may be eligible... Read more
Last week, I described some of the local “seeds” working to create a One Planet Region in the second-largest part of our ecological footprint — transportation. About three-quarters of the transport footprint is due to private vehicle use, most of which uses fossil fuels.
Painting is a form of language which helps me to voice my outlook towards certain issues that stir me emotionally. I feel that I have expressed myself to the viewer aptly through my art only when it moves the audience or evokes an emotional response in them.
Thanks to the District of Saanich Mayor and Council for unamimously passing a resolution to the Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities to “encourage municipal governments to take steps to engage their citizens in reducing their ecological footprint by... Read more
This petition seeks a rapid 100% transition of Victoria Regional Transit System vehicles to clean electric power. The petition is launched by the View Royal Climate Coalition and supported by the South Island Climate Action Network.
This week, I begin to highlight some of our local “seeds” — groups and organizations that are working to create a One Planet Region. This is our local version of a good Anthropocene where we use only our fair share of the Earth’s resources while improving health and well-being in a way that is socially just.
Sadly, there is not much good news about the state of the Earth these days. Climate change becomes more real as it starts to bite — just ask the Australians — and there is growing awareness of and concern about the extinction crisis we are triggering. We do have positive options, good choices and many opportunities.
Some readers will doubtless recognize the reference to E.F. Schumacher’s classic 1973 book Small is Beautiful, in which he introduced the world to the concept of “Buddhist economics.” The book’s sub-title was “Economics as if people mattered,” which today we might amend to read “Economics as if people and the planet mattered.”
An effective old growth strategy is one important part of a long-term forest asset stewardship plan to ensure nature’s endowment of forests best serve the public’s interests in changing times. Effective old growth forest conservation, protection and management will be... Read more
Anyone interested in the importance and value of old trees, should find this interesting. For years foresters have assumed that old trees have stopped growing and in many cases are decadent. Good we have forest researchers to do this important research. From The... Read more
I was prompted to write this column by an article in The Tyee (a Vancouver-based online news service) about public health issues in 2020. It’s not often people write about public health, as opposed to health care, so the attention is welcome. However, I found the... Read more
