Seeking Indigenous and South Pacific Youth for Stories of Resilience – Deadline Dec 22
Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is delighted to offer Stories of Resilience: a transformative cultural and artistic experience designed to lift spirits, recognize resiliency and build Allyship through a celebration of Indigenous stories and art. This program will... Read more
The Cult of Individualism is Toxic
I suggested last week that our society is remarkably immature in its approach to life. Central to this is an exaggerated form of individualism that has achieved a cult-like status. With that comes an acquisitive, greedy and selfish culture that really doesn’t care about other people or about nature.
Read more
NDP Punishes Poor
Our NDP government has decided to punish the poor by reducing the $300 increase to welfare and disability rates to $150, and then eliminating the $150 on March 31, 2021. People on disability and welfare have been unable to receive CERB and other benefits collected for... Read more
Money Talks… So Have Your Say!
Many people pay into the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) through paycheque deductions and become beneficiaries of the same when they retire. For those of you that are concerned on where your investments are going, including the CPP where one of the largest pension plans in... Read more
Zero Waste, Circular Economy Possible
The CRD just released its draft solid Waste Management Plan for the Victoria region and wants your feedback. Landfills are not sustainable, produce greenhouse gases and should not be expanded. Other options are available. The CRD needs to do more to move to Zero Waste... Read more
Education for life: Creating a more mature society in the 21st century
In exploring the German concept of bildung and the Nordic experience of folk-bildung I am indebted to a lengthy 2018 overview by Jonathan Reams of the 2017 book The Nordic Secret by Lene Andersen and Tomas Björkman.
Read moreThe SOLUTON for the Season – An Eternal Gift With Special Benefits
A rare opportunity exists to give a beautiful living gift that will not only last lifetimes, supports everyone in our local community and beyond, is convenient, plus is a climate solution in alignment with zero waste. If you are looking for the best Christmas gift,... Read moreFood Future: Rooted in Change
The pandemic has shed light on the injustices and discrepancies within our Food Systems, igniting a collective awareness of the need to rethink and restructure the way we interact as a food movement. This December 3rd and 4th, ‘Food Future: Rooted in Change’ will... Read moreWhere Do We Go From Here? – Season 2 Finale
Unlike COVID-19, there is no vaccine for curing the climate crisis. At best, we have to become carbon neutral by mid-century to have any chance of managing this existential threat. In this video, a panel of leading solution…
Read more
Cultural evolution and value shift – Towards a sustainable, just and healthy future
We may be talking about and even acting on climate change — even though our actions usually fall short of our words — but we are not yet talking seriously about the far greater challenge of living as if we have four or five planets, when in reality, we only have one, never mind the implications of that realization.
Read more
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
This November marks the 4th anniversary since Madame Justice of the BC Supreme Court gave the Ecoforestry Institute Society the right to buy Wildwood, keeping it in the public domain forever. We could not have done it without your unwavering support, your generous donations and your love and hard work. It took hundreds of people three years and a big pot of money to get this done.
Read more
The Climate Vaccine
At present, our planet is doubly afflicted. We have become the most dominant and most dangerous species on Earth. We have only one serious competitor – and that one happens to have been around for more than 2 ½ billion years before the appearance of multi-cellular life and that is the virus and, but for vaccines, it could still win.
Read moreInvitation from Spirit of Canada Dialogue Project
Invitation to join the Spirit of Canada Dialogue Project, either as one of the many hosts across Canada or as a member of the core team. An online event from Nov. 27 – 29 will provide an introduction to this project.
Read more
Will the candidate you vote for in next month’s election work to protect Victoria’s trees?
Will the candidate you vote for in next month’s election work to protect Victoria’s trees? Elections provide an opportunity for us to compel our future politicians to focus upon issues of special concern, and to record their stances so that we can hold them to account... Read more
Petition: Ban Landfill Expansion Plans at Hartland Dump
Sign the petition here. Landfills worldwide must be decommissioned and not expanded as we move to a society that embraces zero waste and carbon neutrality in the future. We are living in a climate emergency and other cleaner alternative waste management solutions can... Read more
Creative Community Partnerships Help Reduce Carbon and Waste and Save Natural Spaces
Creatively United is committed to championing solutions at the community level to support a shift to carbon neutrality by 2050. Both the federal and provincial governments in British Columbia are committed to achieving carbon neutrality. A number of local councils... Read moreTreaty Negotiations and Ecosystem Monitoring
Learn from members of one of Canada’s leading international river basin negotiating teams how they are working to restore ecosystem health in the Canadian portion of the Columbia Basin following the damming of the River in…
Read more
B.C. Should Follow the Lead of Scotland and Bring In a Well-Being Budget
Anyone watching Knowledge Network these days will be aware it’s all about Scotland, from clan wars to wildlife to railways. Good things come from Scotland, from Scottish ales and whisky to haggis and Robbie Burns — well, OK, not everything is wonderful, although haggis is way better than it sounds.
Read more
New Park for South Jubilee Neighbourhood
A new park has arrived in the South Jubilee neighbourhood thanks to the City’s purchase of a 12,700 square foot parcel of land comprised of a Garry oak meadow at the corner of Leighton Road and Bank Street. The new park is named Agamemnon and Eleni Kasapi Park in recognition of the family’s preservation of the property in its natural state for the benefit of the community.
Read more
US Naval Testing Harmful to Whales
Our Canadian government fails to file any objection to the planned US Naval testing in the habitat of Southern Resident Killer Whales. I have no idea why only the Greens raised this issue in Parliament. Only one news agency, the National Observer, carried any... Read more
Gasification Q and A: What is it and will it solve our waste management and climate challenges?
Since our community meeting with Creatively United for the Planet and other community groups concerned with the CRD’s proposed massive landfill expansion plan at Hartland Landfill (and announced agreement in principle with FortisBC which financially motivates CRD to... Read more
Zero Waste Means Not Expanding Hartland Landfill
A lot of what we acquire — all that “stuff’’ — ends up as solid waste, while inefficient energy use leads to high levels of energy waste. Not only does this contribute to excessive use of resources — with all the pollution and energy use associated with their extraction, processing and distribution — but it fills our landfills and pollutes our local environment or, if we export it, other people’s environment.
Read more
We Are an Ocean Province, Let’s Act Like One
What do people think of when they think of British Columbia? Chances are they think of the mountains, the forests, the coast with its salmon and orca, and Indigenous people and cultures. Indeed we are an ocean province, with a 25,000-kilometre-long coastline.
Read more
A Zero Waste Response for Regional Tree Protection
“The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human. To damage this community is to diminish our own existence.” — Thomas Berry Thank you everyone for your interest... Read moreCelebrating Eight Years of CommUNITY
Eight years ago on November 9th, Creatively United for the Planet became a non-profit society. So much has happened since we incorporated, including: eight zero-waste festivals and dozens of events with hundreds of musicians, artists, speakers, authors and non-profit... Read more
Hartland Waste Management Plan – Send This Letter to the CRD
Send this letter to: Denise Blackwell, CRD Board Vice-Chair (dblackwell@crd.bc.ca) Susan Brice, Director (sbrice@crd.bc.ca) Barbara Desjardins, Director (bdesjardins@crd.bc.ca) Fred Haynes, Director (fhaynes@crd.bc.ca) Lisa Helps, Director (lhelps@crd.bc.ca) Mike... Read more
The Blessed Unrest and the Public Good in BC
We, meaning government, First Nations, communities, scientists, academics, non-government organizations, industry and citizens, must find a way to pool our collective efforts to responsibly steward the precious natural resources given to us. Blessed Unrest – that’s... Read more
Building Healthy Communities — The Social Dimension
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo: A residential neighbourhood in Victoria. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST Last week, I suggested our region would be well served by a centre focused on how to create healthy, just and sustainable “One Planet” communities and that it... Read moreUS Election Results – The Impact on Canadians
Leading US political commentator and Washington DC lawyer, Mace Rosenstein, distilled the US election results. Mace was joined by Tom Axworthy, a senior policy advisor to the Canadian Federal government, and Bob Sandford…
Read more
Tree Seedlings Available Nov 2-6
The District of Central Saanich, thanks to the generous donation of Mosaic Forest Management, will be giving out 100 Douglas Fir seedlings the week of November 2 to 6, 2020. The seedlings will be available outside Municipal Hall, at 1903 Mt Newton Cross Road, from 9... Read more
Bhoomitra – Friend of Earth
Songs for River Dolphins of Punjab . Dr Sunny Sandhu aka Bhoomitra in 2011 rediscovered his love for nature while on an exploration of River Beas and its biodiversity. From a medical doctor he turned into full time Climate healer, musician and teacher.
Read moreThe Call for a New Forest Framework
What’s wrong with how forestry is practised in BC today? Why are old growth forests so precious? What are the solutions and implementation timelines? Join Kathy Code, of the Ecoforestry Institute Society, and Jonathan…
Read moreThe US Election from a Canadian Perspective
Washington DC lawyer, Mace Rosenstein, provided answers to the following questions: Who actually votes for the President? What is the role of the Electoral College? What are the opportunities for President Trump to game the…
Read more
Our Fisheries are as Badly Managed as our Forests
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo: A fishing boat passes a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter near Fisherman’s Wharf by Darren Stone Here is an astounding statistic: Of the roughly 196,000 tonnes of wild seafood harvested by B.C. fishers in 2018, worth about $476... Read more
Our Forests Are More Than Mere Resources
Courtesy of the Times Colonist Photo of Francis King Regional Park, Darren Stone – Times Colonist Last week, I explored how poorly governments of all stripes have been, at all levels, in protecting nature — and thus in protecting us. British Columbia is renowned... Read more
A Surprising Note of Advice for Voters from The Economist
The primary American research body tracking Global Warming and its affects, NOAA, just noted that September was the warmest September since modern records began in 1880. Seven of the warmest Septembers since 1880 have occurred in the past 7 years. So far, 2020 is the... Read moreArts of Laughing, Arts of Weeping: Equipment for Earth’s Lovers
Bob Haverluck, a Manitoba artist-educator and theologian who works with community groups using the arts, especially comedy to help engage issues of violence against the earth and her creatures; and Gennadiy Ivanov, a…
Read more
OUR PARKS – The Ultimate Essential Service
Our parks and protected areas and their ecosystems that keep us fed, sheltered and alive are the ultimate essential service. They are at risk. The upcoming election in BC is your opportunity to get them on the “Build Back Better” agenda.
Read moreBC Drawdown and Countdown to Change
Many people who are concerned about the oncoming climate crisis and loss of biodiversity ask the following questions: “What can one person do? What can one community do?” These questions and others are addressed in this…
Read moreUnique All Candidates Forum Langford-Juan de Fuca
Unique non-confrontational forum with candidates Gord Baird (Green), Kelly Darwin (Liberal), John Horgan (NDP) and Tyson Riel Sutherland (Communist) in the Langford-Juan de Fuca riding. October 15, 7 pm via ZOOM.
Read moreThe Power of Music
Never in history have we found it as important to turn to music as a medium to inspire us to action and hope. We are in the midst of rapid transformation as we deal with the climate crisis, mass disruption of key ecosystems…
Read more
Counting Down the Climate Clock
Bear with me, there are plenty of numbers here, but they are vitally important and in essence quite simple, with profound implications for our climate and energy policies, and I have not seen the implications for Canada presented as I do here.
Read more
Fairy Creek Blockade- Call to Action!
This is a call for forest defenders from all nations to support and participate in the grassroots non-violent direct action campaign to protect the last ancient temperate rainforests, currently active on unceded Pacheedaht territory, so-called Vancouver island, B.C.... Read more
Fifty Ways to Bring More Urgency to BC’s Climate Action Plans
“We are facing a disaster of unspoken suffering for enormous amounts of people, so please, treat the climate crisis like the acute crisis it is, and give us a future.” – Greta Thunberg For years, Guy Dauncey has tirelessly warned of the urgency of tackling the climate... Read more
South Island Climate Action Network 2020
SI-CAN is a network of local climate action teams and individuals who meet monthly to share ideas and strategize on how to move the dial on climate action within their local municipalities. We unite when needed to amplify our collective voice. If interested in joining... Read more
SAFE Cities Open Call for Graphic Artists
The SAFE Cities movement, hosted by Stand.earth, seeks artists to create graphic art that inspires and engages millions of people around the world in our critical mission. SAFE Cities works with neighbors, local groups, and elected officials to phase out toxic fossil... Read more
Social, Not Ecological Factors Control Our Population
In his 2016 book The Serengeti Rules, Sean Carroll tells us Charles Elton, the 1920s pioneering ecologist, identified four factors that control animal numbers: predators, pathogens, parasites and food supply. Two weeks ago I likened these to the Bible’s four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Read more
50-Year-Old Sci-Fi Novel Eerily Prescient
Contemplating an orange-red noon-day sun almost obscured by the smoke clouds roiling in from America, burning to the south, brought vividly to mind The Sheep Look Up by British author John Brunner, an eerily prescient science fiction novel I read almost 50 years ago.
Read moreThe Transformational Moment: What Have We Learned So Far?
Three of Canada’s foremost practitioners in reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, Merrell-Ann Phare, Michael Miltenberger, and professional planner, project manager, capacity developer and engagement…
Read more